Do you clean the run? Should you have pine chips on a dirt run

[hoping4]

Questions folks...Do you clean your run? Should you have pine chips in run? Run is not covered....Thanks in advance!!

 

[Angiebubs]

Is your run dirt or cement? How big is it? I don't personally clean my run as it is aprox. 20 ft by 30 ft dirt ground. If you have a smaller run and its not dirt, then you could occasionally wash it down.

 

[Blooie]

I have pine shavings in my dirt floored run. It's working really well for me and my 22 chickens. They peck and scratch it up, which keeps it aerated and I just add more shavings periodically. I didn't know if using the deep litter method would work in the run as well as it does in the coop, but it sure does keep down odor! Mine is partially covered.

 

[RonP]

Run floor - wood chips, used pine shavings, dried leaves, yard waste, and basically anything biodegradable - free - 8 - 24 inches deep - composted black gardeners gold gets kicked out of 1/2 hardware fencing and disappears. Level seems to remain constant. Chickens love to dig craters and distribute it for me. I just routinely dump a garbage can full of "browns" into the run. Haven't cleaned it, ever. No mud, bugs, or smell.

 

[scootchick]

The bottom of my run is dirt/sand/wood chips. I just refreshed the substrate with Koop Clean from Lucerne Farms. It's a mixture of chopped hay, straw and Sweet PDZ that absorbs odor and moisture. Plus it's biodegradable. I'm not big on scooping chicken poop so I'm looking for materials that I can add to the mixture of the run that will aid in natural composting with the girls scratching around. This seems to be working well for now.

 

[hoping4]

My run is dirt Angiebubs.