[Justin]

We've now had our chickens for several weeks although, sadly, that's included a month where I was away working. They're now providing all the eggs we could eat and I'm thoroughly enjoying tending to them and learning their characters.

Our run is a decent size, about 18mx15m and covered in grass. At least it was, I can already see the grass starting to go in places and I know that in a few months it's just going to mostly have gone. So the question is, what do I put down instead. I've seen people use granite sand, or chipped tyres so figured I'd ask here what people use.

Also, that's a lot of the proverbial sh1t they produce. Do folks just scoop it all up from the run or let it wash into the ground. If scooping, it seems like a lot of work to wander round with a spade lifting each load from all over the run. Up to now, it's not that big a quantity, but I can see it getting more underfoot as time goes on, particularly with the winter weather on it's way and I can't imagine a bog of Devon clay mud and chickensh1t being the best floor for the run.

Sorry if it's a daft question, I've just never dealt with this sort of quantity of guano before.

Oh and this is all separate from the stuff that's cleared from the chicken house and which goes on the compost heap.

[lord flynn]

how many chickens in that size run?


There's no easy answer-resting and rotating ground is necessary-let it recover. Garden lime can help on the bits you are resting but much depends on stocking density etc. Anything you put down onto earth will disappear into mud if not dug out and hardcore put down first-some surfaces will sink quicker than others, especially if the run isn't roofed.


I like sand as a surface, it help keeps chickens clean, and therefore feet and eggs clean. Put on to bare soil with no roof though, its a temporary solution. 

[MarthaR]

Mine are in a large run most of the day and then out and about whenever I am there. In the run I use hardwood chippings which do a good job at avoiding the ground becoming overloaded, slimy and muddy. They do sink into the ground eventually but mine haven't yet and have been down for over a year including last winter's deluges. I got them from an online company who deliver in bags or in bulk (bark-uk.com). With this floor I don't have to collect and clear poo other than from in the coop when cleaning that out.
Martha R

[doganjo]

Mine are on concrete slabs with an extended run covered in hardwood chippings, running out of pecking so having a fence put up across my back yard to give them free rein on weeds.  Inside is a concrete floor so I use tarps, and pull them out and  swap with fresh ones.  Ground cover is shredded paper so all the inside gunge goes in the compost bin.

[chrismahon]

We poo pick the enclosure twice daily Justin. As a result after two years we still have all the grass. The poo is composted for two years, turning at the mid point to aerate it, before being used on the veg plot. I use a lobby brush set which is basically a dustpan and brush with long handles which avoids all the bending down.


I would avoid shredded tyres as there is no guarantee there are no pieces of extremely sharp wire in it. Our enclosures in the UK were bark chippings, which lasts about 12 months unless kept dry.

[Eve]

Google "grass in chicken run" and click on the images - that size of your run would be perfect for some of those frames with grass growing under them!

You're right, the current grass in your run won't last   

We used eco comfy bed and now laysoft in our 15X3.5m run on top of mesh (to stop predators). Because  it sits on top of the mesh the surface doesn't get muddy. Chicken runs can otherwise get very slippery   
We clean that run up twice a day, but need to bin it as it's too much for the compost heap and when we did try composting it it caused a rat problem.

[Justin]

Grazing frames, that's genius. Thanks very much for that, I'll be picking up some 2x4 and making a few of those, and probably getting a delivery of roadbase/gravel to spread over the areas around them. Hopefully that will prevent the place looking like the Somme come the winter, should make poo collection easier too.