Grass-less Dirty Chicken Run

[MrsMumMe]

I have really good luck with that shredded mulch. My pen is covered with it. Yes it needs replenishing about yearly. It is carefree. I don't notice an odor from it and the poop just magically disappears! Makes a pen look good.

That mulch makes excellent compost for the fruit trees!

I plan to make grazing boxes to get some green growing in their yard. In the past, I've rotated potted plants in and our if their run.

They sound like a great idea. Has anyone ever used them before?

 

[MrsMumMe]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions! I figured out a system
I've started taking up all the dead grass after mowing, and putting it in the run (along with some pine shavings, etc) and just replacing the pooped on parts! I'm also starting to let them free range more often, with supervision, so the run ground gets a break from the constant scratching. It looks much nicer, their feet don't get dirty anymore, and it smells a lot less! (I also sprinkle some lavender in there, so that helps).
Thanks peeps! (Haha, see what I did there?)
-jo

Sounds like you're developing a deep litter situation. It's the best! Encourages all sorts of insects in, and the chickens enjoy digging through the litter and they get bugs to eat from it. I'm a bit fan of deep litter and I have been doing it for years.

 

[MrsMumMe]

It all depends on 'your' situation Ted. Some people have just enough birds that the natural decomposition can keep up with what the birds produce, and between them scratching and throwing dirt all over, especially when they find worms !! that they don't have to remove any of the bedding.

If it's rainy season and you are getting an inch of rain every day, then no it may take longer for you because everything is so wet. If it's winter and you live up north, then no, it won't work that way if everything is frozen.

From my experience I find that it takes about 4 weeks for the grass to get 'gone' via chicken pickin, the crap matting because the ground is still hard and packed grass roots not dug up yet. and the fly infestation because you got un 'being worked with' crap laying on packed grass, that the flies can get right into.-- to the point where the ground HAS been dug up, HAS been mixed with the pine shavings they also threw all over at this point, as they dug in there for bug goodies, the dirt HAS been dug a few inches deep so is now, loose and fluffy because it's being dug up and turned over and it's doing its thing

BECAUSE it is loose and getting 'new stuff' in it, it now attracts worms, who also eat left over food and chicken crap. The worms dig in from below. The worms attract chickens, who dig even further now, to find more worms, which also further mixes the stuff up, digs the hard stuff to soft mixed up stuff, deeper. soon you have 4 to 6 inches of nice worked compost, very loose, which lends to very good drainage, which also leads to very quick encapsulation of any new crap that hits it, .. it quickly surrounds it, the dust and dirt sticks, and it gets quickly mixed down into the rest of the composting compost. This keeps the smell to a minimum, and the flies are not really there anymore either.

It is very possible to reach a state of an equilibrium if you are not pushing the process harder than what it can naturally sustain, depending on your condition.

Another thing to consider. many people dig the compost out, not because they have to, because it's overflowing, but because they WANT IT. This stuff is black gold in gardens. I will rake mine once a month, to get the goodies, but leave just enough that it can still sustain itself, to continue the process.

if you have gone 3 years just adding stuff, then your process is already well going. Did you honestly think 3 years worth of poo would just sit there doing nothing? and NOT stink or turn into a 5 foot pile, without Something happening?

The fact that you are, or even sometimes HAVE to ADD to it shows that it is working. BTW worms will also take along with them, compost as well. If you ever had an oudside composter that was not an entirely enclosed container, you will notice that not only IN it is compost but the whole area around it probably for 4 to 5 feet is all soft, mixed up, super rich soil, because the worms carrying stuff with them OUT of the original contained area.


aaron

This is exactly my experience, Aaron. Deep litter is such a successful system for chickens, owners and gardeners alike!

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

Hello again
That's a lot of replies! I didn't realize that the mower fumes could make the grass unhealthy , I'll definitely make sure it's dry and use less. Leaves, mulch, and wood chips sound interesting, I'll definitely be trying that! Do you guys have any mulch/ wood chip recommendations? Company, type, etc.
For those of ya asking about my location, I live in NY (USA) (currently very rainy). Fortunately, all the water drains away from my coop, so it doesn't get too puddle-filled during wet seasons.

I'll try to post a photo of my current setup! I'm very busy with school starting soon (I'm in high school). Im currently not old enough for a job, so I've been slowly saving up money to buy another attachment run, just so they have more room, since currently the run is pretty small... I have only really been keeping them in the run for a couple hours a day tho, so currently they're doing pretty well. They will be getting more space soon!
(My fam and I might be moving soon, and all of the houses we're considering have large fenced in backyards, so hopefully they will be able to be out of their run much more there!) (And I have been researching how to move with chickens without stressing them too much)
Thank you again for all the advice peeps! This is very helpful

If you do get to move with a fenced backyard your grass will be beautiful. My backyard is so lush and green. Never looked better, but winter was a poop slick last year. I have more ladies, so I plan on making more paths and covering their dust bathing area.

 

[MrsMumMe]

Also as 3KillerBs mentioned, you need to consider the volume of your run litter (size and depth of litter) vs the number of chickens - you don't mention the size/post a photo of your set up, but deep litter isn't really feasible in a small enclosure, as there simply isn't enough volume to compost the poop volume.

I've done deep litter for 10 years - 3-5 hens occupying 4m2, top half of the cage is covered, lower half is open. A trouble free success. The more litter, the happier and more industrious the girls are, and the deeper they dig. I add whatever litter I can access - grass clippings, horse manure, kitchen scraps, shredded paper, wood chip, leaf drop.

What's more, the pen is movable, so when I decide it's time for a new garden bed, I move the pen. The chooks have been my "weed and feed" machine, and I have a fantastically prepared bed. Doing this over 10 years, I raised the soil height of the side garden 5 inches, and transformed horrible clay into fantastic, fertile, friable soil.

 

[Ascholten]

The ONLY time I had problems with more litter is when I tried to make the nesting box deeper, thinking it would make it more comfortable for them. They ended up starting to lay eggs in the bottom area too. Not a good thing, so I went back to just an inch or so of shavings in the nest box.

Now that I have 5 birds, 2 of which are young and not fully integrated into the main flock yet, so they sleep in the nesting box at night, when I wake up in the morning, Ill scoop that little bit of 'pooey pine' down into the main poop area, and once a week throw the new shavings in there. Once a week ill empty the nesting box shavings downstairs and put new shavings up top then. It works out well so far but eventually they WILL all need to learn to use the main roost. I do NOT need them sleeping in the nesting box... that's a sure fire way to entice broody's.

I was moving the cage every few weeks to 'save the lawn' but after a while, its not worth it, so move it.. every 6 months or so if I feel like it. Everyone is happy where it's at so why move stuff around anymore when you don't have to? Besides, THIS stationary lets me do the deep litter and it works out SO much better than having to re 'initialize' a new area every few weeks.

Aaron

 

[Yvonne1388]

Hi!
I have 3, 21 week old hens, (I'm a first time chicken owner) and within the first 2 weeks of them being in their coop and run, they destroyed and ate up all the grass! All that's left is feathers, dirt, and chicken poop. I try to let them out every day to free range for a bit, but I'm worried it's not enough. (Plus, their feet get all dirty when they go back to the run, and it doesn't smell all that great either!!) What do I do? Should I try to free range them more, and give the run floor a break? The coop is right next to my house, so predators aren't a big issue, but it's still a worry I have.
Should I get another attachment run and lock them out of the old one until the grass comes back?
It's really embarrassing to have people come and see the chickens since it looks so gross, and stinks, too.
If you managed to get through all that reading (lol), could you help me? Any suggestions?

I bought a chicken pen that is approx 4 x 6 feet with 3 doors. I place it in a grassy area with part shade, put a pan of water and throw a handful of scratch in the grass. One by one I put my chickens in there for several hours. They love it. When it is time to bring them back to the run, I drag the pen back, open the pen door, open the run door and they go back in. Of course I had to train them a little with a broom to guide them back. In my run which was all horrid mud and poop, I found that a couple cubes of red cedar on the floor helps with the mud and smell. Good luck!

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Please post pictures of your setup.

As the others have mentioned, grass does not last long in an area of high population density and/or less than ideal growing conditions with the stress of constantly scratching chickens.

You need to provide the flock with 15 sq ft of space in the run per bird. I personally like wood chips as they have a variety of sizes, drain well and are organic so they slowly decompose with the poop load. I never clean my run.

In addition to good litter for the run, you should also provide areas of full shade and rain/snow protection, things to perch on like branches, old wood chair, pallets, whatever you have handy.

This is how mine is currently setup.View attachment 3238656

Sorry to be off topic, but since when did run recommendations increase from 10 to 15 Sq feet per bird?

 

[Ascholten]

Of course I had to train them a little with a broom to guide them back.

Kind of like the cockatoo. When the 'red handled broom' comes out, he knows he's about to get his butt paddled. That's the 'naughty' stick, and 99 out of 100 times, just bringing it out is enough that he stops what he is up to and goes right into his cage and is very quiet

Guiding chickens? yah good luck there. I found that what worked better was clicking the tongue and a little snack food where you want them to go.

aaron

 

[Lilbitsnpieces]

Hello..I use wood chip..but during times of heavy rain or season changes..I place pallets down in part of the run..I remove some of the boards prior..so as to leave a couple open spaces...in these I place window boxes ...made from the removed board..that I have sown oats in...it grows fast and is a good source of green..usually not scratched up as greens readily available ...I simply rotate them out..the window boxes of oats, not the whole pallet....until the mud mess is gone..sometimes esp. during times of molt ect..I leave a few in...I have 10 of them growing in various stages...if you keep them on the north side of a building and water a lil more frequent, you can keep them growing even in the heat of summers...I have even started some plantings of mint and other beneficial herbs...