Ground Covering for Outdoor Run?

[MrsAuberry00]

My run is a stinking mess. I've typed that and think it sounds like a hygiene issue, so to be clear, I'm referring to the run in which my chickens live. I've read a lot of threads on here regarding different types of flooring material but it seems most post refer to the COOP where the girls roost and nesting boxes are. I use sand on that floor and pine shavings in the nesting boxes and that is working perfectly, (except for when it rains and leaks into the nesting boxes...then I have the chore of constantly changing out wet shavings for dry, but that's another thread.)

My problem is with the outdoor run. It is a covered dog kennel with hardware cloth skirting, so other than from above, it's totally open to the elements, (again, the RUN, not the COOP.) There is a deeper layer of white driveway rock that was there from years ago and was covered over by dirt. We placed sand in this area as well and at first, it worked great, but over time, the sand has mixed with the dirt, the rain has mixed it into a mucky mess, and the heat has baked it into a hard layer of poo, feed, and impenetrable rock like earth. Now, the chickens have scattered feed all over the area, (because who can eat from the feeder without digging in it and throwing it around like drunken pizza makers might throw dough,) so now there is a stinking mess of poo and now moldering crumble/crumble dust in the run. I don't know how to remedy this so I don't have the monumental task of breaking it up with a shovel and trying to salvage SOME kind of ground cover for the chickens. Someone suggested chopped corn cobs. Anyone heard of this and can you give opinions and suggestions on methods I could try? I've read about the DLM, but it sounds like it's used more in enclosed coops and not element exposed runs? Here it comes...

Chickens are hard.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

We do Deep Litter in our run, not the coop. It has been a god-send in our humid climate. The run does have a solid roof but is open on 3 sides. It stays dry for the most part but rain (and snow) do blow in. I can't imagine bare dirt along with poo. We throw in hay, straw, grass clippings, leaves, landscape weeds, leftover veggies from the garden & pine needles. All that along with the poo breaks down into some beautiful compost. We clean it out every spring to be tilled into the garden. No flies & no odor.

 

[GardenTillers44]

We have a similar set-up using a dog kennel run attached to our coop. I recently put a roof on it to keep the run dry. We started the DLM and so far so good. Nothing but an earthy smell and very few flies. I am a woodworker and use my pine shavings in the run. We also have an extensive herb garden and throw our trimmings in there to get eaten and mulched in...smells good too. The biggest help we found was from a thread on BYC years ago about putting catch trays under the coop roost for easy poop removal, and we have extended that idea to put trays under the hanging feeders in the run. It catches the crumbles they throw around and many of the girls will eat the spillage from the tray. I found a great website to order trays. I like the shallower trays (1.5-2" deep) so the chickens aren't tempted to sit on the high edges and tip the tray over. We put shavings in the coop trays which minimizes cleaning, we just pull them out and go right to compost!
http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/category/s?keyword=garden+tray

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Nope, I do deep litter in my partially covered run, as do many others. To clarify, it is 800sq ft and 100sq ft is covered. I toss everything in there, from lawn cuttings, leaves, pine needles, and now because it is so large and I don't have enough yard stuff I buy a bale of hay about every five weeks and that goes down too. Flies are at a minimum, poop smell is almost nonexistent, everyone's feet stay dry (except during and right after a rain).

 

[dana0710]

I agree with the DLM. We have about 50 chickens in a very large run. The ground is a combo of sand, clay and some actual decent dirt. We throw everything in there. Grass clippings are my favorite. They break down quickly and smell fantastic! I also like to get horse bedding pellets and wet them down. They basically turn to sawdust and I spread this through the run to mix in with everything else. We are in Texas, so it's hot. I usually spray down the run area at least once a day to cool things down and help everthing compost. Everyone seems happy.

 

[TalkALittle]

Seriously, I wouldn't bother trenching or anything. I live in wetlands. A stream runs through my property. I am down the slope from the opposite property. I have standing water, vernal pools just yards from my coop much of the year. When I dug holes 2 feet deep to install fence posts the bottom of the holes filled with water because the water table is so high.

Why am I telling you this? Because 2 years ago I was thinking that I would need to dig a trench or regrade my yard or something drastic to deal with my drainage issue. But I didn't. I started DLM right over the top of my mucky, saturated, stinky failed attempt at sand and, 2 years later, the litter is doing fantastic.

Install some boards along the inside of your run to keep the litter in and just dump stuff on top. Go at least 6 inches deep with wood chips from tree trimming as a base and then another 4 inches or so of whatever stuff you can get your hands on.

 

[Folly's place]

x2! Shavings, dried lawn clippings, dried leaves in fall, some hay or straw, all to make a bed of litter, so they can dig and scratch in it, as they would do in the forest floor they originally came from in SE Asia. Sand is a fantasy that turns out your way most often, unless you have four chickens and scoop poop daily, and then replace the sand often. If there's a drainage issue, fix that, so water isn't running into the run. Having it covered is a huge help! Mary

 

[elaineinspain]

Deep litter method - in my humble opinion it's the only way to go! http://naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.com.es/p/deep-litter-method.html

 

[kitkat5505]

Is your run covered? We have a roof over ours and only a little rain gets in, though the sprinklers get part of it too. It doesn't stay wet long.

I don't really have to "stir" mine, the chickens scratching does that.

As for the food and water, here is ours. We have very little food waste and no water mess.

 

[Folly's place]

How about trenching around it, at least on the upward sloping side, to divert rainwater? And keep raising the level of the ground (mulch, bedding) inside the run, so it's higher than the surrounding area. Mary