Material for Run Floor

[Ashb0429]

It’s time for me to do some maintenance on the run floor. It’s been a wet summer here in South Florida and I’d like to do a refresh on the muck that has become the coop floor. I saw on a Carolina Coops video that they use a composted mulch like material but every thing I can find is chemically treated. Any ideas? Links to natural product appreciated!!

 

[pennyJo1960]

If really wet use white shavings .. can buy them in bales at a feed store
Really wet climate here use the deep litter method at last 4 inches deep take you through the storms to spring keep turning it in the coop scoop bad outside ad another bale

 

[aart]

It’s time for me to do some maintenance on the run floor. It’s been a wet summer here in South Florida and I’d like to do a refresh on the muck that has become the coop floor. I saw on a Carolina Coops video that they use a composted mulch like material but every thing I can find is chemically treated. Any ideas? Links to natural product appreciated!!

Contact local tree trimmers for a delivery of wood chippings.
Best if you have space to store a large load out of the way.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

I have natural, washed, coarse grain river sand in my whole set up. It’s easy to clean, the girls love to dustbathe, no need for grit, and it’s $90 for fourteen tons from the local quarry. Double-plus goodness!

 

[3KillerBs]

Fall is a great time to collect dry organic material.

I like a mix of different materials and textures and had great luck with a deep litter system of shavings, pine straw, straw, fall leaves, and random other things when I had my in-town coop.

I've got a truckload of wood chips aging in an out-of-the-way corner right now and am going to have some tree work and stump grinding done so there will be more in a couple weeks.

 

[aart]

Fall is a great time to collect dry organic material.

Can be.......if leaves fall and it stays dry long enough.
Had great luck with that a few years ago and stored a bunch...
....not since tho.

 

[Ashb0429]

Can be.......if leaves fall and it stays dry long enough.
Had great luck with that a few years ago and stored a bunch...
....not since tho.

Same here. Florida is always very humid even when it’s not raining. It will be a few months before things dry up and I’m not wanting to wait that long.

 

[Ron in Sebring]

I’m in central Florida so feel your pain! I have my own wood chipper and a decent amount of pepperwood, camphor and laurel oaks on my property so I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to make my own, but it’s mulch mixed with a garden fork in the soil and then layered with dry on top every now and then in the run (10’x24’ run) I also have a deep litter floor in the coop made of pine flake and chopped straw mix and when I clean the dirty stuff out I also throw them into the run and mix into the dirt. This has made a really nice composting run that drains pretty nice and really makes for nice earthworm crops!
Just be careful with too much pine...it has some anti-microbial properties and will slow down the composting a bit.
Takes time but has worked well for me in this really wet rainy season that we’ve had this year.