Dirt chicken run?

[GetFitWithKrista]

I don't think you can add one since your coop is so narrow and the entire floor is pretty much a poop board. Try the sand and if you don't like it you can switch to other beddings to see what's right for you. I agree with the others that gravel is not a good choice, in the coop or the run.

I don't think going on vacation for 3-4 days should be a problem with any of the beddings as long as your run is 100% predator proof (hardware cloth, predator apons, etc) and they have enough clean water and food.

Very good. We're going for deep bedding/litter. Screw the sand.

Thanks for confirming about the vacation. We have hardware cloth and predator aprons. Working on the general food and water plan now. We'll see how it goes.

 

[ChickenTenderz]

Hi all, my very first post to BYC. Thanks in advance for sharing your expertise.

We're building a henhouse for 5 hens. It's 11.5'w x 9'd x 8.5'h - the coop is 11.5'w x 3'd - the integrated enclosed/covered run is 11.5'w x 6'd. See photos.
The coop flooring will likely be the deep litter. The structure will be placed on grass. The grass in the run will quickly turn into dirt once the chickens go in. Can it stay dirt or do I have to put something down? (I'm looking for the most efficient and low maintenance way to run my coop.)

I use pine shavings (deep litter method) in the coop but just have dirt in the run...with the occasional pile of leaves or grass clippings as they come available. I raked everything nice and flat last week but the girls like their run floor uneven and in piles
I also added a "chicken tree" so they can keep their feet dry when it's a little muddy. They can only free range when I'm not at work because we have alot of hawks nearby.

 

[NevadaEmma]

My run is dirt. I do add leaves in the fall and sometimes I add part of a hay bale so that they can jump on it and tear it apart. Gives them something to do and good for the run.

 

[Violanna]

My chicken run is sand.. like pretty much beach sand. And no I didn’t put it there that is just the soil type I have. My chickens love it! We rake poop up if they don’t bury it themselves and it gets too bad. I also use straw in their coop and they love to pull it ALL out into the run. It definitely helps with managing the poop.

 

[mrbillwej]

The bottom of my chicken run is the natural Earth which in my case is sand

 

[paintedChix]

Thanks so much for this thoughtful response. My husband wants to use gravel in the run ...

Others answered this.

Eventually, you will try different options until you find one that works. Your coop & your environment are completely different than mine.
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This just became an extra long post as to how DLM works for me & why I chose it. Very long. Sorry, stole your thread!
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I have open air, hooped pens/coops. The natural sand on this particular property is different than property in same county - 20 miles away. Here - it is "gnarly nasty". Stinks gosh awful when it rains - before put chickens on it.

The cleared parts of property were previously monoculture farmed - tobacco, corn, soybeans - we have 21 acres of what was once 90. About 7 are cleared pasture along driveway & in front of house, about 3 more where house, shop, 2 sheds, large front side & backyard w/ a series of pens/small coops & paddock beyond the backyard. Herbicides/pesticides used heavily & often. When we moved in in Jan 2015 some open areas had centipede grass & clumps of ??. Alot of the cleared areas were literally just sand. There were no bugs, not even fire ants, for the 1st 2 yrs. We didn't mow around house or pastures for couple years as nothing grew!

The hurricane in 2016 - dumped 11" of rain in short # of hours after already having more than 14" of rain the previous month. Smelled bad enough that it made family members physically sick... I had already started using DLM, before that - in chicken coops. Then kicked in faster/harder. We bred ponies & used round bales. Instead of cleaning up waste, we just put new bales in different areas. The waste hay & manure were left where it was to fertilize the ground. When i found bugs, I rejoiced & family thought I'd lost my mind, LOL. For a while, before lots of different predators showed up, I free ranged chickens & ducks. That made a huge difference - they spread the hay, manure & large patches of the 7 acre pasture became better, fertilized, grass growing, loamy ground. As I dug out the DLM from chicken coops, the really great compost was originally pitched out around chicken coops - again making better ground. W/ appearance of different predators, went to tractors- moving them around the front, side & backyards. Also using various movable fenced pens.

I got pony/horse #s down from 35 to 10, then down to 6. Chickens processed, sold or given away in late 2019 except for very limited coop. Spent a couple months in 2020 in MT - property stuff when mom passed. In 2021, spent almost 1/2 yr up there when moved daughter, SIL & grndghtrs up there. SIL mowed frnt/side & mowable backyard before moving to MT. 5 + months later, I returned to different grasses & weeds towering over my head & unmowable w/ our equipment (husband didn't mow while I was gone)... All in areas that had almost nothing but sand when we moved in. 3 mowing/yard companies came out & gave quotes then decided they weren't going to do work. I'm still working on that - a yr & 1/2 later..

DLM has helped change our coop/runs into easy 1-2 times a year maintenance - removing some DLM to use in other areas. It has changed the smell of our property from physically sickening to bearable (still many acres that need actual compost, but getting there). The pens/coops unoccupied since late 2019/early 2020 are being dug out & compost is being used to help build up large, raised garden beds this year. It's a slow process - I'm doing it mostly on my own while working full time - 50+ hours week - husband has become more hermit like & doesnt really do stuff outside at all... Also got Covid 1st time in summer 2022. I still experience physical things I think may be related...
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Thinking I should delete this, but it shows what/how we utilize what we did. The DLM has made our chickens happy. The chickens turn it to usable compost. The compost, put out over stinky sand in a variety of ways, has changed the property smell from very bad to mostly acceptable. Our property now sports grasses (a lot of weeds, yes), bugs - both good & bad, fruit trees & this year, hope to have veggies, fruits & grains for ourselves & the chickens & ducks.

DLM
Coops, Cattle Panel, Sheds
Tractors

 

[Mr Spot]

The floor in my coop is 12"x12" concrete blocks with deep hay, the run 14'X60' is dirt. I have 7 standard hens and 1 bantam rooster and never had a problem with it yet. They dig, scratch, and sand bathe in it. I give them scratch, meal worms on a regular basis, and scatter their grit around on it every weekend. I keep the water and oyster shell inside the coop and hang the feeder outside in the run when the weather permits. It works for me and them.

 

[PopoMyers]

Hi all, my very first post to BYC. Thanks in advance for sharing your expertise.

We're building a henhouse for 5 hens. It's 11.5'w x 9'd x 8.5'h - the coop is 11.5'w x 3'd - the integrated enclosed/covered run is 11.5'w x 6'd. See photos.
The coop flooring will likely be the deep litter. The structure will be placed on grass. The grass in the run will quickly turn into dirt once the chickens go in. Can it stay dirt or do I have to put something down? (I'm looking for the most efficient and low maintenance way to run my coop.)

Just lovely. I have dirt on the bottom, and shavings in my roost/nesting box area which is raised off the ground. As long as the dirt stays dry, you'll be golden. Mine love having their dirt bath close-by. You can add wood ash to their holes for added effectiveness. DE is questionable, as they can inhale the dust as they bathe, which could cause health issues.

 

[BDutch]

I didn’t read all the reactions. So maybe you have good replies in the meantime.

Maybe you find my experiences useful.
I have a small roofed coop/run combination with sandy soil in the roofed run (1). I made an auto-pop door to a larger run with strong netting in top (2).

1
My chickens do not poop on the sand in the roofed run. I only find poop under the roosts.

2.
The soil in the ‘open’ run was grass a long time ago. I planted several bushes in it, for a natural environment for my chickens. The rain, autumn leaves , worms and insects break doen the poop.
It helps too that my chickens often free range for several hours during the day.

In the beginning they had a smaller run,
I raked/spitted the soil but that didn’t work nicely and it got smelly after a year or so. Water stagnated, fixed that. And with the extra run space and adding lots of leave and chipped branches I got a natural balance and it really works nicely. I have it lik this now about 5 years now.
I’m not sure this works on your soil and in your climate.

I have 6 small bantams on 15m2 open run and 2.5m2 roofed run.

P.S. i have a poop board under the roosts with cardboard and a layer of shavings.

The roosts are made of rectangular wood with rounded edges.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Deep Litter is the way to go ... I never clean, pick up big stuff but keep adding shavings. Haven't read thru the whole post but IF you put a "poop" board under the roost (sleep on) put PDZ in it and just sift out the dropping, never having to change just replenish. Chickens tend to do alot of pooping when they roost/"sleep"