Coop remodeling, run flooring suggestions?

[Barredrockmama1]

Hey everyone,
So we upped our flock to 12 now, we have built a larger run, half of it roofed over and the other covered in fencing, there is also space under the coop itself... in the area that us unroofed, I had built fodder boxes for a steady foraging opportunity, under the coop I'd like to place their dust baths. I'm trying to decide what to use on the roofed section of the run as far as flooring goes, it does get a bit muddy during our rainy seasons here in PA. I was debating on peagravel or sand but have had some recommend wood chips. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[StinkyAcres]

Gravel and sand do not help the chicken poop to decompose and they also don't absorb water. Aged wood chips are probably your best option.

 

[Barredrockmama1]

Gravel and sand do not help the chicken poop to decompose and they also don't absorb water. Aged wood chips are probably your best option.

Okay, I was thinking if we would do sand, I would scoop out all the poop and if pea gravel I could hose off with the garden hose, but drainage would privabky be needed in both scenarios... then I also have to think about cost, we don't have too much extra to spend right now. Wood chips sound like a good option how often would they need replaced? I've never done much for their run as far as their flooring went I used to free range all the time but now that we have a dog that's not chicken friendly, they won't get to come out as much.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Okay, I was thinking if we would do sand, I would scoop out all the poop and if pea gravel I could hose off with the garden hose, but drainage would privabky be needed in both scenarios...

Sand maintenance is a lot of work and I read it holds onto bacteria and gets stinky in wet conditions. And, yeah, you don't want to hose off the run and introduce any more water to it.

Wood chips sound like a good option how often would they need replaced?

Wood chips need to be replenished about once every year to two (maybe longer if the run is covered). There is usually no need to shovel out the old chips since they decompose into the ground.

 

[Barredrockmama1]

Sand maintenance is a lot of work and I read it holds onto bacteria and gets stinky in wet conditions. And, yeah, you don't want to hose off the run and introduce any more water to it.


Wood chips need to be replenished about once every year to two (maybe longer if the run is covered). There is usually no need to shovel out the old chips since they decompose into the ground.

That sounds great! We will go with those then, thank you!

 

[C Siena]

Sand maintenance is a lot of work and I read it holds onto bacteria and gets stinky in wet conditions. And, yeah, you don't want to hose off the run and introduce any more water to it.


Wood chips need to be replenished about once every year to two (maybe longer if the run is covered). There is usually no need to shovel out the old chips since they decompose into the ground.

Ditto on wood chips in the run. We have a chipper but 2 years ago, the county was trimming and taking down trees under utility lines. We asked and they dumped 2 loads of mixed non evergreen chips and 1 load of cedar. All for free. We use the cedar around some garden plants (on plastic). The chickens like to climb the piles and scratch away, then we'll pile it up again and they play again.

 

[Barredrockmama1]

Ditto on wood chips in the run. We have a chipper but 2 years ago, the county was trimming and taking down trees under utility lines. We asked and they dumped 2 loads of mixed non evergreen chips and 1 load of cedar. All for free. We use the cedar around some garden plants (on plastic). The chickens like to climb the piles and scratch away, then we'll pile it up again and they play again.

That's a great idea!! I'll have to keep an eye out and ask them to do the same here.

 

[C Siena]

That's a great idea!! I'll have to keep an eye out and ask them to do the same here.

Asplundh is the company in Ohio that did this for us. Their headquarters are near Philly. Give them a call. The workers said it helped them as they did not need to haul the chips another 12+ miles away to dump. We received 3-4 loads and our neighbor 2-3. They should be out soon to trim.

 

[rosemarythyme]

That's a great idea!! I'll have to keep an eye out and ask them to do the same here.

Chipdrop.com is another possible resource to look into.

Or if you live in an area that has lots of trees you can probably call local tree companies directly and check if they'd be willing to dump a load of chips, if you have some place to hold them.