Floor of outdoor chicken run

[Davaroo]

Cover the run and get water to go elsehwere is one way, if the yard is small enough.

Get rid of some chickens is another method.

An outdoor deep litter method is a good alternative, too. Here's what I mean:

"... There was a great revolution in the chicken business when Geoffrey Sykes, in England, developed a new yarding system in the Fifties.
This used a small yard (pen) covered with a thick layer of straw, with more straw added frequently. This was the equivalent of the "deep litter" scheme, only reproduced outdoors.

Mr. Sykes also recommended that shade and a windbreak be provided by a solid fence around the yard, or by other means, such as rows of haybales. Once a year, the old straw was removed. This method eliminated barren dirt, and thus the resulting poo, mud and pathogens. It was quite soon forgotten, though, because the industry was moving to high-density confinement methods before the Sykes method became widely established."

Considering that 435.6 sq ft/bird is needed for the land itself to readily absorb the scratching they do and the poo they produce, well... you will see that most of the worry is a result of overcrowding.

 

[Dawn419]

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You're so Welcome!

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Check with the feed stores, you just may find it there, but make sure that it is food grade DE only (bag will read Food Chemical Codex Grade).

You an order it on-line also. Wolf Creek Ranch is in So. Cal.

Hope this is some help!


Dawn

 

[GallowayFarms]

If you are worried about muck, mud and such, do not get ducks. They are very messy if left in a confined area.

If you put wire under the dirt in the run you will be fine. That is the best way to do it.


Good Luck

Nick

 

[MarylandChick]

I had a temp roof over my pen all winter but it didn't help much at all. Since the run is far longer then wide it really isn't the right size for a useful roof. Plus when I removed the roof, things were a bit dryer because the sun was better able to dry things out.

The deep straw method didn't work for me in the outside run like it did in the coop. It held moisture and bugs and the chickens often scratch their food all over the place and so lots of food was lost and went to waste.

I wonder if maybe DH is overfeeding the chickens and the cracked corn and laying mesh is adding to the muck more than I realize. :|

I'm think I'm leaning towards giving the woodchips a chance next. How many bags of them do I need to buy? I wish I had a wood chipper.

 

[jacyjones]

Hi, This is an answer from Wales, UK so may not be relevant!!! Our run is uncovered but the chickens and ducks are free range during the day so they are not all shut in the run for long periods. We have put a 4 inch deep covering of stable bedding called Easibed on the run floor. this is small wood chip designed to absorb urine in a stable and works well. as you know we get lots of rain here and the floor is always easy to walk on and the poo mixes in. I don't rake or anything - they turn it over and keep everything quite fresh. We have just added 2 ducks so they may cause more of a problem - I will just have to wait and see.

 

[seminolewind]

Hi, is there any way you can get a large order of sand? I'm guessing you need 2-5 cubic yards. Sand is great, it actually dries out the poop, then the poop disappear. I am very happy with the sand in my run.

 

[2manyhats]

I'm liking the sound of sand mixed with DE. The DE is great to control parasites in the animals and on the animals as well. I hadn't thought of sand in the run once the grass is gone.

 

[Hensense]

Hi Maryland chick, I'm from Maryland too!

Now I haven't had a problem with straw outside, sounds like you have a basic drainage problem that needs to be corrected first.
Water must be able to drain away or no material is going to work well. Shallow drainage channels lined with gravel can help the situation. My yard has a definite slope to carry off excess moisture.
Lime is a big aid to avoiding fly infestations.

Good luck, I am here in rainy Poolesville, where are you located in Maryland?

 

[Davaroo]

Now I haven't had a problem with straw outside, sounds like you have a basic drainage problem that needs to be corrected first.

I tend to agree after reading the comments.​

 

[patandchickens]

Make sure the water from the coop roof is directed well away from the run, by gutters and downspouts (you can use drainage pipe as a convenient long 'elephant nose' extension if you need to). If the run recieves runoff from elsewhere in the yard, trench a swale around it to lead the water elsewhere.

If I were in your socks I would get some sturdy p/t lumber or cinderblocks, build a 6-10" tall STRONGLY BRACED retaining lip around the edge of the run, and then get a dumpload delivery of gravel or at least roadbase (sand/gravel/dirt mix) to put 6"+ on the entire run. You will need at least that depth to keep it from just getting mixed into the mud. Oh, and one important thing -- don't do this when the ground is muddy or damp, you MUST wait till it is pretty dry or the gravel will immediately start to get lost in the mud.

Don't put any sort of straw or dirt or any other bedding on top of this; just let it be what your run is made of. Repair holes dug in it before they get down to dirt level. It will drain well, prevent mud, and be much drier and less stinky.

Good luck,

Pat