Need advice on floor of run

[olderoo]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I am actually taking notes. I love the advice. I really want to do right by these birds. I dont want to do something thats going to create more work for me or a less then happy clean place for them.

Coop in progress. Getting there.....

Is that coop able to move? Chickens should move around from site to site, once a year. Just move the coop it's own length along, re-litter and plant a garden where it WAS.
If you wanted, you could leave the litter in place and plant right IN the litter, or poke down to the dirt below and plant there.
Tomatoes I know for a fact will root and grow right in the litter.
Put some wheels on the coop to help with the moving/rotation.

 

[CFLMOM]

It is movable. We have a completely separate garden. I have actually seen people put ads on craigslist asking tocome clean your coop because they want it for thier garden.

 

[olderoo]

It is movable. We have a completely separate garden. I have actually seen people put ads on craigslist asking tocome clean your coop because they want it for thier garden.

You will find some difficulty moving a coop with a deep litter mattress in place.
It will require removal FIRST, which is essentially wasted effort. Why not make it easy on yourself and benefit in the process?
A system of wheels which allows the coop to be elevated and rolled to the next spot is preferable.
Too, following the coop to take advantage of ready made planting beds is another labor saving tool in your repertoire. You would most likely never have to dig again, when you have rich planting beds ready made. If necessary, move the coop to your current garden and work this plan there.

Food for thought.

 

[brneyes475]

We just finished our coop and run. Decided to use sand in the majority of the outdoor run and pine shavings inside since we still have a bunch of that left over. We covered the run just to help keep it cleaner and dryer since it's all under a bunch of oak trees. Chickens aren't quite sure what to make of it yet lol. They haven't ventured out much beyond peeking their heads out the door lol.

 

[Davaroo]

Just plain sand?
How many chickens?

 

[AlineD]

Great info everyone, thanks for starting the thread! A question: is it okay to use grass/lawn clippings for litter in the outdoor chicken yard?

 

[BigECarter]

For Central FL, I would go with a three sided coop, although this adds the expense of having to predator proof the run (hardware cloth gets expensive).

I have dirt in my run. It has been 'a bit' rainy lately and I find it next to impossible to scoop poop off of the floor. I think I will look into the 4" of organic litter.

 

[brneyes475]

It's actually very well ventilated and stays nice and cool inside the coop. It's under trees so it never has the full sun on it either. And yes, plain construction sand. 4 chickens.

 

[Gayleyy]

Our run is not covered, it is just chicken wire on all sides and the top. It gets rained on all the time, but I still prefer to not have a roof on it. The area is so large putting a roof on it would be a feat! They just go on to their porch or in the coop when it rains. We use straw in the run, which we usually change weekly. Sometimes, like during the winter we just add new straw on top of the old. We do not even spread it out, we just put the flakes in the run and the chickens spread it out! LOL They love doing that! There is one area we try to keep clear of the straw, that is where they get down in the dirt for their bath. I am not so sure sand is a good idea, chickens poo alot! Also aren't ants drawn to sand? If it were me, I would probably change it to straw, if some of the sand is still clean save it, and mix it with some peat for their dust bath. How many chickens do you have????

 

[brneyes475]

Well our whole lot is sand...we live in Florida lol. You can't go more than an inch into the ground without hitting sand and crushed cochina. Sometimes we even pull whole shells out of our yard. I picked the sand because it is going to dry out faster than any other option. Worst case scenario is that it doesn't work out and I have to change it later. The few people I have seen around here with chickens use just plain dirt for 10 times as many chickens and it's fine. I only have 4. I'm going to stick with it for now and see how it goes. Not about to move 2 tons of sand 3 days after I put it there. Lol