Deep Litter in Run and How to Keep Clean

[ladyhand]

Giving them a straw bale is a great way to prevent winter boredom. Don't spread it -- just cut one tie and let them tear it apart over days or weeks. Likewise when you rake leaves. Don't bother to spread them, just put in the pile and let the chickens have fun scratching it until it's spread out.

I love this idea for in the coop. I got a bale to put some in a nesting box and set the rest outside of the coop. When they were let out of the run to do some free ranging in my backyard, they wouldn’t go in the backyard, they just wanted to dig through the straw and eat the more wheat like ends? I have no idea what they’re called obviously I think I’ll be moving the bale into the run in the morning!

I'm too lazy for that, I just let nature do the work.

This is 100% why I’m going with deep litter. I put my coop and run behind my fence, right up against the woods on our property. The area was a lot of dirt as it gets very little direct Sun during the day. I pulled in some of the leaves and such you find in woods but got 10 bags of mulch and put that down in the run to start things. My husband did a lot of yard work last weekend and I put all of the weeds and trimmed bushes and duck in the run. It gives them places to hide and eat until it dies. Fall will be here soon and I’ll add a ton of leaves!

 

[3KillerBs]

What works for me is raking dried leaves and cutting them up in a steel trash can with the electric grass trimmer. I then throw the smaller leaf and grass pieces into the run.

Nothing like yard waste!

You're cutting it up for the quail, right? Full-size chickens would normally be able to rip up leaves on their own.

 

[chickencoop57]

My run is dirt with a lot of small rock, here in the Texas Hill Country. It doesn't bother the chickens any. Sometimes I'll throw hay in the run but for the most part, it's not necessary. In this heat, the ground gets hard and dry, so twice a day, I water a corner of the run, where I have a tarp over, and the chickens love to go lay on the cool ground. Also, about twice a year, I'll get my tiller and till the run. As for my coop, I use the deep litter method. I buy that Flaked Pine Shavings from Tractor Supply and put the whole bag in my 4' x 8' coop. I only have to clean it out every 3 weeks to a month, using this method. However, I do toss the shavings every other day, which helps in keeping it clean, as can be. After I change out the old shavings, I take the shavings to my compost pile and use it in my garden when it's ready. I do like the leaves in the run, that Sally PB, mentioned. I'll have plenty of them, soon enough.

 

[Sally PB]

I used to dread raking leaves because we have oak, and they take all fall and winter to come down. It isn't until new spring growth pushes the old leaves off that all the leaves are shed.

Now I take it as an opportunity to rake up leaves for the run, or the garden, or for the run again.

 

[Finnie]

it just seems like it would turn into a rubbish bin with flies.

Flies mean maggots, and chicken LOVE maggots! Chickens eat up all the maggots, and they don’t become adult flies. Of course, new flies can come in and lay new eggs, and then more yummy maggots for the chickens!

Besides that, even if you didn’t throw food scraps in their run, chicken poop will attract flies anyway.

One thing to watch out for, wherever you compost, is that food scraps will attract unwanted critters. So make sure wherever you compost is predator proof.

 

[bethnlee]

I use construction sand in both my coop and run. It’s wonderfu. Super easy to scoop the poop out. No smell at all. No dust. Clean feet. The chickens love it, Read “The Chicken Chick” https://the-chicken-chick.com/chicken-coop-bedding-sand-litter/. And. https://the-chicken-chick.com/reasons-straw-does-not-belong-in/.

 

[3KillerBs]

I used to dread raking leaves because we have oak, and they take all fall and winter to come down. It isn't until new spring growth pushes the old leaves off that all the leaves are shed.

Now I take it as an opportunity to rake up leaves for the run, or the garden, or for the run again.

DH bought me a new lawn sweeper this summer.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

I use construction sand in both my coop and run. It’s wonderfu. Super easy to scoop the poop out. No smell at all. No dust. Clean feet. The chickens love it, Read “The Chicken Chick” https://the-chicken-chick.com/chicken-coop-bedding-sand-litter/. And. https://the-chicken-chick.com/reasons-straw-does-not-belong-in/.

Those “chicken chick” articles are pretty mediocre at best….presenting opinions as facts with no real backup.

Some people love sand, which is great…but saying “it’s easy to clean” in a run (vs. coop) setup doesn’t really make sense…in a deep litter run, you don’t HAVE to clean.

No cleaning > easy cleaning in my opinion.

 

[3KillerBs]

No cleaning > easy cleaning in my opinion.

I agree.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

If you have a rocks/stones in the run, they can cut themselves and this may cause bumble foot.

I am going on five years with gravel in the run, I raked a lot of it out to expose dirt and the rest is mostly to one side and have not had any issues.