Run Floor

[HeatherR525]

Ok so here is my issue, I'm wondering what would be best on the ground in the chicken run? It is just dirt now I had to remove all the straw. I had straw down but a couple of the ladies thought it would be good idea to eat the straw and get impacted crop that lead to sour crop. They are much better now. What would you all recommend? Thank you

 

[WingItRanch]

Do you have a roof over your run?

If your run gets rained on, large bark can be good. Something that doesn't get too stinky if it's wet and drains well.

If you have a rain proof run, I personally love pelletized pine pellets. You can find it at Tractor Supply. It keeps the smell down and if gets a little wet, it turns into fluffy sawdust that the chickens love scratching around in. I scoop the poo out like it's a giant litter box.

 

[Shadrach]

Ok so here is my issue, I'm wondering what would be best on the ground in the chicken run? It is just dirt now I had to remove all the straw. I had straw down but a couple of the ladies thought it would be good idea to eat the straw and get impacted crop that lead to sour crop. They are much better now. What would you all recommend? Thank you

Bare earth. Don't really need anything else in the run. If the run has drainage problems and turns into a muddy mess after heavy rain then the answer is to dig the run over; not chuck other stuff on top and hope it works.
During autumn I add fallen leaves but that's to try and improve the condition of the soil and hopefully encourage some bug life in the run.

 

[HeatherR525]

Do you have a roof over your run?

If your run gets rained on, large bark can be good. Something that doesn't get too stinky if it's wet and drains well.

If you have a rain proof run, I personally love pelletized pine pellets. You can find it at Tractor Supply. It keeps the smell down and if gets a little wet, it turns into fluffy sawdust that the chickens love scratching around in. I scoop the poo out like it's a giant litter box.

Yes I have a solid roof over the run it gets wet along the edges. Thank you that sounds like a good idea!

 

[HeatherR525]

Bare earth. Don't really need anything else in the run. If the run has drainage problems and turns into a muddy mess after heavy rain then the answer is to dig the run over; not chuck other stuff on top and hope it works.
During autumn I add fallen leaves but that's to try and improve the condition of the soil and hopefully encourage some bug life in the run.

Thank you I do have a solid roof over the run it gets wet along certain edges of the run but nothing major.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Any mud issues? What kind of soil do you have there? What is readily accessible to you? How many birds and how big is the run? Do you prefer to scoop poops or just leave it in place? There's no one right answer as it depends on a variety of factors.