[smiler43]

My run has a soil floor with wood chip on top.  I clean the poo out every day and change the wood chip when needed usually once a month.  It is a permenant run, the girls are out free ranging as often as possible, which at the mo is only a few hours Mon-Fri from 3pm and weekends from 12.

Do I need to disinfect the soil occasionally, if so how often and what with?

[Foxy]

probably depends on the depth of your woodchips. Generally speaking though a soil floor eventually can become "sour" which simply means acidic and could harbour bugs and worms. Some people dig out the base and scatter garden lime on the top to rectify the acidity.
You could dig out a depth and replace with gravel  or old paving slabs then top up with woodchip.
A good product to use to disinfect the base for the time being and is very effect is "stalosan" a powder dinfectant which will kill most bugs and also help to absorb any ammonia.

Here is more info


http://www.regencypoultry.com/shoparea.asp?p=af4a39a9-c38f-43c7-8085-d147b3616a20

[smiler43]

Thanks Foxy for that, will get it done, knew someone would have advice.  My dad kept chooks when he was a kid and said his dad just used to turn over the soil now and then.

We are thinking of moving the house and run to the side of the garage which would give them a bigger run.  Would it be better to put down slabs with wood chip on top?

Only an inch or so thick in the run at the mo.

Is the Stalosan F ok on the floor even when it's wet, like at the mo even though we have a cover over the run the floor is very wet?

[karlooben]

looks like i may of found out something new by reading this post . although my run is 10 m by 6 m an its completely soil does that mean i would have to dig that from time to time . as for the droppings even though the whole run is raked up every other day by my mum i would of thought the rain would wash must of it away .{ did that make sense }  

[peewee_lane]

My run floor is actually wire mesh... We felt it would keep rats and foxes from digging under and up... Up until now I did not know that the run floor had to be cleaned (oops)... I did top it up with fresh soil, is that okay, or would anyone reccomend I purchase the Stalosan F?

[smiler43]

I did think that after a whike the soil would go off, sour as Foxy says but didn't know how to cure it.  

There's always something to learn on here karlooben :o)

[karlooben]

u can say that again

[smiler43]

Like your pic peewee_lane :o)

[chickenlady]

my run is aprox 9 square metres. and a mix of soil, gravel and bark chips. i plan to lime it soon but need to ask if i can do it while girls are in it? as i have no where else for them to go apart from the normal free ranging they do!

[smiler43]

Same here Chickenlady, my girls only have the one run and free ranging the garden.  Won't lime burn them?