Suggestions for natural area

[BLUEYMOM]

I need help on what would be best to put down on the natural area of the enclosure. I'm tired of having to literally scoop up chicken droppings daily just to get to the coop.

 

[Kusanar]

Are you open to deep litter? You can do that outside in a run. It would keep most of the poop down in the bedding and less likely to stick to shoes.

I don't know how long you have had those chickens there, but it doesn't look like you have much grass left now and likely will completely run out soon, so doing a deep litter out there wouldn't really keep them from having access to grass and it WILL keep the run from being a soggy muddy mess.

 

[Ihavesomechickens]

Half of my run is mulch and the other half is sod. Grass is pretty easy to just rinse poop off of and the poop will fertilize it, so no poop more grass.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I'm tired of having to literally scoop up chicken droppings daily just to get to the coop.

I use the same shavings I use in the coop.

I have an old pair of boots I use to access the chicken pen. They have a nubed sole and are easily hosed off.

I remove boots at the back door.
Of course I forgot to change shoes a couple of times and said chicken poop when I realized. GC

 

[Eggscaping]

We use the deep litter method in our run. We got a free load of bark/branch chips from a tree trimmer who was overjoyed to have somewhere to dump it, and let it age for a year to make sure there wouldn't be any aspergillus in it. Once dried, we had a huge pile and we just take a couple of buckets every few days and dump it in the run. The chickens go crazy digging and scratching through it and spread it around. Then, when we clean out the coop, the pine shavings are also tossed out the door to be added to the mix. We don't step in wet poop when we go into the run because it dries out very quickly in the mix...and we have no smell.

 

[Folly's place]

Deep litter out there is best; shavings, leaves, wood chips (not black walnut), maybe a little straw of hay. Dry grass clippings if not treated with anything. Weeds, non toxic.
It will turn into mulch, a good thing.
And have 'barn boots' and 'barn shoes'!
Also for biosecurity, your coop shoes and boots are worn nowhere else, and street shoes aren't worn out there.
Mary

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

Adding more chips, grass clippings " Deep litter as mentioned" would give them something to kick around and cover their own mess better should help. You could put stepping stones but they'll poop on anything so it won't help much. You could move the coop closer to the door so you don't have as far to walk, making it less poop to walk through. You can add a sand walkway so the poop can be raked off fairly easy enough.
Or you can invest in some nice rubber boots you can wear " as also mentioned" just for chicken business. Since I'm a fashion diva and like to look the part, I go the boot way!

 

[BLUEYMOM]

Are you open to deep litter? You can do that outside in a run. It would keep most of the poop down in the bedding and less likely to stick to shoes.

I don't know how long you have had those chickens there, but it doesn't look like you have much grass left now and likely will completely run out soon, so doing a deep litter out there wouldn't really keep them from having access to grass and it WILL keep the run from being a soggy muddy mess.

I'm trying this. Need one more bag. They don't seem to mind and always room to do something different if this doesn't work out.

 

[aart]

Even with the right bedding you're going to get poop on your shoes.
I have some rather smooth soled shoes that are pretty easy to wipe off on the grass on the way back to the house.