Run flooring, dirt?

[alwaysthere4chickens]

Our chicken run was built on top of some sandy, dusty, dirt. Should we put a different flooring on it, or leave it how it is? There is a roof over it, but it can still get wet from rain blowing in.

 

[cluckadoodledoo13]

Should be fine as long as they have places to shelter, my run has a roof but rain occasionally comes through the sides of the chicken wire. If they want shelter they’ll tend to go in the coop until the rain has stopped.

 

[cluckadoodledoo13]

*hen hut not coop, sorry.

 

[3KillerBs]

You'll probably want to put down bedding -- wood chips, pine shavings, straw, pine straw, fall leaves, etc.

Look into the deep litter concept, a form of composting that turns your chicken poop and bedding into garden gold.

 

[aart]

Our chicken run was built on top of some sandy, dusty, dirt. Should we put a different flooring on it, or leave it how it is? There is a roof over it, but it can still get wet from rain blowing in.

How big is run... and how many birds?
Pics might help here.

- My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, add larger wood chippings as needed.
Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Deep litter and sand seem to be the most popular options. What works best depends on a number of factors. How is the drainage at the run location? Any issues with mud or smell?

 

[alwaysthere4chickens]

we have 10 chickens and our run is 12 ft by 10 ft. Our chicken coop also fits into the run

Can't upload pictures, so these are from the internet. (This is the same coop as ours, and this is what our floor looks like)-- dusty sandy dirt.

 

[alwaysthere4chickens]

Deep litter and sand seem to be the most popular options. What works best depends on a number of factors. How is the drainage at the run location? Any issues with mud or smell?

It can get kind of stinky sometimes.

 

[aart]

It can get kind of stinky sometimes.

Woods chips will help with that pretty quickly....just a couple inches deep should be a good start.

 

[rosemarythyme]

It can get kind of stinky sometimes.

Sand works best in more arid climates, where the floor stays fairly dry and poop can simply be scooped out.

If you go with deep litter, you don't really clean it out (unless you want), the litter materials will compost along with the poop and help break it down, which minimizes smells.