Turning the stinky dirt in the run.

[AnnieSantiago]

I live in Oregon where we have liquid sunshine and my run's never had a mold issue.

 

[debid]

I pile in dried leaves (which we have in abundance) and it really works well to get us through the wet seasons. The resulting soil has significantly better drainage properties than the clay we normally have. Add in the slope and there's no standing water. Smell is not at all a problem. All great, IMO.

As for mold, there will be leaf mold on leaves and other organic products. That's natural and unavoidable. IMO, being exposed to leaf mold is much less risk than that of accumulated bacteria and ammonia from feces. If it's enough that you're bothered by the smell, it's pretty rough on the birds.

Personally, I'm allergic to the dust in the coop so I take an antihistamine on cleaning day and just change clothes and shower afterward. I make the husband empty the central vac canister, though, because that particular job causes a major reaction. The difference is the concentration of the allergen.

 

[L2fly]

I would like to hear from folks that have dirt and/or sand in their run, since it's what I have. I do understand why the DL method is popular, however I'm too paranoid about mold to even try it. My mold allergy can be debilitating. I can't even eat blue cheese. Lol!

I just started raising chickens this year and have 3 standard hens in my smallish coop/run (about 9 sq feet of coop & 27 sq ft of run). Because I'm a little shy of the 'ideal' sq ft per bird recommendations, and in town with somewhat close neighbors, I'm also nervous about the DL method, so use pine shavings in the coop & sand in the run. I do spread some PDZ under the shavings in the coop, and scatter a big scoop of PDZ and diatomaceous earth over the sand in the run, once a week, which they quickly work into the sand themselves. I also use a child's size rake to rake the sand, moving the clumps into a pile, then sift the clumps of poo out using a kitty litter scoop, and scoop out the pine shavings under the roost, daily. Its only 10 minutes of work a day, and I do it when I let the ladies free-range for an hour or so before sunset. Once a week I replace all of the pine shavings in the coop and do a deeper cleaning of the run, scrapping poop off any surfaces, etc, and I add fresh PDZ and DE at this time. This has kept it pretty clean!

I'm also in a pretty hot & dry area of the country. It does rain more in the winter time, but most of my run is covered, so I'm hoping it won't get too mucky this fall/winter. We'll see!

 

[yyz0yyz0]

One thing to be aware of with DL is it works best with a level run floor. my coop/run is on a slight slope so all the organic matter i throw in the run ends up piles at the low side of the run and the high side is bare. I didn't even realize it was a slope until the setup was already installed and I found them scratching everything to the lower side by default.
So now I just add to the high side and remove from the low side, I use hay mostly but other things as i get them.

 

[aart]

One thing to be aware of with DL is it works best with a level run floor. my coop/run is on a slight slope so all the organic matter i throw in the run ends up piles at the low side of the run and the high side is bare. I didn't even realize it was a slope until the setup was already installed and I found them scratching everything to the lower side by default.
So now I just add to the high side and remove from the low side, I use hay mostly but other things as i get them.

Same here, tho I knew I had a slope...the migration of the added materials still kind of amazes me.

 

[emkawa]

Thanks for the advice here! will be adding grass clippings to the run later today!

 

[User395221]

Thanks for the advice here! will be adding grass clippings to the run later today!

If it's damp, be careful of too many fresh grass clippings. Mix them up with something else, some bark chips or something so they don't all clump up and go gross, or spread them out and rake them in a bit.

Also, the usual "fix" for stinky and slimy is to rake in some garden lime.

 

[emkawa]

Hey Potato Chip! Im still learning here so not sure if adding a Quote is better or not? Im currently not having any issues and just sort of figuring out the best way to do things so any and all advice is great! If we mow today and let the clippings dry in the sun for a few days and THEN put the in the run? The girls aren't in the actual run much, since the wander around most if the day.

 

[User395221]

I've no idea what your climate is like, and I don't have lawn, so I can't give you any specific advice. In general, composting in the run is like composting outside it. You need a mix of material and you need air. Grass clippings can go slimy if you pile them up, so it really depends on how much you've got, how big your run is, what the weather's like, etc. It's probably best just to "suck it and see". Chuck them in, and if things go a bit slimy, add some garden lime, bark chips or something else then.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Have you considered adding lime? That' s what i used to add. It is amazing!