The Best Ground Material for Your Chicken Run - Five Minute Chicken Tips!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 พ.ค. 2021
- Hey everyone! RSM is back in the chicken run to talk about the best ground materials. See her three recommendations for what kinds of stuff you want in the bottom of your chicken coop, and in the chicken yard itself. Also get a few warnings of what you DON'T want. We're happy to help so feel free to comment below with questions or suggestions!
LOL same here, no matter how many water sources of water available it's off to the puddle. I am located in NY Hudson Valley and started using wood chips in the run & coop. Works great in the coop. As far as the run when we get several days of heavy rain will get puddles where the girls dig. Easy enough to add more chips & till every so often to keep it clean. Plus makes great material for the compost pile.
Stay well, Joe Z
That’s great! Where do you get your wood chips? I’m hoping that your area has free ones you can go pick up, so I’m curious. Thank you for sharing! ✌🏻❤️🐓
Wood chips are the best medium for chicken run, they absorbed water, keeps the ground cool, and chickens love to scratch at it. After a couple years you can rake it up and compost it for your garden. The best part is that wood chips are free.
We bought peat moss for our chickens to dust bathr but I didn’t realize it was great for areas where it got the most wet. Thanks for the advice!
Yeah! How do you like it so far? I am tempted to roll around in it myself… almost. 😄 every time we get some I remember how soft and cool and nice-smelling it is! Let me know what you think!
Love this video, concise, informative, not profit seeking. 🥰
This video was great! Short to the point and very informative!❤
Your chickens all look so healthy!
We have Pete Moss in our chicken, run and sand under a small chicken coop that we have and sand under the roost bars in the large chicken coop that we have❤️❤️❤️
Great information! Thank you.
Great advice, thank you!
Very helpful, thank you so much from Austin Tx.❤
I think your chicken knowledge is superb! Great video, Thankyou! Subbed.
Well hi! And thank you so much! I love helping and I’m still learning too. But it’s so much fun to help others!
Yay! Another video! Great advice!! My chickens love drinking the water off of everything when I water too! I was worried about that.. but now I wont! Off topic : ) Your chicken area is looking beautiful.. especially with all the plants coming up..
Hey thanks! And yes those silly birds give me a mini heart attack like NO DONT DRINK THAT YOU NINCOMPOOP but they’re ok. 🤦🏻♀️
Great tips.
Peat moss is ideal for dust bathing, but does get muddy when it rains. It's also very environmentally damaging to harvest. Through experimentation, we've discovered wood chips to be the best ground material. It's local, improves the soil over time, prevents mud, encourages the birds to scratch around, etc.
Thanks! ✌🏻❤️🐓
@Miss Jen 🐾 End DayZ R Now! The basic wood mulch. Not dyed. Can get it free delivered to you from tree trimming companies or chipdrop if you don't live too far from civilization
We're in Minnesota, we'll hit 90 next week ugh! So much for Spring
Aaaaaah yes I know
Honestly ours is just kind of a mish mash of whatever we find in the yard
Lol right! And that’s totally fine too! But I get asked on a regular basis what I prefer or what’s safe so now they know 👍🏼
I have a fairly large chicken run. I started with wood chips but they ended up everywhere. I do use peat moss for the chickens dirt bath, which they love. I started putting hay down and the chickens like sitting in it like a nest when it's dry and they like digging through it when it's wet looking for worms. And it breaks down over time and keeps the soil from drying out. On warmer days I've seen them scratch through the straw to the wet soil underneath to cool themselves. The only down side is sometimes the gals will try to eat a particularly long piece of hay and you'll see it hanging out of their beaks because they can't swallow it all. But the other gals will come up and grab it out of their mouths... removing it entirely from their system. That is my only concern but we've not had any issues.
YES you voiced my concerns with (long) hay but otherwise it sounds really versatile! I wonder if in the future you could attempt to chop it up a bit? Crop impaction scares the hell out of me but I bet straw could work beautifully for a lot of people! Thanks for sharing, my friend.
I totally agree with you. If something like that ever happened I'd never forgive myself. I buy small bales of hay so it seems to be chopped shorter. I bet a person could even run over it with a lawn mower a few times to chop it even smaller. =)
Lol! Exactly. Or get a scythe or something 😄 oh the things we do for our chickens…
Great videos!! I watched the one on bumblefoot too because suddenly 5/6 of our laying hens have it! They are the only ones of all our 20 that roost. Their roost is about 3’ and made from very old 2x4’s. I think it might be too high and full of slivers. We’ll sand it down today, lower it to 18” and treat all their feet. We keep them VERY clean, is there anything else you can think of that may have caused this? Thanks so much!
Hi! It can be caused from quite a few reasons, jumping down off of the high roost can be a problem, if they are overweight that can be an issue, or honestly it’s just them digging around in the dirt. I feel like it is a fairly normal thing and minor cases can resolve on their own. But it never ceases to freak me out when I find a hen who has it!
See if there’s a way you could add a step in between the roost in the ground, sort of like hopping up rungs of a ladder instead of having to jump from the third run all the way to the ground. That way they can hop up and down gradually instead of doing a big jump. We had a ridiculous coop in a rental house a few years ago that had the roost literally 4 feet off the ground, so we had to make a trellis system to let them hop up a little bit at a time until they got all the way up there..
Love your setup! What are you growing in the grazing box?
Hi! I’ve done different things but usually wheatgrass. ✌🏻❤️🐓
I keep straw in the coop. I think the pine shaving smell to strong. In the run I keep untreated wood chips. It works great. No mud. Easier to keep it clean. I had some guys cutting trees dump a mountain of wood chips.. free and untreated
Oh that’s a good idea too! Wood chips make me nervous but it can be a really affordable solution and quite absorbent.
@@realsimplemama why do they make you nervous?
I think because I’ve had to deal with bumblefoot so much before, the possibility of them scratching the pad of their foot or getting a splinter freaks me out!
@@realsimplemama Well I didn’t think about that, But there aren’t any splinters . I got the idea from others who are doing that. Got really tired of mud
Yes I think it’s more my paranoia, than an actual valid concern. You’ll have to keep me posted! It could work out really well and I love that it’s reusing material AND free/cheap!
Your still pretty cool chicken momma 💯🐓🐓🐓🐧
Have you ever used pine pellets like are used in horse paddocks to absorb water?
Hi! No I haven’t at all but it could work well in concept. In an enclosed space though, be wary of the dust as chickens have sensitive respiratory systems. ✌🏻❤️🐓
@@realsimplemama Thanks. I have used it recently in puddles but not in the chicken coop so I will keey an eye out for dust as it continues to dry out.
I’ve used the pellets for years with no problem in the run. It breaks down when wet. They love it for dust bath when it breaks down
Hi from Ireland 🇮🇪..my Mrs has been wanting to get chickens since forever so going to clear abit in the garden for a run ...would you not need wire on the top to keep cats out and stop them attacking the chickens?
Hi! I do recommend some kind of “roof”, I use bird netting personally
Ok i have a question if u dont mind, i have 2 chickens and both of them r losing feathers, stopped laying eggs, they r still eating good and they free range, but r losing weight and r skinny, their poop is small and dry and greenish brown, i have treated them with ivermectin a few times and they dont have lice or mites, helppp, wats wrong with them?
Hey there - email me and let’s talk. I want to see if it’s just a bad molt, or maybe a nutrition deficiency? We’ll figure it out together (but remember I’m not a vet). ✌🏻❤️🐓 theMama@realsimplemama.com
Hello, How often do you clean your size chicken run?
Hi! I don’t need to clean it often now because I currently only have three hens. I spray down poop with the hose probably once a week. Otherwise I rake the material when I can and that’s pretty much it for my chicken run! ✌🏻❤️🐓
Would it be bad to just have natural grass growing there? I'll be placing my run over preexisting grass...is there any reason why I should remove it?
Oh no grass is great! But the chickens will eat it and scratch around in it and the grass will be gone within a few days. It’s good for them but it won’t last unfortunately. ✌🏻❤️🐓
@@realsimplemama That makes sense...thanks!
I can’t find any peat moss in my area! I used to love using it in the garden but I can’t find it. Any suggestions?
Aw man! Can you ask local nurseries and hardware stores? Remember it can also be called sphagnum moss.
Maybe if you said you’d be a regular buyer they would do a subscription like order for you on a regular basis.
I used to lived in British Columbia they sold peat moss by the huge black garbage bag full. Now I’m in Alberta and I couldn’t find a square inch of peat moss if I tried. Two totally different climates.
Hi I have a 7.5 sm chiken run and I have 10 hens and I cockerel .I do let them out everyday for few hours put together. What can I do to make them active and less bored. What is maximum number is ideal for size of our run.
Hi! I have a video about “diversions” to help them not be bored and bully each other. They can climb, explore, dig around, and they love piles of leaves. Each chicken should ideally have at least 6-8 square feet to themselves. ✌🏼❤️🐓
@@realsimplemama thanks ppesse send me the link to your video
Just search for it here on my channel please - I don’t have ability to copy link from this app 👍🏼
@@realsimplemama sure I will search what will be the title
Thanks
Just look up the word “diversions” - there are two! An older one I think, and a newer one. ✌🏼❤️🐓
We have a coop run and the smell is so bad. Can't figure out why
Oh no! Email me and let’s see if I can help. theMama@realsimplemama.com ✌🏼❤️🐓
Mine do that. If you spill water. They go nuts. But I purposely put mine in the shade for summer. I had some ground up wood but it's about gone. I'm gonna try some peat moss if I can find it. Don't like the poop everywhere when I feed them
New chicken mom here! How do you clean the poop out of this so it doesn’t start to smell? I have very close neighbours
Hi! From the ground I honestly don’t scoop up poop. I agitate the soil with a rake, and help break it down by occasionally spraying it or adding material like leaves or peat moss. Chicken poop will break down on its own (and much faster than dog poop). But in general I use a cat litter scoop I got from the dollar store - that’s how I clean poop from within the coop space. ✌🏻❤️🐓
We use Sweet PDZ in our dirt run. I think it's mainly used for horses but also safe for chickens. Hope this helps.
I’m a new chic magnet… I mean mamma 🤣
I have 6 chicks live in a tiny house with a tiny yard. I built
A coop and run thats approximately 4x16 together 8’ is roofed with coop and a bit of run. The other 8 feet is inclosed but no roof.
does it need to be roofed?
Oh yes, everything needs to be totally secure or otherwise you’re just spending a lot of time and money to feed the hawks. 😳
I was thinking of doing the same as you - half covered in roofing the other section I would cover the roof with mesh - either chicken wire or hardware cloth.
Can i use wood inside chicken flooring for flooring...eg pallets?
Sure you can buy you need to have it sanded so no danger of splinters. And I would think about how you’ll clean it of poop. ✌🏻❤️🐓
@@realsimplemama of you had to advise me because I'm new to this thing...would you advise me to cement the coop or wood?
Thanks
I’m not sure what you mean - chickens will poop in their sleep so you will have to clean often. And it needs to be safe on their feet.
😅😅😅my chicken's love when I make puddles too
My yard is covered in moss. I'm in the mountains in Washington State. My chickens scratch it up into piles.
That sounds magical! ✌🏻❤️🐓
What about ashes from a fire pit?
Hi! That’s also usable as long as you’re not burning treated wood or anything with chemicals. If it’s plain firewood or paper then it’s fine! ✌🏻❤️🐓
What about if the floor is stinky?
Lots of options! Increase ventilation, look into barn lime (I’ve never used it with my setup but it’s a common solution), make a deodorizing spray with water/vinegar and essential oils, etc. (I have the spray recipe on my channel too)
I wouldn't use peat moss, please research it. I use pine pellets, otherwise large animal bedding. It breaks down and absorbs the moisture really well. Plus it's natural.
Pine can be toxic to chickens. Please research it.
What about organic soil?
@@AJNuns what about organic soil
@@AJNuns the pellets are absolutely safe for chickens.
Again, please research. Just because you haven't had a bad experience with pine pellets doesn't make them safe. Pine can be toxic to chickens. A quick Google search can give you the information. Do what you will with said information but opinions aren't facts.
can you have the coop and run on grass?
You can try 🤪 chickens will eat it and dig it up. It’ll literally be all gone in a few days. ✌🏼❤️🐓
@@realsimplemama awesome. We live on a half acre and purchased a prefab coop and run and have 6 chicks. They won’t be ready for the coop for another month. We are newbies. Just subscribed to your channel today. Thanks for your response
You’re welcome! Happy to help and I try to reply within 8-12 hours. If you have a prefab coop you can also consider rotating it around the property, but you potentially sacrifice safety from predators.
I wet down sand to keep them cool. And yes, they will drink the little dirty puddles that are made in the process.😏