Chicken Run Flooring Gravel
I have sand wood chip wire solid wood linoleum and dirt in various coops around my fields.
Chicken run flooring gravel. In this article you will learn. Of space per standard chicken in the coop. Good chicken coop flooring is safe predator and rodent proof durable and easy to clean. Trenches to divert the water.
Or a local farm type store called runnings has it as well. I have bought some bags of pea gravel today which a friend of mine uses it sounds good as the gravel can just be hosed down and disinfected. Some chicken keepers have commented that their chickens don t like walking on pea gravel but it is a longer lasting option to wood products especially if you don t have any plans on repositioning your run though won t have any nutritional benefit to the soil if you choose to dig it in. The run is permanently situated and has an earth bottom at the moment i have wood bark in the run but its only a stop gap as i know its not really too good to use but what is the best thing to use.
Therefore it s possible to cause bumblefoot and other foot problems. Gravel can help disperse flooding rains into the soil with sand much like a drain field from a septic tank. If your birds are entirely in a gravel ground coop you will want to find a little corner and add in the dirt. However chickens love to dig holes and will unearth the gravel.
The best material for a chicken coop or run floor is one that is hard wearing and easy to clean. Do yourself a favor and go with construction grade sand. This sand is easily found by us at home depot and its a 50 lb. I have most types of flooring around here i have tried most of them over the years.
The pros and cons of using the 8 most common chicken coop flooring materials. Our chicken coop turned more like construction grade sand because we have a gravel ground to begin with. Wood shavings or straw. I keep hearing about all these people cleaning up their chicken coop and run all the time and i m wondering if i m missing something.
Following the general rule of 4 sq ft. The problem is that if a layer of gravel is exposed chickens will walk on it. Chickens need to take dust baths to keep mites and such off of their bodies. Re grading is a big job but after a few years of the coop staying in one spot it may need to be done to avoid a muddy chicken run.
Flooring materials vary widely in quality cost maintenance needs and safety. The bottom line is organic matter leaves wood chips grass clippings kitchen scraps all go in the run.