Should I put a roof on the top of the Chicken Run?

[pvchicken1]

Wondering if I should put a roof on top of my chicken run that I am building. After it rains it is wet and muddy for like a week after the rain. I want to have it dry so it doesn't stink as much. I will be using hay for bedding in the run. After you vote explain your answer below! All help is helpfull.

 

[Mamatomany123]

I definitely suggest if it get muddy.

 

[pvchicken1]

I definitely suggest if it get muddy.

OK

 

[CluckerFamily]

I voted yes based on the muddy fact.

 

[deidreg]

Not only will it help with mud, it will provide protection, shade and make it easier for you to take care of your flock in bad weather.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If you have the budget for it, yes. It'll help provide protection against predators and weather.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Yes the mud is such a hassle. You add wood chips/ hay then that gets mixed in then rain and more bedding ! Yuck pretty soon your run is 3 inches taller than before! Gate won't open and yes the shade is great.

 

[3KillerBs]

I didn't vote because my first reaction is a conditional "yes" -- except that the conditions make a great deal of difference.

Yes, because I think that, in general and for most situations, a covered run that is partially solid roof and partially wire is the best overall option for most chicken-keeping situations because it allows the chickens to make their own decisions about how much shelter they want at a particular time (chicken know how to be chickens better than we know how to be chickens).

BUT, before I'd say anything more definite I'd like to know more about your specific situation.

First, where, in general, are you? Climate matters tremendously -- especially when talking about a mud problem.

Second, what is your soil type? Sand, loam, clay? Deep, shallow, gravely, rocky?

Third, what is the drainage pattern for your coop and run area? If it gets muddy every time it rains I have to suspect that you either have the chickens located in a low spot where water collects or have a drainage pattern running through the chicken facility instead of channeled around it.

Unfortunately, neither roofing the run nor changing the bedding can fix a mud problem that is the result of the land's drainage issues. BUT often those drainage issues can be fixed. If you show us photos of your coop and of how it sits in the surrounding land we can help.

Fourth, while any dry organic material can be used as bedding in the coop and litter in the run, hay would be very low on my list of choices for use in a run that ever gets wet at all. It's not very absorbent compared to other options and breaks down faster than almost any other possible material.

For many people, the gold standard of litter for your run, especially a run that ever gets muddy, is coarse wood chips -- the kind you get from a tree trimming service. They are much more absorbent than hay or straw and break down slowly.

Additionally, from a composting perspective, good-quality hay (nice and green and full of nutritional value for the animals who eat it), is a compost GREEN -- a high-nitrogen element. Manure is also a green. What you need for your run litter is a compost BROWN -- a high-carbon element.

When you combine chicken manure, the green element, with wood chips, straw, pine straw, dry leaves, or other such browns they react together to digest the manure -- eliminated odor and creating garden gold.

Switching bedding won't solve a serious drainage problem, but since you mentioned an odor problem I suggest that you try swapping out the hay for a high-carbon bedding as a first step.

 

[aart]

After it rains it is wet and muddy for like a week after the rain. I want to have it dry so it doesn't stink as much. I will be using hay for bedding in the run.

You may have a drainage problem that needs to be addressed.
Are there puddles in the run after a rain?
Pics of your run and the surrounding area would help immensely here.

Hay is not great bedding......
Already kind of answered your question in your other thread

Chips or shavings?
Some pics of your coop and run, and knowing how many birds you have, would help here.

More pics here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/albums/runs.7427859/


What kind of bedding you use may depend on how you manage the manure.
This is about cleaning, but covers my big picture

-I use poop boards under roosts with thin(<1/2") layer of sand/PDZ mix, sifted daily(takes 5-10mins) into bucket going to friends compost.
-Scrape big or wet poops off roost and ramps as needed.
-Pine shavings on coop floor, add some occasionally, totally changed out once or twice a year, old shavings added to run.
- 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.
-Nests are bedded with straw, add some occasionally, change out if needed(broken egg).

There is no odor, unless a fresh cecal has been dropped and when I open the bucket to add more poop.

That's how I keep it 'clean', have not found any reason to clean 'deeper' in 7 years.

 

[aart]

First, where, in general, are you? Climate matters tremendously -- especially when talking about a mud problem.

Yes.....
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!