Chicken Run Floor Advice

[S17HGG]

Hi and thanks for accepting me as a member.

I’m a beginner who is doing some research on keeping chickens at the moment.
I have space of about 10.5sq/m which is slabbed.
I plan on building around this area to make it my run and also buy a professionally built coop which I still have to source. I’m looking keeping 2/3 chickens in this area.
One of the main things I don’t want to mess up is protecting the chickens. I want to get this bit correct.


I’m looking for some advice on what to do about the run floor.
I can keep all the slabs as they are and buy Aubiose bedding to fill the floor.
From what I understand they will need a separate dust bath area and this Aubiose bedding would require completely cleaned out every 4-6weeks?

Another possibility I was also looking at is to remove these slabs, laying a mesh floor, covering this mesh floor with membrane and then topping this with Aubiose bedding. I’m not sure if they will dig or peck into the membrane and I don’t know if I’m creating more work for myself by removing a perfectly good floor already.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[rick]

Hi,
I would keep the slabs and make the run frame about 1/2 (or maybe 1/3) metre smaller than the slab area all round. That will provide good protection against anything digging in like foxes and rats. Auboise (or many sorts of horse bedding) on top of that works very well. You can either clean out frequently - with poo picking something like once a month - or you can do the 'deep bed' method where you keep adding some more to the top and have a spring clean once a year. I'm completely in two minds as to which is best - having a couple of inches of 'bedding' across the floor keeps their claws in trim when they scratch through it but, as i have no space for a compost heap in the garden, the monthly trip to green recycling is a bit of a chore that might be more efficient as a one off per year.
You will need a kick board around the bottom of the run to contain the bedding. If its deep bed then it will need at least a foot high. And the run will need a roof, of course.
If you want to be very secure from foxes and rats then cover the run in 4 inch and 1/2 inch weldmesh held on with screws and washers. Most dont go to those lengths and expense but, the way I see it, a strong run is a long term investment after which things are pretty cheap and plain sailing.

... Ideally the run is an open space which is easy to clean and walk in height. The dust bath counts as run space, I think, and can be something like a large bendy bucket or you could make a kick board container in one corner (it has to keep the soil in and the bedding out as much as possible and the containing edge makes a good daytime perch.) If you can contrive to attach the coop to the side of the run that would be ideal. A coop on legs doesn't use up floor space but is a bit of a pain when cleaning out to get under. Depending on how sheltered the location is you can get away without a coop altogether with open sheltered perches in the secure run but many prefer a traditional coop.
The other day it was interesting to see the EU requirements for 'free range' which is 4 sqm per hen of run (with various other detail that mostly applies to big commercial set ups). 2 sqm per hen is considered a minimum for keeping chickens but that is often augmented by leaving the door open so they can wander out in the day and have fun wrecking your garden (which commercial hens cannot.)

 

[Marigold]

Excellent advice from Rick. Having used Aubiose over a mesh+ weed proof fabric floor, I’d only add that it’s easy and quick to pick up most of the droppings on a daily basis. Then it’s cleaner to walk around in, both for you and the hens. The droppings come up cleanly, coated with Aubiose, and make superb compost if you can mix them with grass clippings etc. In the winter when there was nothing else to add to them I just distributed them straight on to the garden around shrubs and plants. Good weed proofing and the worms took it down. Also poo pick the coop daily, partly for the hens’ benefit but also because it’s so much easier than cleaning up a nasty messy layer if it’s left for longer. I found replacement of the bedding was very seldom needed and when it was, I just let it get thinner than usual via normal poo picking so there was less to remove, maybe a couple of times a year.
I agree that some hens like perching high up outside overnight, especially Leghorns and lighter hybrids, and this solves the ventilation problem found in many coops, the although the heavier breeds probably prefer a coop. if you do this the night perch needs to be dry and sheltered m. You don’t mention whether you plan to have a roof. I did a year without one and got fed up with everything getting soggy including the bedraggled hens. Once we put a clear plastic corrugated roof on, the difference was amazing.
Also, hens like cool conditions and must have shade - they can stand dry cold but their insulation is so good that hot sun is very distressing for them. I found that fixing willow screening to the mesh with cable ties was easy and gave them filtered ‘Forest edge’ conditions on the sunniest sides - and also acted as a windbreak against driving rain.
You are so sensible to think all this out before getting your birds. So many people end up with an unsuitable setup in some way, instead of creating the conditions for enjoying the new hobby trouble- free. We shall be very interested to hear how you get on and would like some photos if possible!

 

[S17HGG]

I’m interested in starting a compost bin and making good use of the chicken poo that they produce.
I also plan on fitting a roof over the whole section.
It will be the first time I’ve planned it decide to make anything like this so I think with a lot of prepping and research then hopefully it will come out ok. I want to have a nice comfortable area for my future chickens!?

I’ve taken all your points on board and want to thank you both so much for the detailed advice.
I’ll keep you posted on how things are getting on!