Coop "Renovation"

[Fluffy_Moth_With_Silkies]

Hello! I hope you are all having a nice day. I'm going to put plants in my coop and bedding in the small run to keep it from getting super muddy. Any specific plants and bedding that I should use? I'll take a picture of the setup. It's pretty crusty right now and I can't plant anything because it's going to die as soon as it becomes winter. These chickens eat any weeds, but I also kind of want grass and maybe a few chicken-friendly flowers to plant in pots and add in whenever. If you can help, please do!

Thanks!

 

[Ted Brown]

Any plant you put in your coop or run will be gone in a very few days, chickens love plants and grass and...

You need deep wood chips/mulch as a base for the run and as much organic material (leaves, grass clipping, wood shavings, etc.). Any bedding that you have in the coop can be moved directly to run whenever you clean it out.

Good luck!

 

[Fluffy_Moth_With_Silkies]

You need deep wood chips/mulch as a base for the run and as much organic material (leaves, grass clipping, wood chips, etc.). Any bedding that you have in the coop can be moved directly to run whenever you clean it out.

I'm using pine shavings, should I change it to a different wood?

 

[Ted Brown]

I'm using pine shavings, should I change it to a different wood?

Those are what most folks on BYC use, easily available and not expensive.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Plants aren't going to survive in a coop regardless of chickens due to needing moisture which is the opposite of what you want inside a coop.

Bedding for a run depends on different factors such as climate and availability of materials. You said your run is small and muddy, which indicates drainage might be a problem you need to address first, as there is no bedding which will fix mud issues if drainage is an issue. A "small" run will also likely need full regular cleanouts due to lack of bedding volume, so while you can use deep litter materials do not expect it to work as intended with a deep litter set up (where you can just leave it in place for years).

 

[Brooks_]

Any plant you put in your coop or run will be gone in a very few days,

I agree. Though in rare cases it can work (mine have allowed a volunteer mulberry to live in the run).

 

[Backcountrychickens]

I would recommend pine shavings on the mud (sounds crazy but it works!!!) and blackberry or raspberry bushes. They provide shade for your hens, and do well to soak up moisture while not needing much in turn. The fruit are also a great snack for you and you hens, and the chicken manure will fertilize the soil for a good growing base! With annual pruning (to contain the branches) I think that will offer a great solution!
Good luck!

 

[Mouthpear]

Hello! I hope you are all having a nice day. I'm going to put plants in my coop and bedding in the small run to keep it from getting super muddy. Any specific plants and bedding that I should use? I'll take a picture of the setup. It's pretty crusty right now and I can't plant anything because it's going to die as soon as it becomes winter. These chickens eat any weeds, but I also kind of want grass and maybe a few chicken-friendly flowers to plant in pots and add in whenever. If you can help, please do!

Thanks!

If you want plants or grasses in your run, use Grass beds. I made a post here giving some details. They are not hard to make and maintain.

 

[Mouthpear]

Plants aren't going to survive in a coop regardless of chickens due to needing moisture which is the opposite of what you want inside a coop.

Check out the post I just linked to. Maybe not inside the coop but in the run it works great.

 

[Fluffy_Moth_With_Silkies]

If you want plants or grasses in your run, use Grass beds. I made a post here giving some details. They are not hard to make and maintain.

Check out the post I just linked to. Maybe not inside the coop but in the run it works great.

Ooh, I'll look!