Is it ok to put fodder/treats on the ground in the chicken run?

[Jovian7]

Maybe a dumb question but here it goes:
I started growing barley fodder for my 7 chickens. I took a batch out to them today and wasn’t sure if I should keep it in a tray or if it’s ok on the ground, since the ground has no more grass and a lot of poo. Will they get sick eating it from the ground? They kick their food all over the place. Thanks

 

[yakitori]

what kind of bedding do you have in the run? I like to make my birds work for their treats when they’re locked up in the run, so I toss scratch and sprouts around the run. However, they have a natural composting layer of bedding that they constantly turn, so I rarely see droppings (unless it’s freshly pooped). I would say to use your own judgement on this, better safe than sorry!

It would also be great if you could post a photo of your setup, so other members can see what’s going on in the run!

 

[Jovian7]

what kind of bedding do you have in the run? I like to make my birds work for their treats when they’re locked up in the run, so I toss scratch and sprouts around the run. However, they have a natural composting layer of bedding that they constantly turn, so I rarely see droppings (unless it’s freshly pooped). I would say to use your own judgement on this, better safe than sorry!

It would also be great if you could post a photo of your setup, so other members can see what’s going on in the run!

It’s just bare ground/dirt now. It was grass but it’s cold here now, 28 degrees F in my part of Alaska, so the grass is dead. It has dried grass clippings from when we mowed the lawn this fall, but that is spread all over. I do take it all up into a pile and let them dig through it, but it’s not deep litter by any means. Deep little doesn’t really work well here because it just doesn’t stay warm enough for long enough for things to compost well.
I just want to know if it’s ok for the fodder to be on the ground or if I should Keep it in a tray when feeding it to them

 

[yakitori]

It’s just bare ground/dirt now. It was grass but it’s cold here now, 28 degrees F in my part of Alaska, so the grass is dead. It has dried grass clippings from when we mowed the lawn this fall, but that is spread all over. I do take it all up into a pile and let them dig through it, but it’s not deep litter by any means. Deep little doesn’t really work well here because it just doesn’t stay warm enough for long enough for things to compost well.
I just want to know if it’s ok for the fodder to be on the ground or if I should Keep it in a tray when feeding it to them

It should be fine! it will definitely keep them active and entertained longer to have it scattered on the ground.

 

[Jovian7]

It should be fine! it will definitely keep them active and entertained longer to have it scattered on the ground.

Thank you!

 

[gtaus]

I think you could just throw the fodder on the ground and it would be fine. If you chicken run is nothing but mud and chicken poo, then I'd suggest putting the fodder in a rubber pan or something like that.

When my chickens ate all the grass in chicken run, and I was left with nothing but bare dirt, I started dumping in wood chips so the run would not be all muddy. After that, I started dumping in grass clippings, leaves, and more wood chips. Over the course of a year, I now have about 18 inches of mixed litter above the dirt. I just let it compost in place, but it's not like a hot compost pile. Still, everything, given time, will break down into compost. In the meantime, your birds will be up off the muddy dirt. Better yet, you will find them scratching and pecking in your chicken run compost and finding good things for them to eat.

 

[CatsandCrops]

We have about 5-6 inches of wood chips/grass/leaves/poop in our enclosed run on top of the grass they turned to dirt real quick. I toss their fodder around the run; gives them something to do, helps turn the run floor, everyone gets their own section to run around with etc etc. I've seen them drink out of the grossest puddles while a nice clean waterer was a few feet away; they will survive lol