Ahhh, the chicken run ecosystem is probably one of my favorite parts about chicken keeping. Once you understand how things compost, and how to mitigate weather problems, its a marvelous hobby almost.
What I do know is everyones goal is the same: provide the chickens with a healthy ecosystem. What works for some, may not work for others. It's important to at least consider which zone these effective measures come from. I'm zone 6a and have a covered run. The 4 seasons is such a welcomed blessing in keeping a healthy coop/run. I have come to enjoy the deep winter months knowing all of mother natures creepy creatures are taking a break. At the end of the day, my healthy coop tip is a dry top layer always. Mother Nature takes care of the rest. When its super wet I add a bunch of straw, which eventually breaks down, drys and mixes with dry dirt in the run. In a perfect world I'd have dry leaves for every rain event

