What I’m going for is to elevate the floor of the run away from the water from the runoff around the run - my remediation measures haven’t been truly proven yet, like with a winter thaw. But with the cracks between the stones I do want some moisture and worm & bug access up into the bottom of the litter over the course of a season, to maybe get some nice decomposition and biological activity going, and for the gang to dig down to the stones to explore and get at it if they want. Basically a deep litter situation, which would work on bare ground, if that bare ground had good drainage.
So small gravel or the trench river stones would work here too for drainage, for awhile, but I think the litter would sift and mix too much (given the determined work crews here), and end up down at the actual bottom, all thoroughly mixed in. I wouldn’t be able to do a reasonable clean out once or twice a year without removing a bunch of gravel or having river stones to sift through. I’d possibly end up where I was before with a too damp or maybe soaking wet litter? So this, maybe hair-brained idea, is that some moisture and worms /bugs can come up through the cracks (and down from any snow or rain that blows in) but it will be limited.
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I just feel so badly for them, and I know what you mean; some of mine also become very picky eating, I try to make sure those get special care to ensure they are ok.
I absolutely love the iridescence, its so beautiful 
have a few hanging out in nest boxes due to moulting. Dorothy, Misty, Whiskers and Sophia. Too many really for this small hen house , I hadn’t counted on Sophia raising chicks! But I have roost space lower down that some roost on like the silkies when they couldn’t get to the top. But it’s only at night they have the barn and outside run all day, and it’s funny how they all want to squash in together at one end!
