Do I need litter in my run or is bare ok?

[5 Points Wingfeather]

We have 9 chicks 12 weeks old. They spend daylight to dusk in their run. I can’t remember exact dimensions but it’s close to 8x25. The run is now hard packed dirt and 90 percent of it is uncovered.

Do I need to put wood chips or straw or something down in the run or will it be ok for it to just be hard packed dirt.

 

[Tonyroo]

Hard dirt is fine.

 

[DobieLover]

You don't want bare. You want something that will drain well and slowly decompose with the poop load to keep the smell and flies away. The birds love scratching around in run litter and if it's dry, they will dust bathe in it.
Check your town highway department to see if they collect curbside branches, chip them and provide them for free for residents.
What else is in the run for them?

 

[NatJ]

Do I need to put wood chips or straw or something down in the run or will it be ok for it to just be hard packed dirt.

If it stays dry, it might be fine.
But if it gets wet, you will have mud, and it will probably smell bad too.

So unless you live in a desert, I would suggest adding some wood chips.

The chickens also like to have something to scratch in, so wood chips or straw or dead leaves will make it more fun for them. A mixture of materials is fine, and often works better than any single material.

 

[5 Points Wingfeather]

You don't want bare. You want something that will drain well and slowly decompose with the poop load to keep the smell and flies away. The birds love scratching around in run litter and if it's dry, they will dust bathe in it.
Check your town highway department to see if they collect curbside branches, chip them and provide them for free for residents.
What else is in the run for them?

I have some roosting bars in there for them and a couple of “toys”. I need to add some more structure.
I can easily get free sawdust and wood chips and stuff to put in there I just didn’t know what it would look like after rain

 

[DobieLover]

I have some roosting bars in there for them and a couple of “toys”. I need to add some more structure.
I can easily get free sawdust and wood chips and stuff to put in there I just didn’t know what it would look like after rain

I would avoid the sawdust. Stick to the larger stuff that drains well.

 

[5 Points Wingfeather]

I would avoid the sawdust. Stick to the larger stuff that drains well.

I would avoid the sawdust. Stick to the larger stuff that drains well.

So hay and really large wood chips?

 

[sdm111]

If it doesn't get muddy its fine

 

[DobieLover]

So hay and really large wood chips?

No hay either. It mats and molds when it gets wet.
My run has a solid roof but this is what you are looking for.

 

[3KillerBs]

Where, in general, are you located?

Different areas have different materials locally available -- such as pine straw here in the US southeast -- and different weather conditions can make different bedding work better or worse.

For example, my soil is exceedingly, even excessively, well-drained and sandy so I can use straw without the mold issues that some people have -- at least as long as I don't let it pack and mat.