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- #11
ObiHenKanobi
Chirping
- Jul 1, 2020
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The stores here sell bags of pine shavings pretty cheap. Not sure how big your run is but most people leave the plain soil along with any grass/weeds. The birds really like to have contact with the ground to dust bathe and scratch.
I had been doing straw and leaving the back corner of the run fairly bare so they could dust bathe. The worked, except it generated more work.I had to clean out the run once every couple weeks to avoid any smell, and also the amount of straw quickly began to take over my compost bin. I suppose I could strew the used straw in the forest behind my property, but that is even more work and I'm fairly certain people would complain.
I'm trying to come up with a method that won't generate smell, will let me only clear out the run a few times a year, and will also work during our long winter when it gets to -10F on some days. I'd read that mulch is a good option since it composts in the run with the poop.
Pine shavings would be hundreds of dollars to cover my 96 sq ft run a few inches deep. The bags at our local store are pretty expensive.