Need advice on litter for a covered run on concrete (PNW)

[bokbokbacab]

I'm a brand new chicken keeper with two pullets about 20 weeks old. Our coop and run setup is a little different than most, located on a large cement slab in our yard rather than dirt or grass (the run was formerly a dog run built by the previous owners of our home). The run is fully covered by plastic corrugated roofing, and remains dry except for one or two leaky spots (it rains a lot here). I've put a pic at the end of this post.

I thought it's probably best to have some kind of litter on the ground for the chickens so they can scratch around and have something to cushion them as they jump up and down from the coop or their outside roosts, so I put pine shavings on the ground. But now I'm not sure how to maintain it? And I'm wondering whether there's some other litter that would be better? Or maybe I don't need to have a ton of litter to start with? I could really use some help here because I have no idea what I'm doing.

My main concerns for the run are:
1. Keeping it clean and discouraging pests while also
2. Keeping maintenance simple and not too time-consuming
3. Keeping it comfortable for the chickens, obviously

Right now with the pine shavings I am scooping poop in the run when I notice the it seems very smelly or dirty, adding shavings every now and then, and stirring it up occasionally. I am not sure how often to clean out the shavings and replace them or whether I need to do that at all?? I wonder if I should be doing some sort of deep litter method out there (or if that's kind of what's happening?).

I have also considered putting a sort of rim around the bottom of the run with 2x4s and filling the whole thing with sand, as I've heard that's a pretty low maintenance litter. If I did that though, would there be some point when the sand would need to be changed out or cleaned or something? I haven't been able to find a lot about litter outside of coops.

Any advice appreciated, especially if you have a run on cement!

Here's a photo of the coop and run pre-chicken arrival (with no litter in it).

 

[RW1984]

get sand. Build a border and use sand.
Then you can use a pitchfork with wire on it as a big pooper scooper to clean it and only have to change it out once or twice a year

 

[bokbokbacab]

get sand. Build a border and use sand.
Then you can use a pitchfork with wire on it as a big pooper scooper to clean it and only have to change it out once or twice a year

Great, this is how I've been leaning. My one concern about sand is what do I do with it when I change it out? The run is a little under 10 x 10 ft so that's almost a cubic yard of sand I'd be moving out once or twice a year.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Forget the sand. Use regular dirt and then some pine shavings. They will compost this with their poo with little odor. Sand is not absorbent and does not really compost well.

 

[3KillerBs]

Sand only works if kept perfectly dry because the poop doesn't decompose.

Shavings, wood chips, and/or other absorbent bedding is better in a wet climate.

 

[bokbokbacab]

Sand only works if kept perfectly dry because the poop doesn't decompose.

Shavings, wood chips, and/or other absorbent bedding is better in a wet climate.

Ok, I can see that. Fwiw, the run is covered by a roof, so whatever bedding I use will not be getting wet for the most part, but I'm still open to shavings if that's the best option.

For some reason I am feeling unsure about how to maintain shavings outside of the coop though. Would they need to be changed out completely every so often? Or would you try to compost them in the run as another person suggested?

 

[3KillerBs]

Ok, I can see that. Fwiw, the run is covered by a roof, so whatever bedding I use will not be getting wet for the most part, but I'm still open to shavings if that's the best option.

For some reason I am feeling unsure about how to maintain shavings outside of the coop though. Would they need to be changed out completely every so often? Or would you try to compost them in the run as another person suggested?

The composting process in a Deep Litter system requires moisture and does best with ground contact, but *can* work on concrete if managed by providing adequate moisture.

I like a minimal maintenance system -- putting down a mix of shavings, pine straw, etc. to minimize packing and matting, harness chicken labor by tossing some scratch into the bedding to encourage them to stir it up well, add more bedding when it seems to need it, and clean it all out when it gets inconveniently deep. But I've never had a concrete pad.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

It will work if you provide dirt. Sand doesn’t compost, dirt does. Also, depending on the size of the sand particles it could cause respiratory problems in your chickens.

 

[NatJ]

Right now with the pine shavings I am scooping poop in the run when I notice the it seems very smelly or dirty, adding shavings every now and then, and stirring it up occasionally. I am not sure how often to clean out the shavings and replace them or whether I need to do that at all??

If it doesn't smell, then you probably do not need to replace the shavings.
With a horse's stall or a cat's litter box, they are peeing in there too, so the material soaks up the pee and eventually needs to be changed.
But chickens don't pee; they just poop. And you've already said you're scooping out a lot of that.

In general, with chicken bedding, if you can't see anything wrong, and you can't smell anything wrong, then nothing is wrong.

You have started out with shavings, you could continue with shavings. Or you could gradually add other materials (hay, straw, dead leaves, vegetable peelings, etc) If you do that, it will eventually be more of a compost pile or a deep litter system. There are plenty of in-between styles, and just about all of them work for someone!

If you add other things and do not like the result, it's really not a big problem: clean it all out, compost it, and start over with what you liked.

 

[RW1984]

True I’m not referring to fine sand though. I know I didn’t specify that I posted. I presumed the OP would most likely research to find what kind would be available in his area and then find which if any would be best for his situation. I’m in and out of it due to a to a recent concussion :/