How do you get your chicken run ready for the winter?

[Woodfamilyhens]

I live in Southern California by the beach so We do not get snow here but we do get rain. My chicken run is pretty much dirt now, I have started planting some perennials (with a fence around them until they get past the point of the chickens eating them up). I wondering what people have used to keep the mud down as I live in a warm enough place for my girls to continue to free range for most of winter. Has anyone fully wood chipped their run? If so with what kind of wood? If you did, did the chickens consume it? Did you run into any health problems? Has anyone gotten the rolls of sod? Is there a problem with the chickens eating that? Any other ideas? Those were the 2 I came up with but I don’t know if they work out.

 

[blackdog043]

Do not use sod, it's treated with chemicals, they will destroy it in a matter of days and you will end up with what you have now. Also your perennials will not last if you take the fence down, if your chickens like them.
Deep Litter works great in a run and will not attract flies. Start with untreated wood chips or tree trimming chips, to that you can add, dries leaves, pine needles, some straw, untreated grass clippings, yard and garden waste, pieces of tree branches(small and bigger). You want different items of different sizes, so it doesn't compact down. Here is a picture of mine after adding stuff, before the chickens got to it.

 

[aart]

Do you get a LOT of rain?
Is your run covered with a solid roof?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Definitely don't do sod, not only will the chickens destroy it but the chemicals and fertilizers that most sod is treated with aren't good for them.

Deep litter is a great way to go for drainage, as blackdog043 illustrated. Almost any wood is suitable. Avoid black walnut, as that's harmful to many animals. Ideally you want it to be different sized chunks, and aged for 6+ months if possible.

 

[Woodfamilyhens]

My run is not covered so it will get wet, in Southern California some winters we don’t get rain, we live in the city. The chickens biggest threat is a young osprey, and the raccoons, they have the caged in space attached to the coop to run for protection, and they go on lock down at night inside the coop. I posted pictures of the chicken dust run. It seems that wood chips would be the best, though it’s a large space to cover. Lucky for me my husband is a tree trimmer. Is there any other woods that I should stay away from?

 

[aart]

Lucky for me my husband is a tree trimmer. Is there any other woods that I should stay away from?

OMGosh!!! How lucky are you!!
Not sure about wood to stay away from, there are a few (I think-CRS)....
...anything with poison ivy growing on it
Best to let chippings age a few months tho, to avoid possible mold blooms that can harm the birds, especially if green leaves are a good portion of chipping batch.

 

[snow5164]

Wrap it in poly , it will stop the rain and wind . You can get thin stuff which is pretty clear .

We had a canvas place make us squares 10x10 foot with grommets for us to attach and take off each year , this looks nice and you can choose the colours