Playhouse conversion - progress & questions on Chicken Run

[Pixelsaurus]

About a month ago I had the idea of converting our old playhouse - which was slated for demolition - into a chicken coop and run. There is power, plenty of ventilation (5 windows), and the raised bed could be converted into the run. The original idea was to have a door in the floor for the ladies to get out to the run, but it is a tight crawl space difficult to clean. That said, the crawl space opening would be perfect to keep a garden cart - and perhaps a trap door in the floor could be used to clean the coop directly into the cart. Also, I thought it would be cool to build a nest box that is open to the inside, but you can collect eggs from the outside (will post more on the INSIDE COOP progress next).

CHICKEN RUN:
We moved the raised bed - so we still have a bit of a garden - and cleared out the existing bed to use the frame for the coop.

I added chicken wire along the perimeter and pulled through so it can be attached to the inside frame.

Next up will be to attached hardware cloth to the old raised-bed frame and add some framing to enclose the run up to the side of the coop. Then make the door to the run (frame with hardware cloth) and the coop door. I am also planning on painting the frame before attaching the hardware cloth. Some of there boards - especially those that were exposed to the soil inside the old raised-bed - are showing some deterioration, but still solid.

So far I think I am doing well. Will post more on the COOP progress, but here are my questions on the CHICKEN RUN:

1. There is a layer of river rock between the old raised-bed and the coop. I used some to cover the chicken wire around the perimeter, but will the chickens have trouble walking on these rather large smooth rocks?

2. Since this is the bottom of an old raised bed, the run is mostly soil and clay. What should I cover the floor of the run with? Grow grass (or sod)? Straw? Crushed stone?

3. I did not put chicken wire under the side of the run that is up against the new raised bed. Is it about 4 ft x 10 feet - so not easy to dig everything out and add more wire. Any thoughts? Should I put chicken wire under the soil INSIDE the run?

Our chicks are currently in a large cardboard box in the house, but think they are outgrowing their space. Hope to get these gals into the coop by this weekend when we hope to see temps get into the 70s.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

Cheers!
Ginger

 

[rosemarythyme]

2. Most popular litter choices would be sand or deep litter. Appropriate choice depends on your climate, soil conditions, etc. Sand tends to be better in more arid climates, where it can be kept dry. Grass is 100% a no go, the chickens will kill it in a matter of weeks.

3. I would not put any wire under the run, as chickens can injure themselves digging into it. You already have an apron that should do the job of keeping diggers out.

 

[Pixelsaurus]

2. So the "deep litter" technique is also for the chicken run? What material is good? I am using pine shavings now, and plan to use that IN the coop. Should I use the same for the full square footage of the run?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Deep litter works far better in most runs than in coops, simply because it's more difficult to manage moisture in a coop which is needed for composting to happen.

So ideal materials depend on whether or not you're prioritizing composting or if you're mainly interested in low maintenance run flooring. I don't really care much about the composting aspect (I compost in bins elsewhere) so for me it's about mud and smell management - so I use chunky aged wood chips as the primary material (ideal for drainage), with dried leaves (I save all the bagged leaves from fall), grass clippings, pine needles, weeds, garden trimmings. I just dump the stuff in the run and the chickens take care of distributing it and mixing it around. Best part is, it's free, because everything is sourced from my yard, and even saves a little on trash costs because stuff like leaves that normally get bagged for yard waste pick up, gets utilized instead.
.

 

[OlympicChick]

Here's my DLM in Western Washington. Part 2 has video:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ll-city-part-1-the-beginning-fall-2018.75664/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/dlm-in-the-small-city-part-2-spring-2020.75665/