Floor covering and mucking out questions

[d000hg]

We've had 6 chicks from hatching them, now just come into lay the last few weeks... very exciting.

We have a coop about 1m cube, with a run perhaps 4m x 2m. Currently it's in our concrete car port and the birds just scrat about on the concrete - we pressure wash it once a week or two and that's it.

We're going to move them into our large garden, there's a long retaining wall we plan to tuck the run and coop up against. The strip of land is on the edge of the lawn but is basically bare soil after we removed a MASSIVE amount of ivy, recovering about 3m of garden. It's quite soft and dug up so far.

I'm wondering what preparation to the ground, if any, we should think about doing? If the ground was already turfed would they just tear it up to bare earth anyway or can we compact it down or gravel it or something?And then, what we should put on top of the ground in terms of straw, chippings, etc... and how often to clear them out and what to do with the waste? The place we buy our chicken supplies from has runs on the grass with chippings, several inches deep.

[roitelet]

I would just construct the run and put the chooks in. They will clear the ground and there is no soil preparation needed. It's quite a good idea to dig up a bit when the soil becomes compacted. Waste, compost it and then add it to the veg plot. Put on the general compost heap and it will rot down. Chicken manure is high in nitrogen and excellent for the beds but it must be composted first.

[d000hg]

Do I need to be particularly bothered about loose soil turning into mud when it rains, with them tramping around like Glastonbury festival?

I think it drains OK but walking in at soil makes it really bad... Do they mind muddy feet?

[Scarlet]

They don't particularly mind muddy feet but if that area gets wet normally expect some seriously muddy birds. I use wood chippings from our local tree surgeon to soak up the wet patches. I dig it out as Roitelet has suggested and compost before Autumn ready to start again.

[ESBkevin]

In a commercial chick producers near us they put wood chip down about 4-5" deep. The hens will scratch about in it and add thier 'nitrogen' for as long as you leave it. After a winter you can scrape it all up and shovell it onto the compost bin. The next year spring it will be fabulous compost for growing with more to follow each year.