Coop run

[Twotinygirls]

Hi

My two girls are in a coop with a run and we have built a bigger run round the outside. They do come out into the garden for a couple of hours a day too but their runs are, due to the weather, all gross and damp and muddy and a bit smelly.

There is no grass in there now and this week Ive put bark in there to cover the mud a bit.

My question is, what do you put in static runs? do you leave them muddy? I dont feel like its a very nice place for them right now, do they care?

They are my first chickens so I may be a little precious, my husband wont let them free range all day as they are pretty distructive and sit on his flowers : )

Any tips apreciated.

I got some play sand which was originally supposed to be a bit of a dust bath for them but they've scratched it all around the run and mixed it in with the bark and soil. I've left it because it's turned out to be quite a good surface, it does get wet but it dries out really quickly once it stops raining. The only thing is I've had to raise the feed and water containers up a bit on paving slabs as they kept kicking sand into them. I'm hoping that no-one is going to come on here and say that on no account should chooks be on sand as it's a bit late now . Actually they do look rather healthy and glossy so I don't think it's doing them any harm even though they'd probably prefer to be out wrecking my garden.

Thanks for the tip, I did think about sand. Ill try it.

Mine make a discusting mess of their feeders, even when I raise them, im always on the hut for a good feeder that doesnt get all blocked up and gunky.

And recently in the evening the place is like a slug hotel! they seem to come from miles around for a big party in the coop! its all a bit yukky! the Chickens seem unbothered by it all though.

I cannot bear slugs, they completely freak me out. I have to go out with a torch to shut the chooks in and collect the feed container in case I accidently touch one in the dark or bring one into the house .

Actually I was going to post on here asking which feed containers people use because the one I've got seems a bit rubbish and very wasteful.