Muddy Chicken Runs.

[MysteryChicken]

Gravel is very hard on the birds' feet and can lead to bumblefoot.

The only way to use sand effectively in a run is to be able to keep it absolutely dry so that it dehydrates the poop and enables you to scoop it frequently like cat litter.

Since sand (or gravel), does not create a composting environment to digest the poop the poop will just build up and then when it gets wet it will stink.

Organic bedding like wood chips, shavings, straw, pine straw, fall leaves, etc. digest the poop and is odor-free as long as you use enough bedding. BUT any run that is constantly wet will end up stinking. The first thing with mud is always to fix the drainage to get the water away from the chickens.

Our runs smells like a pig pen with all the mud anyway. I grew used to stink over the years.

I was planning on scooping it out. It'll certainly make things alot easier for us, & our birds.

 

[3KillerBs]

Our runs smells like a pig pen with all the mud anyway. I grew used to stink over the years.

I was planning on scooping it out. It'll certainly make things alot easier for us, & our birds.

A chicken run shouldn't smell like that. Strong odor indicates unhealthy, insanitary conditions.

 

[NatJ]

I want to use Sand as run litter.

My dad wants to plant grass.

My largest coop, with a mixed flock has no run gate, so I can't access the yard without having to crawl through the chicken door.

Sand works when people regularly scoop out the droppings.
Crawling through that chicken door to scoop droppings on a regular basis does not sound like it would work very well.

Like many others, I suggest a gate, and I suggest wood chips plus any other dry plant material that you have access to--dry leaves in the fall, bedding cleaned out of the coop, and so forth. If you pile it a foot deep, the top will stay drier, and the mud will be trapped underneath. It will gradually rot underneath and the level will go down, but you can add fresh material on top to keep the total depth at whatever level ends up working well.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Gravel is very hard on the birds' feet and can lead to bumblefoot.

The only way to use sand effectively in a run is to be able to keep it absolutely dry so that it dehydrates the poop and enables you to scoop it frequently like cat litter.

Since sand (or gravel), does not create a composting environment to digest the poop the poop will just build up and then when it gets wet it will stink.

Organic bedding like wood chips, shavings, straw, pine straw, fall leaves, etc. digest the poop and is odor-free as long as you use enough bedding. BUT any run that is constantly wet will end up stinking. The first thing with mud is always to fix the drainage to get the water away from the chickens.

I just read about the gravel thing, & certain gravels do cause bumblefoot if it contains sharp rocks.

River stone gravel is safe to use, & is less likely to cause bumblefoot, & make good drainage for the runs.

 

[MysteryChicken]

A chicken run shouldn't smell like that. Strong odor indicates unhealthy, insanitary conditions.

I know, that's why I want to fix the problem. It's from all the poop, mixed with mud.
It only stinks when it gets wet, it's not stinky when dry.

We only had the mixed flock coop for 3 years, & it never smelled like that until after my dad wanted to add Turkeys, & guineas.
It's the one that stinks most.

The chicken only coop doesn't stink as bad as the mixed flock coop.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Sand works when people regularly scoop out the droppings.
Crawling through that chicken door to scoop droppings on a regular basis does not sound like it would work very well.

Like many others, I suggest a gate, and I suggest wood chips plus any other dry plant material that you have access to--dry leaves in the fall, bedding cleaned out of the coop, and so forth. If you pile it a foot deep, the top will stay drier, and the mud will be trapped underneath. It will gradually rot underneath and the level will go down, but you can add fresh material on top to keep the total depth at whatever level ends up working well.

I want a gate built so we can enter the run without having to crawl through the chicken door.

My dad burns leaves, & pine needles every fall. Not sure if he'll like the decomposing run idea, but I can bring it up with him.

 

[NatJ]

My dad burns leaves, & pine needles every fall. Not sure if he'll like the decomposing run idea, but I can bring it up with him.

If he's burning them just to get rid of them, then this is another way to "get rid of" them, and keep down the mud & smell in the chicken run at the same time.

Pine needles would be great to put in first--they rot more slowly than leaves, but can help hold everything else up out of the mud to stay drier on top.

The decomposing typically happens rather slowly, kind of like the ground in a forest--every year the leaves fall, but every year they slowly rot away and are almost gone by next fall. It goes a bit faster in a chicken run, because the chicken poop makes it rot faster, but the goal is still something like what the forest does: not stinky, not getting hot like some compost piles, just gradually shrinking down and disappearing into the ground.

 

[MysteryChicken]

If he's burning them just to get rid of them, then this is another way to "get rid of" them, and keep down the mud & smell in the chicken run at the same time.

Pine needles would be great to put in first--they rot more slowly than leaves, but can help hold everything else up out of the mud to stay drier on top.

The decomposing typically happens rather slowly, kind of like the ground in a forest--every year the leaves fall, but every year they slowly rot away and are almost gone by next fall. It goes a bit faster in a chicken run, because the chicken poop makes it rot faster, but the goal is still something like what the forest does: not stinky, not getting hot like some compost piles, just gradually shrinking down and disappearing into the ground.

I'll let him know about this, & maybe we can give it a try.

 

[aart]

I want a gate built so we can enter the run without having to crawl through the chicken door.

Can you do this yourself or ......?

No bedding causes bumblefoot, staph infections do.

To reduce stink you need plant matter to decompose the poops...
...any kind of gravel or sand is not going to do that.

Start with coarse wood chippings and add some smaller stuff.
My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.

 

[Wolfie2]

I do the deep litter method in my run. Started out being a compost pile in the run so the birds could "turn"it. But I still got fire ants in the pile (they get into anything staying stationayr in the dirt) so I tore it down. Now I scatter leaves, small sticks, grass clippings etc., Floor hasn't been muddy since.