Winterizing Run Question help

[StinkyAcres]

Also for anyone out there. I'm planning on using pine shavings in the run floor during the winter. Not sure how much is needed.? Deep like deep litter method? Or any other metheods?

What is the current base of your run (dirt, gravel, concrete)? I personally don't like pine shavings anywhere it will get very wet (such as on a dirt floor) because it turns to a yucky muck that is difficult to clean out. For a dirt floor I recommend wood chips that don't disintegrate as quickly, like hardwood chips or playground pine chips.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Straw is another option. I wouldn't use it during the warmer months due to the risk of mold, but it's a nice warm bedding during the winter as long as it doesn't get soaking wet.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

What is the current base of your run (dirt, gravel, concrete)? I personally don't like pine shavings anywhere it will get very wet (such as on a dirt floor) because it turns to a yucky muck that is difficult to clean out. For a dirt floor I recommend wood chips that don't disintegrate as quickly, like hardwood chips or playground pine chips.

Agree. Wood chips are needed for texture and aeration, then if you like you can add on pine shavings, hardwood mulch, pine straw (dead pine needles), dead leaves, etc. But you need the oomph of wood chips to keep everything from packing down.

This is my experience anyway. (Zone 7a, 4 distinct seasons, a fair amount of precipitation but generally not day after day after day.) The chips also make it a lot easier to lift and turn the run litter with a garden fork if you get the itch to stir things up a bit.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

In my run, I just use the ground. In my coop, I use the deep litter method, with pine shavings

Does your coop have a floor (concrete, wood, vinyl, etc.)? Or does it sit on a dirt base?

For others reading, I ask because deep bedding (in a floored coop), is different from deep litter (in the run). To get the poop to compost down, it needs to have soil underneath. If you want compost, just periodically dump the bedding into a compost pile or (if you like) onto your run floor where it can catch some precipitation and start decomposing.

The flooring and ability to compost are what make the difference between deep bedding and deep litter.

 

[IowaCHKN]

The run floor is mostly dirt now. The chickens obviously ate most of the grass. So when is started getting colder. I put a bag of pine shavings in as a base until I got feedback. Didn't know if the dirt floor would be to cold in winter. Obviously chickens can handle cold weather but did t know what would be suitable for an extra layer of warmth.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

The run floor is mostly dirt now. The chickens obviously ate most of the grass. So when is started getting colder. I put a bag of pine shavings in as a base until I got feedback. Didn't know if the dirt floor would be to cold in winter. Obviously chickens can handle cold weather but did t know what would be suitable for an extra layer of warmth.

Oddly, they don’t need warmth that much. They wear down bodysuits, after all. Deep litter is more a means of dealing with the chicken poop , setting up an environment where the will rot down to help create healthy, fertile (very fertile!) soil.

 

[Geira]

Okay, I'm jumping in because I have a question. You guys or gals have mentioned the deep litter method which I thought was a good way to get heat naturally from the litter as it breaks down. I was under the impression the important piece was to turn the litter to provide aeration for bacteria, add litter or remove litter as necessary to prevent ammonia build up. I didn't think that method needed dirt, just litter, poop and air. Is my thinking wrong on this?