Run bedding options

[Ccort]

I currently have pinestraw in my run but it's very hard to scoop the poop which I fear is why I have a terrible fly issue now. This leads me to a couple of questions...
1. Do you scoop your run (run, not coop!) daily?
2. I've read that sand Ian great option but continue to be confused on an affordable sand option for the run. Would anyone kindly send me a link or attach a photo of the bad of sand they use?
Pinestraw is 50 bucks a box here which seems awful pricey to me. Hoping sand is less?

 

[21hens-incharge]

Sand won't decompose like organics like pine straw, leaves, chunky mulch. That means it can be a really big stinky mess when all that pulverized poo gets wet in a rain storm.

I use a mixture of materials that decompose (compost) over time. I add materials as they are available, the chickens keep it stirred. With all the added things like grass clippings, leaves, some bedding from coop cleaning and the initial undyed chunky mulch there are no flies and the only stink is from the occasional fresh cecal poop.

The only run cleaning I do is to harvest a bit of the decomposed material to add to my gardens once a year.

 

[Ccort]

Sand won't decompose like organics like pine straw, leaves, chunky mulch. That means it can be a really big stinky mess when all that pulverized poo gets wet in a rain storm.

I use a mixture of materials that decompose (compost) over time. I add materials as they are available, the chickens keep it stirred. With all the added things like grass clippings, leaves, some bedding from coop cleaning and the initial undyed chunky mulch there are no flies and the only stink is from the occasional fresh cecal poop.

The only run cleaning I do is to harvest a bit of the decomposed material to add to my gardens once a year.

Do you scoop any out as you go or just continue mixing new material in?

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

I am looking forward to the leaves this fall. I wish I would have kept several bags. I use hemp bedding and am amazed how well it held up. I have some in there from last summer. I just added some last week on top of it. The girls had a blast breaking down the piles. My run is covered and only 6 x 10 but the chooks use the entire yard. So, it may not get as much traffic in the dryer climate. The pine shavings aren't visible, so I think they break down easily. I use them too. Price wise Hemp is expensive and may be hard to use in a large run. For the $ it doesn't break down easy, so it lasts longer. I never thought I'd say this but I'm keeping leaves this year EEEEEK

 

[21hens-incharge]

No scooping. I just add.
I was concerned at first that it would get to deep. It doesn't. As things decompose the height drops. The chickens scratching around seems to really speed things up.

 

[Ccort]

No scooping. I just add.
I was concerned at first that it would get to deep. It doesn't. As things decompose the height drops. The chickens scratching around seems to really speed things up.

I was concerned about a build up of poop too and the bacteria that brings. Thoughts?

 

[Genene]

I use the pine pelleted horse bedding. I spread the pellets in the run & then mist them with warmer. They expand to about twice their & become a soft absorbent bedding. I scoop poops daily with a dog pooper picker upper & then rake thru it & any removed goes to the compost pile for Spring. I then sprinkle either Lime or Sweet PDZ over the pine bedding still in the run.

 

[Genene]

Correction- mist it with water.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I was concerned about a build up of poop too and the bacteria that brings. Thoughts?

The decomposition process needs bacteria. It's the anaerobic (think packed pile with no airflow) that breeds the nasty bacteria. The chickens scratching around keeps that from happening while the aerobic bacteria breaks it all down.

So far no issues here.

I do have 26 square feet per bird in my run so that helps keep the droppings from building up rapidly.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I use deep litter but I do surface clean poops on a daily basis, more because I don't want to step in it, not because of sanitary concerns.

To me the best litter option is 1) appropriate for your environment and 2) cost effective for you. I see no reason to pay for run litter at all but I also live in an area that's abundant with plants/trees, so loading up on litter materials isn't a problem, and helps save me from having to send yard waste to the curb for commercial composting.