Run Question

[danceswithronin]

I'd try a mix with pine shavings and just take and ad more as it should just decompose into the ground
Personally I use hay in the nests and stray for bedding

This is what I do too - that green good-smelling timothy hay (the expensive kind you get in a plastic bag at the pet shop used in rabbit hutches) for the nest boxes, because I think it's pretty and it smells good, and just plain straw from a bale for the rest. I also throw down some timothy hay in the rest of the coop if I have some left over, but I try to be sparing with it since it's so expensive compared to normal straw.

 

[Rick&Chris]

I'd try a mix with pine shavings and just take and ad more as it should just decompose into the ground
Personally I use hay in the nests and stray for bedding

I’ll try that! I use mini pine flake inside, sand under their roosts, and chopped straw in the nest boxes.

 

[aart]

It stinks?
How deep are the wood chips?
Anything else added, like dry grass clippings, straw, other small dry plant matter?

I never stir mine, but do toss out some scratch grains every day so the birds stir it up,
mine is also exposed to rain and the birds are always in the run(no ranging),
so maybe that make a difference.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

It stinks?
How deep are the wood chips?
Anything else added, like dry grass clippings, straw, other small dry plant matter?

I never stir mine, but do toss out some scratch grains every day so the birds stir it up,
mine is also exposed to rain and the birds are always in the run(no ranging),
so maybe that make a difference.

X2
I do deep litter with wood chips being the primary component....no mess, no odor and the birds do the "churning" for me, but the above questions are key factors in working/not working

 

[Pekin747]

It stinks?
How deep are the wood chips?
Anything else added, like dry grass clippings, straw, other small dry plant matter?

I never stir mine, but do toss out some scratch grains every day so the birds stir it up,
mine is also exposed to rain and the birds are always in the run(no ranging),
so maybe that make a difference.

Would the pine shavings not give of a nicer smell to cou ter the smell of the manure tho
Thata why I use hay it gives of a nice smell so the hens are more attracted to lay in the nest boxes rather than in the hen house floor






I could be way wrong about this but I'm just going of what a friend of mine told me when he used to use wood chips and stuff like that in the runs

 

[aart]

Would the pine shavings not give of a nicer smell to cou ter the smell of the manure tho
Thata why I use hay it gives of a nice smell so the hens are more attracted to lay in the nest boxes rather than in the hen house floor
I could be way wrong about this but I'm just going of what a friend of mine told me when he used to use wood chips and stuff like that in the runs

The larger wood chips help the poops break down pretty quickly...especially when smaller dry plant matter and rain are in the mix. Poops basically dissappear here within a day or two.

 

[Rick&Chris]

It stinks?
How deep are the wood chips?
Anything else added, like dry grass clippings, straw, other small dry plant matter?

I never stir mine, but do toss out some scratch grains every day so the birds stir it up,
mine is also exposed to rain and the birds are always in the run(no ranging),
so maybe that make a difference.

Maybe ‘stinks’ is a little harsh. Definitely has an odor when walking past, some days more so than others - but I assume that some odor is expected. In the fall I added dry leaves. I have access to dry pine needles, so I can add that. Dried grass clippings should be coming soon as we start to mow.

Wood chips are approx 3” deep. Should I add more?

Would the pine shavings not give of a nicer smell to cou ter the smell of the manure tho
Thata why I use hay it gives of a nice smell so the hens are more attracted to lay in the nest boxes rather than in the hen house floor






I could be way wrong about this but I'm just going of what a friend of mine told me when he used to use wood chips and stuff like that in the runs

I do use pine and chopped straw inside the coop and nest boxes. The inside coop is in great shape (I clean under the roosts every morning and pick up large piles in the shavings. Now that we’re predator proof, I can leave the pop door open so they can go out into the run 1st thing in the morning and help keep the coop area cleaner. It’s the run that I was ‘concerned’ about.

 

[Rick&Chris]

The larger wood chips help the poops break down pretty quickly...especially when smaller dry plant matter and rain are in the mix. Poops basically dissappear here within a day or two.

Thanks @aart ... I’ll add more dry material and maybe more wood chips in a month or so.

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Super nice coop!

 

[Rick&Chris]

Super nice coop!

Thank you!!!! I love it!!