When to clean run

[Birdbrain99114]

How often should I clean the girls' run? Should I add dirt to bring the level back up after I scrape out the poopy dirt? I don't want the level in the run to drop too low or the coyotes will be able to dig their way in.

I put chicken wire around the field fencing and buried it underground on the outside of the run fencing when we made the run .

 

[NC_Quacker]

It is going to depend on alot of things like the size of your run and the number of birds you have. In raising cockatiels and parakeets in outdoor aviares I learned that the more birds you put in, the faster it gets dirty.

Also in regards to your dirt, it is not going to keep a coyote or racoon out of your run. They can dig through 10 feet of dirt at nothing if they are determined. I would just used a metal tooth rake to clean the run, or you could always put in some pea gravel on top of the dirt..


Best of luck.

 

[DaughterOfEve]

When I dig out, I shoot for an inch off the top which is replaced with fresh sandy dirt. The girls love searching through the new dirt. My main purpose is cleanliess as well as fertilized dirt for the garden.

 

[TeriNick50]

I just started raising chickens in June 2009 so I haven't cleaned out the pen thoroughly.
It doesn't seem to be a big problem, however; we only have four hens ... very manageable.
I was waiting for the spring to rake out the winter accumulation of chicken poop and straw to start a new compost pile.
I didn't consider "digging out" ... just raking.
Other than good compost material ... what are the advantages of digging versus raking?

 

[Sissy]

Just rake dirt run.
Iwas told to add sand and pea gravel.
As soon as weather warms up,
in the meantime my muddy run
now has wood carpets ( boards) to keep little feet dry.

 

[Kansaseq]

Here, in bad weather, I put down shavings to give the birds something dry to walk on. Of course, those get wet, so I put down more, and eventually, there is a build up of organic matter. I 'dug out' last fall, and had almost 3" of accumulation in some spots. We've had SO much snow here this winter, I'll probably have to dig out again in the spring. I may try to fill in with sand this time, and see how that works.

I think how often you have to actually 'dig out' will depend on your local weather, and how many birds you have.

 

[Birdbrain99114]

Thank you for your replies. We have 5 chickens and two guineas in a 10 X 16 run. It was getting smelly so we dug out the top layer of poopy "pavement" and added some sand. Got the truck stuck while doing this as our ground hasn't dried out and is quite soft.

Our babies enjoyed watching mom and dad work, especially since they found a couple of worms while we were digging. They sang us a song or two and begged for some bugs. Poor little gals need to wait for a while to get some bugs as it's still cold here.