Dirt chicken run?

[BuckBuckCluck]

In the run whatever bedding you put down in there doesn't need to be changed, just periodically replenished. Adding things like leaves and wood chips allows the poop to move to the bottom and decompose which keeps the chickens from standing in piles of their own poop.

We have straw in ours. Not sure if that’s acceptable, but it’s what we’ve used for the week we’ve had our flock. Thoughts?

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

If

Ah, I didn't think about this. I can't sand it because that would defeat the purpose of it being smooth and wipe-able. So back to plain old wood. Thanks for the info.

Our coop floor will be linoleum. I forgot to mention that.



I live in NJ. The run 11.5'w x 6'd. It is covered with a slight over hang. My husband mentioned doing gravel. What do you think about that?

Also, we're thinking about switching to course sand in the coop. What do you think about that?

I'm in CT with 5 hens and a covered run. When i first made it, i added a truck load of coarse wood chips. I kept a section of the run free from chips to provide a dust bath location. I used 4 logs and made a 'sand box' using dirt i dug from the yard, sifting it first. I add material to the run based on weather. In the summer, dry all grass clippings from mowing and throw that in. In the fall, i save dry leaves and put them in a tall pile in the corner of run. If you get any flooding in the run, those leaves are very helpful. I rake them around as needed and the girls scratch that around and it adds cushion and maybe bugs and exercise. In the winter, i throw hay for them to scratch on, lay on, and keep a barrier between the cold ground. In the winter, i also will throw some crumbled newspaper (nonshiny) with some scratch inside it. I think my main goal for the run is to keep it dry. I daily will remove fresh poops when i see them and I clean their henhouse poop every morning. I have never changed my henhouse bedding, just add more hemp on the top couple times a year. I tried to go into this chicken thing saying, i dont want to have to clean this coop everyday, but, i do. The cleanliness of their run, imo, is a direct link to their health and i love my hens and those eggs, so, a few minutes a day tidying the run is a small fee in exchange for a thriving flock. I wish you the best on your chicken journey. Dont forget the dust bath!

 

[StinkyAcres]

We have straw in ours. Not sure if that’s acceptable, but it’s what we’ve used for the week we’ve had our flock. Thoughts?

I use straw in the covered portion of my run. As long as it doesn't mold I think it's fine.

 

[BuckBuckCluck]

I use straw in the covered portion of my run. As long as it doesn't mold I think it's fine.

Thank you got the response.