What material works well for litter in outdoor runs?

[Peeper7]

I'm a bit overcrowded at this moment and until i can expand I need to put something on the ground in the pens to help keep my chickens clean. I had been ranging them, but my new laying hens are not laying where I can find the eggs... so I penned them up for now.

I did use some coarse hardwood mulch which does seem to keep it from being muddy and it dries from them scratching. I would like to do better though.

Any ideas?
Thanks much!
Valerie

 

[scooter147]

thick layer of straw.

 

[Zoomom]

A lot of people swear by sand.
I haven't got that far yet. I am using shavings inside and hoping the 4 girls don't destroy the lawn and flower beds and veggie garden too much outside...I still need to make an attached run just for them.

 

[Katy]

Sand or gravel works the best. Doesn't get matted down and slimey like some other things.

 

[Peeper7]

Quote:
My birds are really enjoying my veggie garden

. The chickens LOVE the green tomatoes, my geese rip the leaves up, the turkeys trample the plants and scratch them up. so far none of my fencing ideas are working.

Gardening is for the birds.....

The area I need to bed right now is only about 10 x 10' I would love to use gravel but it may be more cost effective to try the straw. The surface may stay dry ????

 

[muddstopper]

Actually, I like the hardwood mulch, if its a bark mulch and not just wood chips. This would be considered Ramail wood chips, (do a googel search), and mixed with chick poo would make an excellent compost/mulch material for your garden.

 

[Jenski]

Lovin the sand. Dries out quickly, and I can sift it out with a cat litter scoop.

 

[lizO]

well, before ya go with straw, you might want to scroll through the "Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures" section and read about impacted crops. It's a scary place. I've used hay in the next area, and it's probably as bad as straw. I'm sure it doesn't happen all the time, but... bleaahhhh!

 

[eastbaychicks]

Quote:
My birds are really enjoying my veggie garden

. The chickens LOVE the green tomatoes, my geese rip the leaves up, the turkeys trample the plants and scratch them up. so far none of my fencing ideas are working.

Gardening is for the birds.....

The area I need to bed right now is only about 10 x 10' I would love to use gravel but it may be more cost effective to try the straw. The surface may stay dry ????

Ahh... they love tomatoes... MUST PROTECT. I guess they've been distracted by beet greens, plums and radish greens as of yet... they keep walking by my tomato plants. Yiikes.

I have in my whole yard woodchips (oak to be exact) and the run sits right ontop of those... and then I try to keep wood shavings on top, but they keep vanishing into the ground. I don't think they are composting that fast but maybe they are. Those ladies love to dig their holes everywhere. I'm happy too because it doesn't stink at all. Sort of a deep litter method I guess. I may give up on adding the wood shavings, due to cost but I'm not sure yet. Also I tried straw... and it was yucky. The girls didn't do anything with it. They avoided digging in it and it was all slimy and nast. I took it out.

 

[chookchick]

The two materials that seem to work well for people are sand or woodchip. I have the woodchip and I love it--free, clean, hens love to scratch in it. Straw has not been a big hit--seems it gets slimy and smelly. I think gravel would pack down, and be difficult to clean. Whatever you use, remember, they will dig it up and mix it around.