Deep litter in a run turn to compost?

[Aesop]

Has anyone tried? That's one of the most popular chicken run choices! And the best all around, in my opinion, because you don't need to clean the run and it doesn't get poopy, muddy or smelly. And its the one that's most fun for the chickens to scratch through. Just don't use pine shavings though, they'll turn to mush. Use different types of plant material, of different textures and size particles. Get something coarse and chunky to provide drainage and help grind the rest down - wood chips. Get some filler that will provide lots of carbon for the composting reaction - dry leaves, grass clippings, yard waste, etc. The chickens will provide the nitrogen and the stirring. There you go! That's what I have and I love it. Don't forget to collect and save your bagged leaves, to add to the run periodically throughout the year (especially in winter, when there isn't anything else readily available to add). They don't last long in the run - the chickens will shred them into nonexistence within a week or two - but the shredded leaves provide easy carbon to the composting system.

I am doing this and have a few inches of weeded stuff from the asparagus beds. It has soaked up the short rain (the 20' x 15' pen has a roof) so the chickens are on fairly dry ground instead of the muddy mess they had before. Hoping to build up the ground so water will eventually run off instead of creating a muddy poopie mess. Thanks everyone!

 

[zenstarling]

Has anyone tried? That's one of the most popular chicken run choices! And the best all around, in my opinion, because you don't need to clean the run and it doesn't get poopy, muddy or smelly. And its the one that's most fun for the chickens to scratch through. Just don't use pine shavings though, they'll turn to mush. Use different types of plant material, of different textures and size particles. Get something coarse and chunky to provide drainage and help grind the rest down - wood chips. Get some filler that will provide lots of carbon for the composting reaction - dry leaves, grass clippings, yard waste, etc. The chickens will provide the nitrogen and the stirring. There you go! That's what I have and I love it. Don't forget to collect and save your bagged leaves, to add to the run periodically throughout the year (especially in winter, when there isn't anything else readily available to add). They don't last long in the run - the chickens will shred them into nonexistence within a week or two - but the shredded leaves provide easy carbon to the composting system.

everything @K0k0shka said. you end up with garden gold, the composting materials keep your chickens full-time busy scratching and foraging, AND it’s ideal dust bathing (if there’s a dry area of it, under my coop is the dirt spa). bonus, in cold climates once you get into constant hard freezes, the compost stays warmer, is still workable and able to be forked over. this started with summer grass clippings, fall leaves, and the dirt that already existed in the run. I’ve already put my kids to work carting it into the garden to age in place for spring!