Floor of my run

[clarkechick]

I plan to plop my coop in a wooded corner of my yard. There isn't much grass on the ground, but plenty of leaves and pine needles weeds and dirt. The soil is sandy so it drains well - isn't too wet. Will my chickens be happy to scratch around in this environment or do they NEED to have grass all of the time. They will be able to free range on the grassy lawn for a small part of each day.

 

[Bengalcats1]

Mine love digging in the dirt, one part of my run drains well and the other part right now is a mud hole from nonstop rain but the chickens don't seem to mind. I let mine free range here and there, not every day because of my dog, but the days they don't get out I pick grass and throw it in the run and they eat it right up. Im still figuring out what to do with the muddy part, sand maybe ?

 

[Judy]

From my reading here:

Most runs don't have grass, simply because the chickens make short work of it.

On muddy runs: https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-fix-a-muddy-run

Sand is often used in runs, especially ones that tend to get muddy. You might want a "border" around the sand to hold it in.