Straw in the run

[Cchurchill91]

My run 25 x 13 feet and is all dirt and rock. We are planning to cover most of it with steel roofing but it’s currently uncovered. In hopes of keeping the chickens feet dry, I laid down 4 bales of straw. It’s a pretty thick layer. Since I did that, I've been reading about how straw isn’t an ideal cover and could end up wet and mouldy quickly. Should I take the straw out before it gets wet or does anyone have a positive experience with using straw in their run?

 

[3KillerBs]

I wouldn't take the straw out, I'd just add some other materials to get a good mix that won't get matted and slimy -- wood chips, wood shavings, pine straw, dry leaves in season, etc.

I followed the advice of many of the people in here by throwing any dry organic material I had handy into the run and letting the chickens mix it up. Since NC winters are wet rather than snowy I put couple bales of straw in as-is for them to sit on too and never had any problems with my Brahmas' feathered feet.

I do have to say that I'm on very sandy, well-drained soil and that water ran away from, not into, my coop.

 

[Cchurchill91]

I wouldn't take the straw out, I'd just add some other materials to get a good mix that won't get matted and slimy -- wood chips, wood shavings, pine straw, dry leaves in season, etc.

I followed the advice of many of the people in here by throwing any dry organic material I had handy into the run and letting the chickens mix it up. Since NC winters are wet rather than snowy I put couple bales of straw in as-is for them to sit on too and never had any problems with my Brahmas' feathered feet.

I do have to say that I'm on very sandy, well-drained soil and that water ran away from, not into, my coop.

Thats a good idea. We have lots of dry materials around our yard that I can keep adding in there over time for a nice mix. Thankfully the run is well drained and doesn’t puddle up but it’s not sandy. So when we have our rainy days it’s a bit of a muddy mess. If it gets too slimy I’ll eventually switch the straw out for wood chips when we can get them for free and start mixing our materials into there. Thanks for the help!