Ideas on keeping run fresh and clean

[ebonykawai]

I rake my run out once a week. The poop disintegrates into the soil/grass and is not an issue anymore. I don't even have to remove it. My run is a good size, though, and the birds have about 20 sq. ft. each. Size helps a lot.

 

[carousel]

I also think space is a BIG help.
My 3 girls have had 70sf of outdoor space currently and a chance to free range in the winter a little in the summer. They are mostly locked in their run in the summer.
I'm adding 6 more chicks this spring so I'm greatly increasing their space to a 6x27' 162sf run so about 18sf per chicken and MOST Of that run will be covered to help keep things dry. They also have what I call the Chicken patio. It is not sercure but will contain them and that ads about another 100sf so in the summer when I'm home they can go out on the patio

In the winter when they get to range almost full time I will block off the un-sheltered part of their run so the weeds/grass/wheat grass can grow up and ground can rest. I am also looking at building a 3x3 dust bathing area

I think it will be a hit <G> I plan to put sand and DE in that area.

I use sweet pdz and fine pine shavings in my coop that is elevated off the ground and scoop with a kitty litter scooper about 1x or every other week and add to my compost bin. I do a total change of bedding in the coop about 4x a year.

 

[redneck]

My run is 40 sq ft. I have 5 1 year old chickens in it. When I start to notice a smell I will rake some leaves into the run. About 3-4 inches deep. Within a couple days the leaves are gone and the smell is to.

 

[dangerouschicken]

Pine shavings are the best at masking odor. I started using them when I lived in Texas, and the heat made the run stink Stank STUNK! I can't recommend pine shavings enough.

 

[markb]

Quote:
do you just toss them in teh run? do you ever remove the old ones?

 

[redhead83402]

We also use pine shavings ~ And we clean out the inside of the coop once a week ~ put down a thin layer ( less than an inch) of fresh. As for the pen half, our coop is a tractor, so we just have been moving the coop around in the yard ~ the poopoo's just seem to disappear into the grass, and make it greener.
Bonus: Chickens are simply DELIGHTED when they find my yards' nemesis, that snasty grub, so the more I move the coop, the more grubs they get to. It's a total win-win situation. {;>)=
~Red

 

[Beekissed]

In Countryside mag a lady had an interesting solution to that problem. She put all her weeds, garden clean outs (corn stalks, bean vines, squash vines, etc.) in the run and just kept adding material of this type. She said the birds had great fun scratching through it, it kept the run drier, and the bugs love to hide there...giving the hens more to do. She said she kept this up all year and at any given time her hens were standing on at least a foot of leaves, dried grass clippings, and garden roughage...even into the winter. This sounds like a wonderful way to make some compost!

My hens mostly freerange, but I am putting in my garden, so they must be in the "big house" until the plants get some size on them. This is the first time they've been locked up and they HATE it! My run is approx. 65 ft. x 10 ft., with a shade tree on one end and a couple of dusting spots.

I found an interesting thing about free ranging in my yard...the dogs eat the poops!!! Yucky but it keeps me from stepping barefooted in a mess!

 

[Gatekeeper]

What about using cedar shavings? Or sawdust? I live in the wood product capitol in Louisiana - lots of it around.


Gate

 

[redhead83402]

Quote:
I wouldn't use either of these, ~ there are several reason ~ apparently cedar shavings cause a respiratory issue in chickens, known as aspergilosis (sp?). And sawDUST is too small for them, they think it's food & eat it, which gives them firmer poops, which isn't good for them. (I have heard it can also compact them altogether.)
My husband often has pine shavings from his shop, and we have to kind of sift them, to get just the largest shavings off of the planer & jointer ~ the sawdust that comes off of the chop saw, bandsaw, and table saw are all too fine. {:>)=
~Red