Outside Run: River Rock or Mulch?

[PolloLocal]

Hi, Currently constructing a coop and am wondering what you all recommend as 'flooring' for the exterior run.

I currently have river (landscape) rock over dirt, but am wondering if the chickens would prefer some mulch.

I have access to decent quality inexpensive mulch (through the city) and could easily move the landscape rock elsewhere on the property.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[PolloLocal]

Oh, was thinking that the river rock might get dirty and difficult to clean when pooped on, whereas the mulch could be fluffed up, replenished, etc...

Feel free to set me straight.

And I should probably mention that the exterior run is about 10 x 8 for 4-6 birds.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'd suggest you leave the rock and cover it with coarse sand. Since it is river rock, it should be pretty smooth so they should not cut their feet when scratching. The sand will be fairly easy to rake and they will enjoy scratching and dust bathing in it. You might or might not need to scoop the poop out of it, but many people do that regularly. The sand over the rock should drain really well so it should stay drier. The sand will probably eventually work its way down or the rocks will eventually work their way to the top, which might cause problems raking in the future, but I think it would be managable. You might be able to just rinse it with a hose if you have good drainage. You could just remove the rock if you wish to and replace them with sand.

The chickens will love the mulch, and many people do use some type of mulch. I'm guessing you are talking about wood chips since you are getting it from the city. If your run is really dry, it could work out. My concern is that the organic mulch could hold moisture and give you a wet run. A wet run is an unhealthy run. The organic material could possibly mold, which is dangerous for chickens. Like I said, some people use it and it works fine, but I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[ChikLady]

I am building my coop right now and in the run it is just dirt, no grass. Should I be putting something down or is dirt ok?

 

[Ridgerunner]

We all have different situations and conditions. My run is just dirt but it is a big run and they mostly are out on grass anyway. It is also situated so rain water does not run into it and it drains fairly well. I'm in the country and the coop and run is a long way from anyone's house. Dirt works for a lot of people but some people need something else.

 

[Davidhalpern2]

My dirt run turned in to mud when it rained, especially in low spots. I put down river rock and then construction sand on top. The last 6 weeks have been really wet, and so far so good