How to clean up the run?

[chikenlady]

I go over mine with a rake and spread out the DE in the run and coop. I believe it cuts down on the smell and little bugs.

 

[Iowamom]

Hmmm...my run is an old horse stall. There is hay down on the dirt. So maybe I just wait til it looks messy then rake it out and throw down some more? That is what I will try. I can just add the poopy hay to my compost pile.

 

[dixygirl]

Quote:
I have been wondering about that myself. There is so much about keeping the coop clean, but what about the run??

How to clean depends on what is on the ground. If it is rock or lawn, you could simply rinse it off with a water hose, then sprinkle some DE. If it is plain dirt or sand you can rake or scoop it like a kitty box. Just like you would clean any other areas of your yard.

 

[Mahonri]

Do feed stores in the City carry DE?

Looks like I need to order some.

 

[RedCanoe]

Do any of you put gravel or rock down close to the coop, so that the area where the chickens hang out the most is a little easier to clean? We are building our coop now and i am trying to decide if it is worth the effort.

 

[Bird Hearder]

What is DE?

 

[nccountrygirl]

Here is a link. I buy mine from there. They have great customer service and good prices. Go to the products link and you will find out about DE, their prices and their contact info. I got 50 # in Feb. delievered by UPS for 45.56. I ordered it on Wed. morning and got it on Friday morning.

http://www.custommilling.com/

 

[Hangin Wit My Peeps]

I have just read on a thread how to keep your run Smell free by using pine straw. I have been looking for some to use in my run. A lady said she used to have probs with her run smelling and she used this recommended by someone and it worked right away and no more smells!

AND it's very easy to rake up every now and then and change it. But most of the time it just vanishes and you add more.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

We have sand in the run area closest to the coop. That area gets the most traffic and is shaded, as it is also covered, since we get so much rain and snow here. It still ended up a bit muddy, so we added the sand on top. The rest of the run has vegetation of one sort or another.

 

[RedCanoe]

What is pine straw? Has anyone tried using just pine needles? Any concerns about that throwing off the PH in the garden if you used it as compost?