# Cleaning the run



## Love My Chickies (Jun 25, 2021)

Looking for advice. I've read about the deep litter method for the coop, but not sure how to take care of the run. We are almost finished building our coop and my babies will be living there very soon. For now, we will have a smallish run, but will add to it as finances allow. It will be about 4 ft wide and about 8 ft long. It will be covered with hardware cloth. About half of that will be covered with a tarp for shade and rain. The ground is grass and some dirt. How do you manage cleaning/poop?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I didn't clean my run. But I didn't have it covered either so the rains kept it clean.


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## imnukensc (Dec 5, 2020)

I've never cleaned my completely covered 16x8 run. I add fallen leaves every year in the fall. I have 6 chickens who get to free range for several hours a day.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I've put straw down for them to dig around it. It's like the leaves Ken uses, it gives them something interesting to do.


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

robin416 said:


> I didn't clean my run. But I didn't have it covered either so the rains kept it clean.


I rake my run every day. I also clean my chicken house once a week. I put new chips down and new hay in their nesting boxes. I wash the roosts and the nesting boxes with white vinegar and water. Of course I wash out and put fresh water in the waterers inside the house and in the run every day. In this hot weather I change the one outside 2x a day. I also put pans of crushed Ice out in the run 2x a day.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

With this heat go easy, HSJ. I am. I do what I have to do and that's it. 

I cleaned my coop once a week when I had all my Silkies. But after a while cleaning a coop for about 75 birds became too much. You've done good keeping your numbers down. Way more manageable.


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

robin416 said:


> With this heat go easy, HSJ. I am. I do what I have to do and that's it.
> 
> I cleaned my coop once a week when I had all my Silkies. But after a while cleaning a coop for about 75 birds became too much. You've done good keeping your numbers down. Way more manageable.


My run has a cover and a fan so with the breeze and it being under shade trees it is not too bad in the run.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Un huh, my quail pen is covered and has a fan in it. I can still sweat through my clothes doing stuff out there. 

But it could be that I'm S. AL where heat and humidity are a real thing in the Summer.


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

I had intended to keep it to 6 hens but My Welsummer had other ideas when I was not able to get out there. July 7th is her guesstimated hatch day so I don't know how many I will have.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Three more days. You said hens but there might be a boy or two in that hatch.


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

robin416 said:


> Three more days. You said hens but there might be a boy or two in that hatch.


I know. I do hope they are all girls. I have a rooster so any other roosters will have to go to another home when they get bigger.


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)




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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

My chicks inside their house.


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

HSJ07 said:


> My chicks inside their house.


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)




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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

What do you use all that hay for?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

HSJ07 said:


> View attachment 41255


I don't think you ever mentioned having a frizzle rooster. Handsome fella.


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## HSJ07 (Aug 25, 2020)

My little Bantam Cochin Frizzle Rooster can’t get on the roost so he sleeps on a bale of hay.


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## danathome (Sep 14, 2020)

*When there's plenty of rain I don't clean the run, rather, I add pine needles to keep the run from getting too muddy. Later in the summer, when the weather is very dry, I use the garden hose to flush the surfaces clean. If there's any sickness, I soak the run in bleach water then flush it off with the garden hose.*


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## Animals45 (May 11, 2021)

I don't clean my run it rains here once every 2 weeks.. kinda what robin said.


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