do you line your run with gravel or sand or just leave the dirt?

[lovesun]

I put about 2 inches of pea gravel and 3 inches of sand in my run (over dirt). I got advice from another byc'er that has used this method with good success. I only just finished my coop a couple days ago so I can't tell you how well it works!

The person who suggested it said that all you need to do is rake it a couple times a week and the gravel and sand sort of pulverize the poop and it sifts down. They also recommended adding new sand and gravel as needed, I assume a couple times per year...but we'll see...

good luck!

How is the idea working? We currently have a dirt floor with pea gravel on it and it does get smelly so we are considering either sand or hay on top. I've heard that the gravel and sand can mix to become hard. Has this happened to you?

 

[tacmomma12]

Thank you for this thread! I was just looking at our run. We've had the chicken coop/run now since July, so the chickens and lack of sun have mostly killed the grass. There are also a few holes where they'd started a space for dust baths!

I rake it out about once a week to help with the odor, but I was wondering what to do to make that job a little easier/better for the chickens once cooler weather sets in. I'm worried about their little feet, even though I have cold tolerant breeds.

When we get straw for the nesting boxes this month, I'll try spreading some down there.

 

[SunnyAlberta]

We currently have a dirt floor with pea gravel on it ...

This is what we have, also. The girls stir up the gravel, dirt and straw bedding that falls onto it from the coop, so the run looks more like pebbly compost than gravel. I cannot scoop poop from this ground. I do rake the ground weekly and remove chunks, but that's just usually scraps of garden waste that they don't like and it goes into the compost. On warm days I use a hose which is supposed to melt the poo and make it drop under the gravel, but I'm not convinced of this. We get long, cold winters so the hose won't work for us much longer. I may start putting straw in the run, too, knowing I can rake it out and put it into the composter when it gets too messy.

 

[PDXcluck]

How is the idea working? We currently have a dirt floor with pea gravel on it and it does get smelly so we are considering either sand or hay on top. I've heard that the gravel and sand can mix to become hard. Has this happened to you?

It's working well for us. I just recently dug it out to put hardware cloth across the bottom of the run for increased protection against predators and rats and when I put everything back much of the sand had settled so it's mostly gravel/pea gravel on top now. I will go get a load of sand this weekend and top it off again. When it is mostly sand on top it is really easy to scoop the big chunks of poop out and the rest gets raked in. We have definitely not had any issues with the sand/gravel clumping or becoming hard, but we are raking it at least once a week.

There has been minimal smell, even when I dug it out I noted little to no smell, even deep down in the mix, and no visible poop either. But flies have been a problem for us, though I doubt straw or shavings or anything else would be any better than sand and gravel with regard to the fly population. I think we are going to have to use some fly traps to get them under control.

Also, to be clear, I am fairly certain the majority of our fly problem is from our neighbor who does not manage her dog (great dane) waste situation at all. When her dog finishes a bag of food (50 pounder) she puts the empty in the backyard and fills it with the dogs poop, leaving it open, until the dog finishes the new bag of food, then she finally throws it out. I'm sure the bag is a regular old maternity ward for bottle fly larvae. I talked to her once about it but it seems like I'm going to have to bring it up again.

All in all, I highly recommend using gravel/sand in the run!

 

[WinterLadyAK]

Sand Sand Sand! So cheap and so neat and clean for them. Get it delivered or pick up locally, you can buy by the cubic yard. I have about 5" deep in the run, the poop just disappears. And it has all the grit they'll ever need! And dust baths, they love it!

 

[galefrances]

I don't know. I have just dirt in my run. I find it pretty easy to rake it all up once a week. I've never noticed any odor either. I have 12 pullets. Am I just lucky? The dirt stays dry because our run is covered. This winter we plan on adding tarps to the sides to prevent snow from blowing in there. I'm going to put ties on them so I can roll them up for sunlight. So unless somebody knows of a health reason why they shouldn't be walking on dirt...I guess I'm leaving the run as is. Does anyone know if this is bad for them?