Grass Clippings. Great for Run. Bad for Coop.

[XanderWiFi]

Title says it all. Just a little FYI for any alternative bedding seekers. Fresh grass is great in the run. They eat it, dig in it, smells great, breaks down beautifully into fertilizer with their poop.

Not in the coop. Does not dry out. Mats together. Will likely become moldy. And being moist does not soak up droppings or absorb them well for good breakdown.

Not sure why I did not think of these things beforehand. I guess you just have to learn from experience at times.

 

[Birdsong 82]

It is great in the summertime. My girls do you love it. Took me a while to think of it too but definitely get info

 

[Hokum Coco]

Fresh grass is great in the run. They eat it, dig in it, smells great, breaks down beautifully into fertilizer with their poop.

I agree 100%. Been doing it for decades. One of the many benefits of having a grass catcher on your lawn tractor.
Where the deer is grazing on my beans is where the chicken run was last year less weeds and good dark earth for the vegetable garden.

 

[Birdsong 82]

I bet that will be an amazing garden. All that Manure worked in the soil

 

[aart]

Does not dry out. Mats together. Will likely become moldy. And being moist does not soak up droppings or absorb them well for good breakdown.

Can do that in a run too....I use anything 'green' and wet very sparingly in the run.

 

[Hokum Coco]

When my grass clippings are about 2 weeks old I transfer them from the run and use it to put around the vegetable plants. Keeps extra moisture in the soil which in turn means I do not have to water as much. Once the plants are encircled by grass clipping weeding the garden is over.

 

[Backyard Bruce]

I put fresh clippings in the coop about 2 weeks Ago, they're dried out and all mixed with the rest of the deep litter. I used a good amount to, maybe about 1-2" level of clippings to the already 4" of other DL material

Now I look back and it was more like a month ago I added the clippings. I do stir it all up once a week.

 

[lazy gardener]

I use grass clippings sparingly in the coop. It's a matter of using the right amount. I dump them by the bag full in the run, and the chickens spread them out. Rarely do they stay in a pile deep enough to become the "slime/mold" issue that they are noted for. Even if that does happen, my run is big enough that it is a non issue.

However, I am proceeding with caution now that I have baby chicks. They've been confined to the run, and I have no doubt that they will go into glutton mode when they get their first pile of clippings. So, I intend to turn the flock out onto a newly enclosed run area that is covered with green. After the chicks have become acclimated to those greens, I will resume my prior practice of dumping the clippings straight into the run.

This time of the year, I never have enough clippings to meet the need: they are used for mulch in the garden, bedding in the coop, DL in the runs. Hubby asked me when I'll let him start mulching the clippings back into the lawn to enrich the lawn. I told him that the clippings are too valuable for that!

 

[Kayla's Lunch]

Does the deep litter in the run differ from the deep litter in the coop? I have mostly heard of just using pine shavings in the coop and a mix of stuff in the run. Is there some reason to do it that way? My run in pretty much finished with the chicks already living there and my coop may finished today or tomorrow.

 

[lazy gardener]

I use pretty much the same materials in coop and run. Several times/year, I move the build up from under the perches. Just push it out the clean out door into the run. Then, I push the litter from the front of the coop to the back under the perches, cap it all off with some fresh bedding (grass, leaves, hay, etc.) and continue.

I stopped using shavings b/c: they don't break down as well as the more "natural" materials. And the materials I use are FREE, except for the hay.