Poop, mud, and more poop!

[21hens-incharge]

The trouble I find with using straw is it forms a mat and under that is an anaerobic mess of super smelly bacteria laden slimy grossness.

I vote for using wood chips.

 

[Blingchix6]

I put down a 6 inch layer of pea gravel. I can hose the poops through the gravel during thr summer. This time of year(I HATE IT!!!!) is always muddy and stinky. I use pine horse pellets to soak up the standing water in the run. The good thing about using the pine pellets is it makes the run smell like pine. The pellets expand,dry out the mud and you're left with a sawdust like powder.

 

[Possum-Pie]

I go through the same problem this time of year. Rain constantly but then in summer when our garden needs it, no rain. Anyway, I found a man who does woodworking and he bags up the sawdust into huge industrial garbage bags and gives them to my neighbor and me. The run got mucky about 2 weeks ago so I dumped sawdust in the worst areas. B/c it is kiln-dried wood, it sucks up the water well. I also get wood chips from the trucks that come by and cut branches for the electric company. They are always happy to dump a truckload in my yard. I've found that no matter how big I make their run, 7 chickens will pull every blade of grass/weed out and I'm left with a bare dirt run.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

I need some advice. Recently moved to my in-laws farm, and I absolutely hate our chicken coup/run. We have about 10-12 birds, and they have a large coup and their own yard that's fenced off (even though they jump over it for the grass on the other side). I'm in Canada and this year our winter has been very wet, there is no grass left in the run. We also have 5 ducks who live in the run. Basically the issue is the ground, it's absolutely covered in poop, and I guess has some straw under it with mud mixed in. When I step around I literally pick it up with my boot and can see an under layer, and the entire place stinks to high heaven. I am new to this and trying to manage the maintenance of it all (even being pregnant) because my in-laws are getting too old to care about doing anything. It's just a space full of poop and mud now, and I have no idea how that's supposed to get cleaned. Raking it sounds unreasonable as it would just be raking mud.. shoveling it would be just as hard and extremely heavy. I am at a loss.

it's a massive country - what province or region are you in? I can help give you some resources! (I'm in southern ontario)

 

[countryladyNH]

Our chicken run is a deep layer of sand (about 5 inches). We clean every day with a scoop. Easy, fast, and does not smell. We change out some of the sand once a year. (Construction sand, not playground).

Our duck run is different. We experimented with different ideas so it would be clean and relatively dry. After trying a few things we hit on the perfect solution (for us). We dug out about 7 inches of dirt in the whole run. We then got a load of tiny 'pea' gravel and spread it in there the 7 inches deep. We have never had to change it and it's been several years. Every day hubby turns it over quickly with a pitchfork. We can also spray with hose. Poop sinks down and goes into the dirt below. No smell. If it's hot and there is a smell temporarily we scatter a little PDZ powder. This run 'floor' looks good, and is easy to keep clean.