Between heavy rains and snow melts, my chicken run gets pretty muddy this time of year. I tried using pelletized horse bedding and want to share my experience with you.
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My muddy chicken run
Attached to my small chicken coop, I have a 10×10 dog run covered over the top with a heavy duty tarp. No matter what I do to keep the water out, every year my chicken run ends up a muddy mess.
I have always used straw in this area to keep my girls from getting muddy. The problem with straw is while it’s great to keep the chickens on top of the mud, there is no absorption of excess water. Another downside to straw is that I am constantly cleaning it out of the run and replacing it with a dry layer. This can become a little pricey when it’s a wet season.
What is pelletized horse bedding?
Pelletized horse bedding is comprised of ground pine that is compressed into pellets. The pellets are treated with high heat to kill bacteria and sterilize the product. Pelletized pine has low dust and no fumes to interfere with chickens respiratory system.
The best feature of pelletized horse bedding is its high absorption of moisture. When exposed to water, the pellets break apart and expand into a fluffy material. The pine bedding also provides a fresh clean scent to your chicken run. This makes it a perfect fix for a muddy chicken run!
Using pelletized horse bedding to fix a muddy chicken run
After cleaning out all of the mucky straw, I purchased 6 40-lb bags of pelletized horse bedding from my local Tractor Supply priced at $6 per bag. I spread the pellets all over the floor of the run, paying particular attention to the corners and edges of the run. I raked them to form a nice, smooth layer.
One week later, I noticed the pellets around the corners and edges had absorbed the water and turned to a fine fluffy material. All of the run flooring remained dry and free of mud. As of this writing, the flooring is still clean and dry.
Maintaining pelletized pine bedding
Maintaining this flooring is so much easier than the straw I was using! I simply rake and fluff the bedding and use a kitty litter scoop to clean up droppings. We have had several rains since laying the pellets down and the snow has also melted, but the run is still clean, dry and fresh smelling!
Conclusion
At $6 per bag compared to straw bales of the same price, I will certainly be using the pelletized horse bedding in my chicken run going forward. The material is easy to use and completely compostable, making it an extra bonus for my garden.
The pellets did the job at absorbing the excess water in the run and maintains a dry flooring for my girls to walk on. The bedding is also easy to maintain by simply raking into place. I am so glad this product did the job and my girls couldn’t be happier!
What do you use to keep a muddy chicken run clean? Let me know in the comments below and thanks for stopping by!
Have you had any issues from the hens eating the pine pellets? Does it resemble chicken feed?
Actually they avoided the pellets. Now that it is broken down into the fine bedding they scratch and lay in it. I haven’t had any issues with them eating it.
Hi! This is the best idea I have heard so far for drying up a muddy run. One question I have is if your run as a roof? Our run is on an ever so slight incline with no roof coverage.
Hi! I have a tarp over the run, but it still got pretty wet, especially after snow melts. The pellets are still keeping it pretty dry! In fact, most of the original pellets I laid down have become hardpack and turned into a really nice floor.
How often do you need to dig it up and replace the whole floor of pellets?
Hi Patricia!
I have not dug it up or replaced it. I simply rake the droppings and scoop with a kitty litter scoop to sift the bedding out. Most of the flooring has become pretty solid like hardpan. I also add more pellets to low areas that get wet.
This is my first year with chickens. I live in NC, and it’s wet and humid here. My soil is clay, so now there is 8 inches of mud mixed with chicken dung, and smell is horrific. You can smell them from 100 yards away after a rain. The coup itself is not too bad, but the clay mud mixed with dung smells worse than living next to a dump. Will try this horse bedding, otherwise my girls will have to be evicted 🙁
I think you will be impressed with how well it works. Please let me know how it turns out for you!
I have grass in my run if I put the pellets down with the chicken still be able to forage in the grass for bugs and things like that or will it prevent them from doing that?
I think it would eventually kill the grass, as it turns to a fine compact after absorbing water. If you want your chickens to peck at the grass, I would wait until it’s all gone before laying the pellets. Believe me, chickens will turn a grassy run area to dirt in a very short period of time.
I have a dirt/sand floor chicken coop. I added the pine pellets just for odor control mostly. My coop is fully enclosed and does not get wet inside. Should I spray the pellets to get it to break down or is it OK to leave them whole? Will they eventually break down without water or moisture?
Hi Amy!
I would leave them whole. They will absorb moisture over time. I just added a few new bags to fill in some low spots and they took a little time to break down, and they are now a nice dry packed floor.
My rooster and several of the girls started eating them immediately, was afraid I might have just killed the. I prayed, they seem fine two days after but since these swell up when they get wet it definitely had me concerned. Anyone else know if eating them would harms them?
Hi Penny,
I have not heard of anyone having issues with their chickens eating the bedding. I personally don’t know if mine tried to eat them at any time but the girls have been fine without any problems. Hope this helps.