Do I need to put hay in my run

[2AcreFarmer]

Do I need to put hay in my run?. It's a 10x10 dog lot with an a frame on the top which i put a tarp on. It's water proof an I've heard of a lot of people putting hay in their runs but theirs aren't water proof. Should I add hay?

 

[foreverlearning]

It is up to you but remember that hay can mold if it gets wet and you are not practicing the deep litter method. The mold is bad for chickens. You want something softer like the ground, something like sand, DL, or grass. If you didn't know the deep litter method is basically a compost pile in the coop or run. You add bedding as needed and the chickens stir it buy scratching for seeds or bugs.

 

[2AcreFarmer]

Thanks. I'm new to the whole raising chickens. A guy gave me a hen with six day old chicks and a hawk got all but two of them. Now I have a barred rock rooster, two red sex linked hens, and 2 mixed breeds. They are staying in the dog lot all the time and I don't want them to get frost bite on their feet from the cold hard ground. The rooster got frost bite on his crown so I've been keeping Vaseline on it to help prevent any more.

 

[chfite]

I believe that chickens' feet are good enough to deal with the cold ground. I use sand in my run. The other day, it was 7 degrees F here. Extremely cold for these parts. The chickens did not seem to mind a bit.

Chris