Dirt in Run?

[lynnehd]

I'm in a predicament with my run. It is a 9x12 covered run. Up until now it has been dirt except over winter I did DL. It is way too hot here in the summer for DL as it produces too much extra heat. I've lost several chickens lately and my vet thinks it might be due to pathogens they are picking up in the soil. Thinking about sand but I've heard mixed reviews about that too.

If the sand would stay mainly dry in the summer, then that would work, and stays cool.
Come fall, you could pile leaves, wood chips, etc., up and use the DL method. You shouldn't have to remove the sand.

Then rake this out in the late Spring, mulch your garden, and replenish the sand.

It does seem like a good idea if you had a necropsy done on at least one chicken that dies to verify what the cause of death is?

 

[tjmings]

If the sand would stay mainly dry in the summer, then that would work, and stays cool. 
Come fall, you could pile leaves, wood chips, etc., up and use the DL method. You shouldn't have to remove the sand.

Then rake this out in the late Spring, mulch your garden, and replenish the sand.

It does seem like a good idea if you had a necropsy done on at least one chicken that dies to verify what the cause of death is?

I did get a necropsy and preliminary results are that she had round worms and lice....yuk!!!

 

[lynnehd]

I did get a necropsy and preliminary results are that she had round worms and lice....yuk!!!

I'm a little surprised that the DLM would have caused that, but then again, I don't live in a hot/humid summer climate. Ours can get hot, but is mainly dry.
But others who do, seem to be very happy with the DLM year round.

I wonder if @Beekissed would have input?

Meanwhile, are you treating your other chickens for both lice and parasites?

 

[Intheswamp]

I'm in a predicament with my run. It is a 9x12 covered run. Up until now it has been dirt except over winter I did DL. It is way too hot here in the summer for DL as it produces too much extra heat. I've lost several chickens lately and my vet thinks it might be due to pathogens they are picking up in the soil. Thinking about sand but I've heard mixed reviews about that too.

How deep is/was your litter?

Ed

 

[tjmings]

I'm a little surprised that the DLM would have caused that, but then again, I don't live in a hot/humid summer climate. Ours can get hot, but is mainly dry.
But others who do, seem to be very happy with the DLM year round.

I wonder if @Beekissed
 would have input?

Meanwhile, are you treating your other chickens for both lice and parasites?

That's another thing I am confused about. I have done so much research between what type of material to use in the run and how to treat lice/worms. I feel like I'm spinning around in circles. I ended up treating all chickens with wazine in the water about 10 days ago. Not sure if I should do another round?? Have not seen any evidence of worms. For lice it seemed like one of my girls had a fairly bad infestation but I haven't noticed much on the others. So far I have treated 3 of my 10 girls with Sevin dust but now I notice them sneezing so I'm apprehensive about using it further.

 

[lynnehd]

That's another thing I am confused about. I have done so much research between what type of material to use in the run and how to treat lice/worms. I feel like I'm spinning around in circles. I ended up treating all chickens with wazine in the water about 10 days ago. Not sure if I should do another round?? Have not seen any evidence of worms. For lice it seemed like one of my girls had a fairly bad infestation but I haven't noticed much on the others. So far I have treated 3 of my 10 girls with Sevin dust but now I notice them sneezing so I'm apprehensive about using it further.

I think you can find more specific information about treating lice and worms in the Health section of BYC.
I'm no expert, but I do think you have to thoroughly clean the coop and treat it as well.
You would use the Sevin dust, or Poultry dust on all of the chickens at the same time (well ventilated), repeat in 1 week. Then use either dust or a spray form inside the coop and nest boxes when it is clean and empty; then replace bedding.
This is probably worth doing if your vet thinks lice are part of the cause of flock loss.

There are certainly topical products for parasites- sometimes it helps if the vet does a fecal sample so you know what they have.
You might ask your vet what he/she would advise to treat them with, but with most products, a repeat dose is needed.

Good luck!

As far as the deep litter, I think @Intheswamp 's question is a good one. Depth can make a difference.

 

[aart]

Lice only live on the birds bodies, no need to treat coop.

 

[lynnehd]

Lice only live on the birds bodies, no need to treat coop.

Sorry, my mind was thinking mites.

 

[Howard E]

This is not an enclosed run, rather is a garden area adjacent to the house. They spend a lot of time here. Until a few days ago, I had some remnant plants in there they liked to hang out under.

Anyway, this area would be a mud hole if not for all the organic matter I put down. I am starting a raised bed garden area here from a grass lawn. To help snuff out the grass and prep the garden area, I put down some rows of hay bales and planted tomatoes, peppers and some sweet potatoes in them. Between the rows of hay bales I piled in a deep layer of hay. It started out as loose hay about a foot or so deep. Almost as deep as the hay bales laid flat. Over the summer, with the birds running around on them, about 20 to 30 inches of rain, the hay has rotted down.

This is what is looked like yesterday when I was prepping things for some fall plantings......

Below is the layer of hay, and showing what was taking place beneath it. After about 3 or 4 months, a foot of loose hay had rotted down to only a couple inches. That is a newer layer of hay showing on top, which I pulled up to get at what was below.



I raked it up and moved it to the top of my refreshed raised beds.........black gold!



Same area was replenished with a fresh layer of hay that the birds will scratch around in and scatter.......those are just flakes of hay laid on on the ground....




An adjacent row that has been in place for a bit..........




And my helpers at work.........



No mud and no smell. After or even during a rain event, no mud. It may be wet, but no mud. Within hours of the rain stopping, the top will be drying out.

It also occurs to me if a person wanted to simulate this inside a large run, you would line the edge of the run with intact hay bales.........set them on edge all the way around. Then in the middle, fill in with loose hay. Even with a lot of rain, the hay bales will take 6 months or more to break down to the point the birds will be picking them apart. After that, take them up or out or move them to the middle to pile up. The birds would run around on the loose stuff in the middle, not to mention on top of the hay bales all the way around. It does not diminish the amount of space, but does tier the space to give them two elevations to hop onto and off of. Just a thought.

 

[Intheswamp]

I'm not really sure how the hay bales would work in my area...fire ants love to get up under and between them.

ETA: But there again, it wouldn't be too much different than a deep layer of litter....