Author Topic: Chicken run ground cover (Read 3019 times)

Jay9408 · « **on:** October 31, 2022, 11:15:49 am »

What kind of materials do people use to cover their chicken run floor?
I use woodchip atm but wondered if people know something better as mine keep getting swampy 😬

Steph Hen · « **Reply #1 on:** October 31, 2022, 04:18:50 pm »

I like wood chip, but mine are in a fairly free draining location and it’s big chips, quite deep.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #2 on:** October 31, 2022, 10:48:54 pm »

Where do you get your wood chips?

Jay9408 · « **Reply #3 on:** November 01, 2022, 11:47:02 am »

I get mine from local arborists.

Steph Hen · « **Reply #4 on:** November 02, 2022, 06:28:54 am »

My husband bought me a chipper. My father in law does a lot of research into woodchip compost improving farmland soil so has contacted local tree surgeons, wood yards, etc., and he collects lots (I’ve been known to snaffle a wee bit). They drop off whenever they’re in the area and have some spare and unwanted.

I used to keep an eye on gumtree and there was often a “come and take some from my garden, free” advert within a few miles.
Over the last four years I must have used 10m cubed in my garden. -the chicken run is my composting site, so what goes in there all ends up on the beds as well. Wood chip paths break down and are shovelled onto beds and replaced with fresh, chunky chips. The soil is happy and weeds are much reduced.
Sorry for tenuous post, but I’m obsessed.

Jay9408 · « **Reply #5 on:** November 02, 2022, 11:36:27 am »

Quote from: Steph Hen on November 02, 2022, 06:28:54 am

My husband bought me a chipper. My father in law does a lot of research into woodchip compost improving farmland soil so has contacted local tree surgeons, wood yards, etc., and he collects lots (I’ve been known to snaffle a wee bit). They drop off whenever they’re in the area and have some spare and unwanted.

I used to keep an eye on gumtree and there was often a “come and take some from my garden, free” advert within a few miles.
Over the last four years I must have used 10m cubed in my garden. -the chicken run is my composting site, so what goes in there all ends up on the beds as well. Wood chip paths break down and are shovelled onto beds and replaced with fresh, chunky chips. The soil is happy and weeds are much reduced.
Sorry for tenuous post, but I’m obsessed.

This is my intention too!! Unfortunaly theres not a lot of woodchip to go around on my site and i have 4 runs to cover! (Of varying sizes) so a deep cover isnt possible. I was thinking of moving my runs but the whole plot has the same issue so thats pointless.

Steph Hen · « **Reply #6 on:** November 02, 2022, 06:09:16 pm »

Leaves, wood shavings, straw? I got some good chipped hemp straw from a neighbour. It’s working well so far.
When it gets saturated either add more on or dig out and fully compost in a heap.

Hedge clippings create a bouncy layer above mud and take a while to saturate but can be a hassle to dig out if they end up embedded in eventual compost. Also often free.

Is it just rain or is other water flowing on? Perhaps a shallow land drain around top sides of your pens? Doesn’t have to be deep, just enough to lay a perforated pipe and cover with stones to take away any extra. Then you can direct away your hen house roof water and link to puddles in pens.

It might be worth moving the pens to give the grass chance to recover so you can rotate back in the spring.

Jay9408 · « **Reply #7 on:** November 03, 2022, 07:29:06 am »

Straw is probably my best option as theres a local farm i can buy from 🤔.

Just rain, my plot is at the bottom of the site which is on a slight hill so in heavy rain it gets a lot of water. Like the idea of using drains and maby using them to feed a small pond?

I am very tempted to move the runs as theres a good portion of my plot that needs breaking down but because of the way ive built them its a big job 😅

Kiran · « **Reply #8 on:** November 06, 2022, 05:39:34 am »

My chickens and ducks have a gravel floor in their run, it's 20mm clean stone built up about 250-300mm above existing ground level. The idea being that the waste washes through the stone when it rains. A couple of times a year I give it a rake to break up any solid clumps but so far (3 years in) and its held up far better than the initial 6 months of just being on bare ground.

Jay9408 · « **Reply #9 on:** November 07, 2022, 05:11:40 am »

I considered pebbles for my ducks to help keep thier water clean but havent put any down just yet

doganjo · « **Reply #10 on:** November 07, 2022, 03:28:28 pm »

In spring, mine is grass and weeds, hens love it - thistles are mowed down as they don't like the prickly bits' in winter it's earth or mud. So I have put down a few of these black doormats and pinned them down, so I donlt go all me length on the slope; and I put lots of chopped straw down. It's their bedding inside their hutch too. I only have four Wyandottes, and three rescues coming in a couple of weeks, so it's not expensive to buy Morrisons packs at £2 each, especially as they are giving me £15 vouchers every now and then