Partially covered run— best litter method

[SunHwaKwon]

There is a lot of play in my yard but not in that area and I think the chickens had to do with that. I actually used brought in my run and rake it out every few weeks. I would hate to add stone because they have created several dust bath in there. When I tried to use shavings like I do inside the coop it was just a wet mess Every time they got wet and then would have to add more shavings in it starts to get very very expensive. With a 640 square-foot run cover for it gets expensive quick. But they do spend most of their time free ranging so cleaning out the run is it too terrible

You use small gravel and not a thick, uniform layer. And not just shavings. A key requirement is texture in order to create pores and gaps for the water to percolate, otherwise it will sit on top. That is why you need an assortment of materials ie grass, hay, shavings, leaves, pine needles, etc. It is not an immediate fix; just keep adding material as you come by them such as after you mow or rake.

I’m not sure how a litter pan would work for me. Coop is 8x 12 and run is huge. How do you use the litter pan? You use it inside the coop

Yes she was talking about the coop not the run.

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[Birdsong 82]

Every time I’ve used hay anywhere It is probably the grossest thing I’ve ever dealt with when it gets wet. That’s why I like the straw I use. It doesn’t absorb water like hay and it dries quickly. I just can never get material to dry out which is why I use a thin layer and that is all. I think I personally would stick with straw because it seems like a lot of money to go haul stone and compacted in the run which I’m not even sure other than lots of wheelbarrows How I would get it all back there. I’m not even sure that would work for me considering it is the lowest area of my yard. I never had too much of a issue with it staying wet and told him I tried the deep litter.The straw

You use small gravel and not a thick, uniform layer. And not just shavings. A key requirement is texture in order to create pores and gaps for the water to percolate, otherwise it will sit on top. That is why you need an assortment of materials ie grass, hay, shavings, leaves, pine needles, etc. It is not an immediate fix; just keep adding material as you come by them such as after you mow or rake.



Yes she was talking about the coop not the run.

If you don't tag or quote, people won't be notified that you're responding to them or which post you're referring to.

works great for me and breaks down for my compost pile. But that’s what I meant before depending on your situation , Size, location and whether really would Really determine what works best for you. Really I think it’s a trial and error process before someone finds what works best for them

 

[Shepherdesscmh]

We have regular old dirt in the outdoor runs (we are in FL so it's sand anyway). The poop tray in the coop is filled with PDZ, the best stuff ever invented. The rest of the coop floor has shavings, but the girls never poop there as they are outside all day.

 

[Crow-ded house]

Like I said earlier I followed the county mower and got tons of grass, weeds, wildflowers, some hay. I threw in some leaves that had been in the woods since fall and twigs and small branches. Carrot skin shavings, cuke skins all get mixed in there. Top layer gets wet but water mostly goes to bottom and gets the sand underneath wet which they dig to in this heat for cool ground and bathing.

 

[Mrs Ugh]

I have just the (now bare) ground in my run.After a heavy rain I was left with a muddy mess. I then started raking the fallen leaves into the coop. That works great. The chickens love it and they have chopped the leaves up in just a few days. I have a lot of trees, but in my former neighborhood there were always large piles of bagged leaves on the curb awaiting pickup... A very convenient source!

 

[Coop de Grass]

I feel the pain of the 5 acres. Where I live until a couple years ago you had to have 5 acres to own one chicken. I live in an area where it’s a 20 minute trip to a grocery store. It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere there’s a little country store gas station a couple miles away with like three parking spots but other than that it’s 12 miles till you get to anything. But still required to have 5 acres to own chicken

 

[Coop de Grass]

I feel the pain of the 5 acres. Where I live until a couple years ago you had to have 5 acres to own one chicken. I live in an area where it’s a 20 minute trip to a grocery store. It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere there’s a little country store gas station a couple miles away with like three parking spots but other than that it’s 12 miles till you get to anything. But still required to have 5 acres to own chicken

It sounds like things have changed for the better!

 

[Hmeddaugh]

Start with untreated mulch, pine bark nuggets or tree trimming mulch as a base. Then as you get it, add some straw, leaves, small twigs/branches broken up and yard waste(old flowers, weeds, ect...). I have pine cones and corn stalks in mine also. A good mix of bigger and smaller items. Bigger stuff helps the water drain down into the ground. After a while you will have to add more stuff as it will all break down to a nice rich soil, just keep a balanced variety. If you have to use more of anything, use one of these, untreated mulch, pine bark nuggets or tree trimming mulch. They will not compact down as much, like leaves or straw. Oh, you can also add your pine shavings when you clean your coop out, as long as it's not going to be mostly them.

May be a dumb question but i newbie. I know this is chicken thred but i have ducks and just discovered the DL method and was going to try it in our ducks run. Do you think the same as what your described should be good for ducks to??

 

[Crow-ded house]

I have just the (now bare) ground in my run.After a heavy rain I was left with a muddy mess. I then started raking the fallen leaves into the coop. That works great. The chickens love it and they have chopped the leaves up in just a few days. I have a lot of trees, but in my former neighborhood there were always large piles of bagged leaves on the curb awaiting pickup... A very convenient source!

We are surrounded by a forest but sadly it is almost all cedars. Not good for the chooks or Stoney the rabbit but it makes great firewood. I would love to get my hands on a trailer load of pine needles and cones. If left to our own devices dlm would have taken months. Following county mowers it took just a couple days to get the materials. Lol you should have seen the looks we got like we were crazy but I have no shame lol!!

 

[Mrs Ugh]

When I lived in GA folks were always in public areas gathering up the pine needles to use as mulch in landscaping. I gathered the cones because they were beautiful!

We are surrounded by a forest but sadly it is almost all cedars. Not good for the chooks or Stoney the rabbit but it makes great firewood. I would love to get my hands on a trailer load of pine needles and cones. If left to our own devices dlm would have taken months. Following county mowers it took just a couple days to get the materials. Lol you should have seen the looks we got like we were crazy but I have no shame lol!!