Partially covered run— best litter method

[rosemarythyme]

How large does a run have to be to comfortably accommodate 3 laying hens?

Minimum would be 30 sq ft. but more is always better for a run. Even for just three I'd do at least 10x10. Depending on what materials you're using you might want to size it by the material size, i.e. wood is usually in 8' lengths so 8x8 for a frame is more efficient than trying to cut it down to something like 5x6, plus the birds will appreciate the extra room.

 

[blackdog043]

I have 3 chickens. I already have a coop but want to extend the run. I am thinking of either a concrete base or an untreated wood base, either option covered in sand. How large does a run have to be to comfortably accommodate 3 laying hens?

Why do you want concrete or wood for a run base? Your chickens won't be as happy as they would be with a dirt base and deep litter to dig in. If you use sand you will have to scoop the poop frequently to keep it from compacting and becoming a stinky mess, especially if your run is not covered.

 

[Whitepinefarm]

Why do you want concrete or wood for a run base? Your chickens won't be as happy as they would be with a dirt base and deep litter to dig in. If you use sand you will have to scoop the poop frequently to keep it from compacting and becoming a stinky mess, especially if your run is not covered.

The location for the run will probably have some flooding in the rainy months but it is the only suitable location for the run. I think during those times the run would be a very wet mess hence having the concrete or wood base to keep it elevated. I agree that plain dirt may be more attractive to my chickies but I have to work with what I've got. Thanks for the feedback

 

[SurferchickinSB]

i thought I’d try deep litter in the run, but after huge thunderstorms rolled through yesterday afternoon, the pine shavings were SOAKED on the unroofed portion of the run and damp from blowing rain on the covered portion.

We have sunny, dry weather the majority of the year but we do have some monsoon activity in July and sometimes snow in the winter. Should I continue with deep litter knowing during those times it may not work as well?

Also, in my coop, there’s no good way to add a poop board or hammock, so I’m thinking of switching to sand and PDZ, which I can just scoop daily. Are there any significant drawbacks to this?

Thanks for always helping this chicken newbie out with suggestions!

I have sand in my run and coop. I really like it, scoop up their poo with a kitty litter scooper whenever I go in to give them treats and clean it out daily when they are out free ranging in the yard

 

[SunHwaKwon]

My run in Maryland was ~800 sq ft and only a quarter of it was covered. If you are doing deep litter, you WANT it to get wet occasionally - that supports the breakdown of the material, just like in a compost bin. Make sure you don't have just one type of substrate. I would use pine shavings in the coops and clean those out directly into the run 2-3 times a year. In summer, grass clippings went on there, preferably after sitting out for a couple days but I did put them in fresh on occasion. In Fall, leaves, pine cones and pine needles went into the mix, and in winter I would add a bale of hay about every six weeks or more often if the ground was starting wet since it wouldn't dry out as fast in winter. In 4 years I never had to scoop out my run and no, it was not a stinky fly infested mess. If anything, it'll be the perfect garden for the new owners of they're so inclined.

 

[Crow-ded house]

After my little darlings turned their run into a barren wasteland, I put sand in one run, deep litter in another and the third was half n half. After two weeks, I went deep litter. I put sand as my base, on top of that a thin layer of straw/pine shavings mix then sticks, grass. Then the county mowed the sides of the roads and we went out everyday raking up tons of grass weeds whatever was mower leavings. It took only a week and we have 4 inches of deep litter. With our rainy weather as of late, I just pick it up with a pitchfork, fluff it then flip. The underneath is dry so this way the wet goes under. The chooks dig down to the sand for their baths. I will gather leaves this fall. I just wish we had pine trees here. All we have is cedar and they are no use for me as chicken use. We work 40 hrs/week and with three runs, noone has time to scoop poo and it just got smelly and flies still were around. Deep litter is constantly being worked by the chooks and no smell or flies whether wet or dry.

 

[Coop de Grass]

I have my flock of 11 hens in an 8 x 8 resin shed that was bought to be the coop. It has an attached, predator proofed run that is approximately 30x30x8'tall. Half of the run is covered, half has a Welded wire roof. They also hae access to a large external run that has aviary netting over the top.
This is my second flock - I had to sell my original flock last summer because it turns out you needed 5 acres to 1 chicken in South Brunswick Twp, NJ. I filed for a variance which was granted.I had eggs in the incubator when I sold the flock, and I kept 15 of those chicks just in case I would get the variance. Two month after we got the variance, the ordinance was changed for the entire township. Now you can have 4 chickens on 1/4 acre.

The uncovered part of the run was a mud pit in the spring thanks to the endless rain. I added 4 bales of straw which helped with the mud, but caused sour and impacted crops. So out went the straw. Luckily the rain was slowing down. Now, the uncovered run has compacted soil. The covered run has the stuff that makes a great dust bath. It is not loose unless the chickens or I loosen it.

Trouble is that it smells! Advice please...

I turned over the uncovered area this afternoon, hoping that it would help but it made it worse. I can throw in leaves and small sticks and weeds from the overgrown garden. Do I have to shred the longer weeds? Should I put down sand before I add the leaves and other stuff? I tried deep litter in the coop but it did not work - nothing decomposed, even with a couple of shovels of garden dirt incorporated. It was 12" deep at one point. But no microbial action. I figure it was because of the resin floor, so I gave up on that. Wood shavings are what I use now. I do not have a poop board because of shoulder surgery. Can I add the shavings from the coop into the deep litter in the run?

The photo below was taken over the weekend as I was working on putting up the external run.

 

[orangesplash]

is soil a good option? i have had a truck of soil delivered to my house and keep replacing the old soil with new, clean soil.

 

[Aerliss]

it turns out you needed 5 acres to 1 chicken in South Brunswick Twp, NJ.

5 ACRES?! Are acres smaller in NJ than other places or something?

 

[Coop de Grass]

5 ACRES?! Are acres smaller in NJ than other places or something?

It sure seems that way. Yes the requirement for even 1 chicken was 5 acres until December 8, 2017!
In our township you can now have 8 chickens on an acre. I think that is because I told the board that I wanted to keep 8 because it looked like we were not going to get variance. We won by one vote, so I am glad that I did that. Then they said that I couldn't replace them as they died... That is no longer the case because of the changed ordinance.Also no roosters but I knew that wasn't going to happen. I also had to shut down my business which was selling hatching eggs and day old chicks.

Officially 4 chickens on a 1/4 acre, and 8 on an acre, which doesn't make much sense... my math says 16 chickens on an acre. My 8 have relatives who visit on a rotating basis...

All of my adjoining neighbors say ! But they miss the roos and are giving the 1 guy who is furthest from the chickens the We are taking the high road and ignoring them. We had been the only people on our street who spoke with them at all. Guess we know why no one else was. Still, it was worth giving them a chance, and in the end we made chickens legal in South Brunswick!
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