So I am almost done with my coop but now realize I never decided what I was going to do as far as the ground for my run. I will have a small flock of 3 hens and they will have a 40 sq/ft run to play in. Currently the run is grass (well snow at the moment), and since I rent, I need to be able to return the area to grass when I leave. I know with a smaller sized run like what I have, the ladies will tear it up in no time, so I need to figure out something that will be easy to clean up when I leave which essentially gets rid of the possibility of sand. At least the soil under the run will be extremely fertile for replanting when I leave!! What would you recommend for the floor of the run in this situation?
Have you looked into the Deep Litter Method? We do this in our run and it's been great, low maintenance, no odor, no flies and when we do a complete clean-out once a year a trailer full of beautiful compost for the garden. We use straw, hay, grass clippings, leaves, landscape debris, fruit and veggies. Do a search here on BYC, a lot will pop-up.
I'd leave the grass til they've killed it . Make lots to climb like branches , take advantage of the height of the run , mine love to climb . I put an old step ladder in last year , it became the favourite spot . As the grass dies you could add your leaves , grass clippings ect.
Thanks for the responses! I have been reading about the deep litter method but wasn't sure how good it would be for a smaller run! Glad to know it works for you and that I can use it to feed my veggie garden in the spring! Good idea on letting the ladies play in the grass while it's there! I will definitely do that.
We have a larger 20x20 area for our outdoor run, about 1/3 is raised grass and lettuce beds. 2x4's with 1" hardware mesh across the top to allow the grass to grow through but not allow the chickens to tear the roots up. Gives them fresh greens during the spring/summer/fall.
