Do you Clean out poop from the run?

[iriedeby]

Curious to know if you all clean out poop from the run? I added pine bark nuggets and mix it around and it seems to be ok for now. Today, the edges of the run are getting muddy bc of the rain coming in from the sides. I'm reading to use pelletized bedding, but then it turns to sawdust. Are ppl picking out poop from it or just turning it often and letting everything just eventually become one with the dirt floor?

I clean my out twice a day. I was trained early on by my parents when we had horses. I even go through the shavings on a daily basis and hand pick (for the most part!) out the poop! My dad had a thing about picking up horses poop, even the ones in the pastures, so I am used to it. In the run, I use a small shovel and scoop.

 

[crazy chicken ladies]

I do clean the run from time to time. Often during hot weather when it starts to smell. I use sand for the girls to get the grit they need and also for them to have for dust baths. However, they seem to prefer the dirt in the flower beds for dusting. I've been reading a lot, trying to find the best thing to put down for Winter, that will help insulate.

 

[JeffreyWare]

@JeffreyWare you put that much in the run all at once?
Got pics?

Hi there, it’s about 3” deep and covers mud (clay that gets slimy when wet and cracks when dry). So I was worried how I’d have chickens with a mud run and chickens were to arrive in one week. Luck would have it that ArborTech was working nearby for the month on electricity rights of way. I now have a large pile and I’d still take more if I could. I’ll send a pic if possible.

 

[aart]

it’s about 3” deep

Good.
Layering fresh chippings too deep in a run can be a problem with molds blooming to toxic levels.

 

[BDutch]

I only clear out poop in summer in dry periods. Flies do so too. If its dry too long and the surface is too hard to scratch I spray water.

The soil takes up the poop after a rainshower. But keep in mind that it needs ‘browns’ too to keep the soil healthy. Add lots of autumn leaves every year. I add fine machine chopped branches from pruning too.
The soil in the run is alive with rainworms and barley sprouts come up from the scratch they don’t eat. It doesn’t smell. No need to replace or add new layers of sand.

 

[Patty from Ivy]

I have always had construction grade sand lining the floor of my 10’ x 14’ run and use a long handled metal kitty litter scoop and a small galvanized pail to scoop up the chicken poop from the run floor. Now, I only have 4 hens so it doesn’t take long - maybe 10 minutes or so. I keep the girls busy with protein treats while performing their “house cleaning “ which includes cleaning the coop floor of droppings. Everything in the pail goes onto the compost pile which makes an amazing top dressing for the veg garden after breaking down for a year. I have found this chore keeps both smells and flies to a minimum. I add more sand as necessary - about 5 x 60 lb. bags a year.

 

[SamIamNam786]

Hi there, it’s about 3” deep and covers mud (clay that gets slimy when wet and cracks when dry). So I was worried how I’d have chickens with a mud run and chickens were to arrive in one week. Luck would have it that ArborTech was working nearby for the month on electricity rights of way. I now have a large pile and I’d still take more if I could. I’ll send a pic if possible.

Your run is not covered, so you need a 3" layer when it rains...otherwise you must have a muddy mess! I just covered my run properly with a thick white tarp in hopes of keeping it dry and shaded so they aren't indoors all winter. This image was from this morning, and it's set to rain all weekend....like it has been for the last 7 weekends!

 

[BDutch]

Your run is not covered, so you need a 3" layer when it rains...otherwise you must have a muddy mess! I just covered my run properly with a thick white tarp in hopes of keeping it dry and shaded so they aren't indoors all winter. This image was from this morning, and it's set to rain all weekend....like it has been for the last 7 weekends!

It depends on everyones circumstances what is a good solution.
Temps, soil, amount of rain….

I don’t have a constant layer and it’s never 3” deep all over. Only late autumn after pruning and when the leaves have fallen there is a good layer of organic materials to compost.
My run got muddy in the first year too. But making several deep holes (pipe-drilled, 3-4’ / 1 meter deep) filled with river pebbles, solved this problem. The soil here is a mix: clay with san and loam.
The topsoil normally gets frozen for a few weeks in winter in my climate. No more. Winters in NJ are colder and I don’t know if my setup is impossible in cold winter climates.

@JeffreyWare doesn't live anywhere to my knowledge. That makes its hard to give a good advice. Please add your state/town in your profile.

 

[Chicken mob]

Curious to know if you all clean out poop from the run? I added pine bark nuggets and mix it around and it seems to be ok for now. Today, the edges of the run are getting muddy bc of the rain coming in from the sides. I'm reading to use pelletized bedding, but then it turns to sawdust. Are ppl picking out poop from it or just turning it often and letting everything just eventually become one with the dirt floor?

I regularly rake out the front of my run so there's not so much poop where I toss out scratch for them. The rest of the run I leave alone so they can scratch thru the leaves.

 

[BonnieBlue]

I clean the run. It is small, I have sand in it, and it is completely covered, plus, there are landscape pavers under the sand. Because the poop is not going to easily break down, I clean. I do spot touches (large pieces I can see and quickly scoop in a few minutes) a couple of times a day while I am outside checking on the girls, making sure they have plenty of water, etc. Once a week I do a deeper clean, that takes about 20 to 30 minutes.