River rock

[Beeschickens1]

Hello,
I'm newer to chickens and was told to use a river rock as the base to my run so that it wouldn't become a muddy mess. Well now all the poop I have washed off over the summer is building up under the top layers. It was suggested to bleach the run but I'm not comfortable using bleach. Another suggestion I got was to use a substrate cleaner for aquariums so the enzymes will break down the build up but I don't know how safe that is. Redoing my run isn't an option till spring. Any suggestions to get this poop to break down???

 

[aart]

OhBoy...sorry you got such bad advice...about the rocks and the bleach.
Adding bleach to the ammonia in the poops could cause a caustic vapor that would be dangerous to all involved.
Not sure exactly what enzyme they mean(got a link?) but if it's safe for fish it's probably safe for birds, but not sure it would solve the problem.

How big are the rocks...got pics??
Is/was there a drainage issue in the run area?

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC @Beeschickens1
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Sally PB]

I'm really sorry you were told to put river rock in your run. Please, if you have questions, ask them HERE on BYC. Collectively, there are decades of experience here, from all over the world.

Ok... what can you do now? Is there any way to scoop out the rocks? Can you take it down to dirt? If you have access to wood chips, those are the best thing to put in a run to combat poop/smell. The carbon of the chips works with the nitrogen of the poop to neutralize odor. Bales of pine shavings like what TSC sells would be almost as good for a while, if you can put down a thick layer.

In the fall, I rake up lots and lots of leaves and put them in the run. The chickens go nuts for them, scratch them around, and have a blast. The leaves break down, and work as a carbon source for the poop. In the spring, I shovel out a lot of compost for my garden.

And,

 

[fat brown hen]

How big is your river rock? I have a french drain with river rock over the top, and a lot of dirt/debris gets caught in the rocks. I use a shop vac to suck out all the gunk. Some of the smaller rocks get sucked in, but I just pick them out by hand after dumping the vac. You could also use a crevice attachment if your rocks are small.