Hemp in run question

[M_Struna]

This is my first winter. I started deep litter in the Fall with hemp bedding. We still have a few good months of Winter to go and I think I may have overdone it. The run is pretty full and the girls have brought up dirt from the base of the run. So the substrate is now a mixture of soil and hemp. We’ve got the sides tarped with a bit of top exposed for ventilation however some snow managed to get in. It seems a little damp and their feet seldom appear clean. I did buy a bag of horse pellets from TSC. Should I just keep turning over the hemp to try and dry it out or should I add the pellets to the mix? I would love to take half the hemp out and add new hemp but we are buried in snow and it’s not feasible. I really don’t want them to get any illnesses. The coop is completely dry with chicken sand on the floor, but this run is making me squirrelly. Am I being ridiculous?

 

[rosemarythyme]

If you're doing deep litter you want a mix of types and sizes of substrate, with coarse wood chips being the main base ingredient to allow for drainage and aeration. All the smaller stuff will pack down otherwise.

 

[M_Struna]

If you're doing deep litter you want a mix of types and sizes of substrate, with coarse wood chips being the main base ingredient to allow for drainage and aeration. All the smaller stuff will pack down otherwise.

That makes sense. I’ve been trying to avoid pine since I’m allergic. I only got the pellets because I understand the kiln drying that they undergo makes them less irritating to people with allergies. I’ll know better next year. I’m just not sure how to optimize the situation I have going on here now.