How do you keep the pine shavings in the run?

[seattlechicken2019]

We have a run enclosed by hardware cloth, and the hardware cloth goes down to the ground (and under the bottom of the run). The pine shavings are always ending up outside the run- whether the chickens scratch it out, or the wind blows it, I'm not sure. Any ideas? I was thinking about putting a strip of metal flashing or something on the 6" on the bottom, but was wondering if anyone else had ideas. Thanks!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi there, welcome to BYC!

I used old logs, smallish rocks, and pressure treated 2x4's... basically, whatever I had on hand that wasn't dangerous and worked.

One side even got a sheet of corrugated roofing pushed down into the ground... blocks some wind and creates some shade.

Don't forget to use the free stuff in your run like grass clippings, pine needles, fallen leaves, old hay, even some bark chunks or pine cones... makes for a wonderful "semi" (cold) deep litter method that doesn't clump together and pack down wet as bad as just shavings.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Are you using the big flakes pine or the fine stuff?

TSC....yes TSC has large flake. It may stay in better.
I second using the free stuff.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Are you using the big flakes pine or the fine stuff?

I was wondering the same. I never have run materials of any sort, including tiny bits like dried grass, flying out of the run through the hardware cloth.

You can build a surround of some sort at the base of the run, could be as simple as a bunch of 1x6s screwed into the HWC, which should help with the issue, but I would think changing or augmenting the type of bedding would be an equally valid fix.