chicken run

samuria · « **on:** October 19, 2019, 11:23 »

i have 13 hens and there run is kept clean by me digging it over once a week.
its quite large. my question is how can i refresh the soil for them?
i have no other area to keep them in so moving is a no no ....

New shoot · « **Reply #1 on:** October 20, 2019, 11:23 »

I use bark chip and hose it down over the summer to keep it clean (my run is roofed). Over the winter I just turn it over now and then. After a few months, I dig it out, replace and use the old stuff on the plot as mulch.

This time of year I also chuck leaves in. They get broken down and incorporated pretty quickly

samuria · « **Reply #2 on:** October 20, 2019, 12:56 »

my run is not covered. they have a large shelter also. tried the leaves in the run collected from the woods, but when it rained it was so slippery.... i just wanted to know if anything could be added to the soil while i dug it over

snow white · « **Reply #3 on:** October 21, 2019, 07:30 »

I never had your problem because i split my run into two and alternated them but i did read about someone who put woodchips, compost material (leaves, stems, old plants ete) and straw, and used it as a large compost heap. The stuff eventually rotted down and became compost which was removed and the process started again. Makes a negative into a positive. It was a deep pile of stuff which meant it wasn't very muddy. It was on the internet. might be worth a search.

samuria · « **Reply #4 on:** October 23, 2019, 21:56 »

Quote from: snow white on October 21, 2019, 07:30

I never had your problem because i split my run into two and alternated them but i did read about someone who put woodchips, compost material (leaves, stems, old plants ete) and straw, and used it as a large compost heap. The stuff eventually rotted down and became compost which was removed and the process started again. Makes a negative into a positive. It was a deep pile of stuff which meant it wasn't very muddy. It was on the internet. might be worth a search.
[/quote thanks for the reply, but that seems like a lot of work come time to dig it all out,
then i would need some where to put all the stuff

snow white · « **Reply #5 on:** October 25, 2019, 14:46 »

I know. Too much for me too.

RubyRed · « **Reply #6 on:** October 27, 2019, 09:10 »

I think you can buy a soil sanitizer for hen runs that comes in a tub that you just shake n vac haha. And I've used garden lime dug in to cleanse the soil.

grinling · « **Reply #7 on:** October 27, 2019, 17:14 »

Roofing the run prevents wet soil, but would still need to be dug over. Roofing also reduces any smell. I use a tunnel and a wired greenhouse for a separate run area. My floor is concrete because mine is in the garden, something you cannot do at an alotment

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