Run flooring advice please

[Sally PB]

Buying a chipper is an investment that might not be worth it to lots of people.

Very true! A good one ain't cheap!

 

[KyCoop]

I am team pine pellet/sawdust. My run is 8 x16 + 6x6 under the coop and is covered. It does get wet if there is blowing rain but it has never matted down. Its 2 -4 inches deep. With that being said, I do rake up the poop everyday and turn it once a week. I also put down DE as the girls like to bath in the run. I add new after we have had a lot of rain or when I can start to see bare spots. It's not perfect and it does not always smell great but what chicken toilet does? The girls like it and their feet stay mostly clean all the time. I'm in my 50's and this is easy for me to maintain.

 

[AngusMc]

Yeah, the amount of augmenting needed will vary from set up to set up. Like for me, I stopped actively adding any chips to the run for about 2 years (the only chips added were used ones from the coop), and that was fine up until last winter when the run started getting muddy again, so I added a bunch to the worst areas, and it re-stabilized very quickly.

Basically if it starts to become muddy, sticky, smelly... it probably needs more chips. Otherwise grass clippings, weeds, garden trimmings, dried leaves, pine needles, etc. are all typical good mix ins to help with the composting action to break down poop inside the litter.

Super helpful for another new owner too. Thanks!

 

[gtaus]

It's not perfect and it does not always smell great but what chicken toilet does?

But that is exactly why I am such a big fan of using wood chips. Since I switched to wood chips, I no longer have bad smells. It smells like a forest. Even after almost a year without cleaning, the coop smells just fine. When I used sand and straw in the past, I could not go more than a week without cleaning and replacing the litter.

For the chicken run, I just dump all organic matter out there. Grass clippings, wood chips, leaves, weeds from the garden, kitchen scraps, etc... I just let everything compost out there. It never smells. After a heavy soaking rain, it just smells like wet forest floor. Very natural, and certainly never offensive.

But I think the trick to the composting chicken run is laying down the litter in layers. If you dump a large pile of grass clippings in one spot, and it rains, you will get a wet, smelly, anaerobic mess. Take that same amount of grass clippings and spread it out, maybe throw in some leaves or wood chips either on top or mixed in, and everything is in balance.

For @Emily26, another option for coop or run litter is shredded paper and cardboard. I just dumped another bag of shredded newspaper, paper, and cardboard into my chicken coop this evening. The chickens will mix the shredded paper into the wood chips and you end up with a multicolored litter in the coop. I have tried dumping shredded paper into the chicken run, but I did not really like the looks of all that colored paper out there. However, after the first rain, all that shredded paper seemed to disappear. I think shredded paper composts pretty fast and the rain will just break it down even faster.

I only use shredded paper with the chickens because I am trying to minimize the amount of stuff we send to the landfill. Instead of sending that paper to a toxic landfill, why not just shred it up at home and use it for the chickens? Or even just dump it in the compost bin as a carbon source to balance out whatever nitrogen sources you have. A normal paper 6-8 sheet shredder will even shred light cardboard from cereal boxes.

I just got an Amazon's Basic 12 sheet shredder that also shreds cardboard boxes. So now I cut up my packing boxes into strips and feed those into the shredder. Here is the YouTube video I got the idea from.

 

[3KillerBs]

But that is exactly why I am such a big fan of using wood chips. Since I switched to wood chips, I no longer have bad smells. It smells like a forest. Even after almost a year without cleaning, the coop smells just fine. When I used sand and straw in the past, I could not go more than a week without cleaning and replacing the litter.

Yes.

If the chicken coop/run smells there is something wrong.

The things that cause odor issues are mainly:

Inadequate ventilation: Ammonia rises and many coops are ventilated only by windows on the sides so that ammonia is trapped under the roof. IMO, roof-level venting is critical whether it's soffit and ridge, gable, monitor, or cupola. Additionally, poor ventilation contributes to the second big issue,

Excessive humidity: Whether from water intrusion from the outside, spillage/leakage from the waterers, or simply the build-up of unvented chicken breath and poop, it doesn't matter what bedding you use it's going to stink when it gets wet.

That said, some substrates handle water better than others and wood chips seem to be the best of all common options.

 

[gtaus]

If the chicken coop/run smells there is something wrong.

Exactly. Which is why I keep on saying "The nose knows."

 

[Jacksonville chickens]

Hey hey, more questions from a new chicky owner. I've got a walk-in run and coop. I originally assumed I was fine to leave the run floor as the grass it sits on but now I'm not sure.... Should I be putting something down on top of the grass too?

I use leaves, grass clippings, and pine needles in mine. The girls love scratching in it looking for bugs and worms. It is also cheap to use and brakes down in a short time.