WWYD: Winter run decision.

[thecatumbrella]

I use mulch in my chicken run. The chickens spend 85% of their day kicking around in it, happily. But winter's coming. The mulch will freeze. It's also insanely dusty, which does not bode well with sealing up the run for drafts (don't worry, I leave a large ventilation gap at the top). Now we're at a crossroads on deciding what to do. Options are:

1. Put something OVER the mulch that is (hopefully) less dusty, will not freeze, and isn't miserable to remove poop from.
2. Replace the mulch with sand. Yes, it will freeze at the edges, but not everywhere like the mulch does. Sand is also dusty.

Now you might be thinking that Option 1 sounds like a slam dunk, BUT... we have one more problem with the mulch. It gets caught in my Pekins' foot and leg fluff. Constantly. It's been a massive letdown to have to trim feathers and remove mulch clumps on a weekly basis. This has been the biggest argument for going to sand. But sand is boring for chickens that spend 100% of their time in the run. They have a sand box now, and while they like it, they don't kick around in it. I could provide a forage box alternative, but it would be on the smaller side (since I also need to provide a dust bath).

On a final note, my run has 4 cubic yards of mulch in it. Not a meager amount. Changing to sand, or another medium, will be very labor intensive and pricey. But I'm willing to do whatever makes sense.

Really appreciate any input. My husband and I have been stumped on this for a while, and we're running out of time.

 

[GreenJay]

Have you considered straw? Poops drop through it pretty well and it'll eventually break down and add to your mulch layer. Plus I'll leave several "chunks" of it in the run so the girls can scratch it apart for entertainment. (our winters are fairly mild so I don't know well it works in cold country with continual freezing temps)

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...rtified-straw-grab-go-compressed-bale-1026190

 

[thecatumbrella]

Have you considered straw? Poops drop through it pretty well and it'll eventually break down and add to your mulch layer. Plus I'll leave several "chunks" of it in the run so the girls can scratch it apart for entertainment. (our winters are fairly mild so I don't know well it works in cold country with continual freezing temps)

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...rtified-straw-grab-go-compressed-bale-1026190

Straw's been on our radar, so I'm glad you mentioned it! I wasn't sure if I'd need to replace it on a schedule (if it starts to get nasty), or if the poop will just fall below like you said. I suppose cleaning's not as critical in the dead of winter. Awesome suggestion, thank you!

 

[GreenJay]

Straw's been on our radar, so I'm glad you mentioned it! I wasn't sure if I'd need to replace it on a schedule (if it starts to get nasty), or if the poop will just fall below like you said. I suppose cleaning's not as critical in the dead of winter. Awesome suggestion, thank you!

You're welcome!
The only time it gets particularly yucky is if we get lots of rain on it in the uncovered part of the run. And that's not happening here lately
I usually replace it when it's flattening out and disintegrating.

 

[Mrs. K]

Different climates make a huge difference, and we all give advice from the view point of our own coop.

What kind of mulch are you using?

I use waste hay from the ranch. I pile it in big piles on sand - natural soil here. They scratch it out, I pile it up, I flip it out on top of snow, and they will come right outside.

I have never had it stuck to any chicken, but it is dry. Dries out quickly after rain or snow, we are in an arid climate.

Mrs K

 

[ChickenChick46]

I'm not sure if it would be a viable option in your climate, but in our coop we'll be using horse bedding pellets. In the run, I haven't yet committed to shaving or straw, but one of the 2.

 

[thecatumbrella]

What kind of mulch are you using?

It's triple-ground, undyed pine. Really soft underfoot, but there's scraggly pieces that get tangled in their downy undercoat. It sounds like you guys are a lot drier out in SD.

 

[thecatumbrella]

I'm not sure if it would be a viable option in your climate, but in our coop we'll be using horse bedding pellets. In the run, I haven't yet committed to shaving or straw, but one of the 2.

We've been considering horse pellets! Another chicken keeper nearby uses them in her bantam run with success, and I know @Debbie292d uses them as well with her Silkies. It definitely won't get stuck in their down. Not sure if it's prone to freezing once it sucks up a bit of moisture.