Run maintenance?

[Farmer Mike S]

I really couldn't find much information out there about run maintenance. My chicken run is covered and you obviously got the poop in there, some feathers, and some pine shaving from the coop. What I'm wondering though is if you leave it all alone or of there's some kind of maintenance required?

 

[HeatherEmme]

My run is 8'x4'x4' and made of 2x2's and hardware cloth. I move it every week or every two weeks. Really it should be done every week to keep the hens from stripping the area of vegetation completely, but I've been a bit lazy and have started to notice a smell. Granted it's been raining and the ground is soaked still. If I move the coop around then I have no problems. DH and I are getting ready to add on to the run and are currently building a much larger coop for the hens. When all is complete our run will be fixed to a permanent spot and then we will use sand in the run. We'll also use it our coop mixed with sweet pdz. You can scoop it like cat litter.

 

[chynasparks]

My coop is 4x8x6 enclosure. Run below 4x8 coop upper level with chicken ladder leading to it. Place it on concrete covered in sand. Mixed in sweet PDZ and DE. Scoop regularly like cat litter. Only takes 30 minutes. No odor. I scoop every other day. Plan to change sand yearly. If it gets wet it doesn't muddy up, dries back to sand. Poop board in roost area treated the same way. We had planned to move the coop around but we plan on making a moveable run. Spent about $700 building the coop.