flooring for my 9wk old chicks

[Debbielucia]

Hi I need some advice on flooring , in the coop i use shavings which is great as i can clean it really easy but im having trouble with the run , I live in Manchester in the UK it rains way too much here , I did have grass but that didnt last long with the digging and the rain so I started with straw for the run but found it hard to clean then i got some bark which is suppossed to
soak up the moisture but it didnt and it got muddy messy and smelly so today ive dug it all up and now back to dry soil as its not rained today luckily , do i try stones ? at least i could pick up the droppings and wash it down or will the stones be too hard on their feet , really not sure whats best i want my chicks to be happy n comfortable , was thinking of putting wood roof over the run but dont want to block out the sunlight , please advise me if you can .



Debbie mother to 3 silkie chicks , 2 staffy pups , 3 cats , 1 daughter and a hubby who loves to build with wood

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
We use sand and I can't recommend it highly enough. It drains wonderfully and is super easy to clean. I use a kitty litter scooper and a bucket. I have no mud problems in an otherwise very wet area and no flies either.

 

[welasharon]

Sand is awesome!

 

[ADozenGirlz]

BTW: the birds can't sun-bathe in stones, but they looooove to roll around in the sandy run!

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

I use sand. I have an old window screen that I use to shift the sand ever so often to 'clean' the run since I gather weeds/grass/etc. and feed in the run (no free-range). Our climate is very hot/dry so I dampen the sand for them...they love to dig fox holes and cool off in the damp sand.