How do you clean your run?

[Comet Mum]

The chickens have a stationary run. I've only had it for a few months and didn't consider what would be required for cleaning when it was constructed. Other than shoveling out the pooh and repairing the dust holes, do you do any other maintenance to the run for cleanliness sake?

I don't have anywhere I can confine the chickens other than the coop, so I'm looking for cleaning techniques that allow the chickens to return to the run within a few hours or so.

Thanks

 

[Opa]

Right now there isn't much I can do to clean my with all the snow. However in nice weather I rake mine with a spring tooth rake. Occasionally I top dress it with coarse sand. This is starting to build up and run higher than the surrounding area with aids in the area drying out after a rain.

 

[ranchhand]

About twice a year I scrub everything with a mild bleach solution and let it air thoroughly, rake it out once a week, and scrape the roosts. That's about it, but I am pretty casual about it.

 

[wingnut1]

How do I clean my chicken run? I leave a note for the cleaning fairy and ask her to pay special attention to the poo..

I kid!!!! I rake the run, add sand and human grade DE, mix well, and wala! clean run!!!

 

[HorseFeathers]

New hay every couple months, a little de.

 

[Beekissed]

I could loan you my dogs.....I don't have a single piece of chicken poop in my yard! They have even climbed up into my compost bin, after the chickens have been there, to munch down on the fresh "dog treats" left behind!

I've heard that Opa's way is the cheapest and best. One of the ladies on SS created a wonderful manure screener/scooper with hardware cloth for sifting through bedding and removing the feces. Should check it out!

 

[Omran]

I use my gardentiller for cleaning the run and it works great.

 

[LynneP]

I've been spot-cleaning when possible, and using food-grade DE around the perimeter and Stable Boy powder on the surface, light dusting of shavings on slippery spots. We're roofed, so that helps a lot. I don;t have to relocate the birds for any of this. They supervise!

 

[waynesgarden]

The run slopes down to the front of the coop. Anything tossed in there or pooped out by the birds eventually finds it's way down to the bottom and piles up there. I throw some wood chips in there occasionally and it is slowly composting. When it builds up high enough, I'll throw it in the compost pile to finsh and then out to the garden beds.

Now, every other day Ma Nature covers everything with a nice blanket of snow. Looks clean as a whistle!

Wayne

 

[patandchickens]

I try to keep enough 'bedding' of weeds from the garden, etc in there that all I need to do is every few months rake it out (nicely enriched by poo and very compost-pile-ready!) and replace with some new bushels of weedings

Pat