Run floor question

[KootenaiRiverChick]

I am so glad I found this thread! I usually use straw but was warned that if it gets wet, you have to get it away from the chickens ASAP because it will mold and cause respiratory problems. I am in So Cal and we are expecting a wet winter, already have had three days of rain and the run is so gross and stinky as I have no substrate down currently. Can any of you straw users tell me if mold is really a problem?

 

[2coopscounting]

Thank you so much. Our area is flat,but I will try to pick an area that doesn't seem to get as wet. I guess any organic material would work. We can get our neighbor to get us gravel to put a ground for it I guess. Just really want to see them have fun in the run. Maybe let them peck and scratch till all the grass is gone, then put stuff down. In the fall we get a lot of leaves they will enjoy. We have a wood chipper so we could also use that for them, but I use the loose wood lying around for firewood or kindling. I need to come up with a coop design too. Hubby will build it, but I will help. Wish I could draw better than a first grader....

That's what we did, let them take the grass out and then add the wood chips. We did not put any gravel down, though because as this material breaks down we intend to use it in the garden and replace with new......gravel would just be in the way and is not really necessary for drainage if the chips are deep enough. You have a chipper, so you are golden. You can even let the material start to compost a bit and then add it to the run.....the girls will love it. We elevated our coop and covered half the run with a roof, so when it gets cold and wet, or frozen, they have a dry area to scratch in and they also nestle into all those dry wood chips under the coop for warmth. In our other run we also dumped bags of leaves we got from folks in town who have to rake them up. Just dump the leaves, do not spread them around....the girls will have a great time doing that on their own, and you will love watching them. It does help to have at least part of your run covered and dry, so you might want to incorporate that into your design. Ours is removable for the summertime, yet strong enough to handle the three feet of snow we sometimes get.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

Half of my run is covered to stay dry. The other half gets wet when it rains.

I will rake leaves from the front and dump them into their run and let them scatter them around which makes a nice barrier against the wet dirt when it rains.

I tried straw once which in theory should work great. But my Jersey Giant kept eating it and getting sour crop so that's not a good option for me. But I don't believe most chickens will eat straw. Just keep an eye on them.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

If its true straw, it doesn't mold...if there's any green to it, it will mold like crazy. I think an awful lot of what type of floor you lay down has to consider, the size, and how many chickens and how much you are willing to spend, if your good with a shovel, or want to tend to it weekly. Mold doesn't do so good in the sunshine, so if your run is shady and wet....you'll get mold. Probably. I really don't want to spend time in the run unless I'm playing with the chicks, and then I'd like some clean grass to sit on, but if your chickens are always in there year round, you won't have grass. You'll have whatever your area has under the grass, sand, rocks,clay,dirt...hard packed from all those feet. I've seen some clever adaptations with screened boxes that allow grass to grow up through it, they can eat what you plant but can't scratch it up. My problem is keeping the chickens out of certain areas...so I'm not real concerned about runs, earlier I said my run was 500 sq ft....sorry, I lied its 900 sq ft. It would be bigger but i got tired of digging post holes. That's big enough for broodies, and i can divide it in half if needed.
Probably if its small run you can't grow stuff, but you can provide bugs, mulch. Just like your flower gardens. They methodically turn it over and prevent things like mold...I just think it works. The thicker, the better. Yeah it may mold and decompose, but thats what you want...chickens don't care about it. If your chicken eats straw, it may be craving green things to eat...mine eat weeds and grass all day long. They nip it off too, natural grazers. Alot of time I notice them plucking at fresh straw in the coop...I think they are picking bit off it...seeds probably. I do feed fermented grains as well...have never seen sour croup.