How cold is too cold?

[Jenni Hen]

I like the idea of re-using click laminate! The earth floor of the run gets damp in winter so now I'm wondering whether I might be able to make a raised floor when we replace the old laminate in the bedroom.
We don't experience very low temperatures so I don't have water heaters etc yet my bantams don't like temperatures around freezing. I like to keep them happy and the water not frozen if possible.
My cheap and quick method for temporary insulation is to fill a plastic sack with empty 4-pint milk containers. I put the sacks where I want a bit of frost protection.
The filled sacks are also handy for covering young plants at night in spring and later in summer they do as barriers in the garden to keep chickens off where they shouldn't be. I use the sacks from the wood pellets we get for the stove.

 

[3KillerBs]

The earth floor of the run gets damp in winter so now I'm wondering whether I might be able to make a raised floor when we replace the old laminate in the bedroom.

IMO, it's a bad idea to put a hard surface in the run. Chickens need to be able to dig and scratch. I strongly suspect that frustrating their instincts in one area is likely to create problem behaviors in other areas.

The best solution for dampness in the run is to address any drainage issues and add lots and lots of dry organic material.

Coarse wood chips, the sort you get from a tree service, are often considered the gold standard for the control of mud and odor.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

IMO, it's a bad idea to put a hard surface in the run. Chickens need to be able to dig and scratch. I strongly suspect that frustrating their instincts in one area is likely to create problem behaviors in other areas.

The best solution for dampness in the run is to address any drainage issues and add lots and lots of dry organic material.

Coarse wood chips, the sort you get from a tree service, are often considered the gold standard for the control of mud and odor.

I have one section of run that i've added dried leaves to. Its gradually higher (like a little ramp) than the rest of the run. I see them always hanging out there when its super cold. Its softer than anywhere and when it rains, water doesnt seep up and it stays dry. I rake it and mix it but always try to keep a 'fluffy' area.

Love how you think!

 

[Jenni Hen]

IMO, it's a bad idea to put a hard surface in the run. Chickens need to be able to dig and scratch. I strongly suspect that frustrating their instincts in one area is likely to create problem behaviors in other areas.

The best solution for dampness in the run is to address any drainage issues and add lots and lots of dry organic material.

Coarse wood chips, the sort you get from a tree service, are often considered the gold standard for the control of mud and odor.

Thank you, that's helpful. They do love to dig and have been burrowing through the litter I've put down. It was deep and crisp and even until they found it and converted it into craters!
In another thread, there's a lot of good advice about using shredded paper and card in the bottom of the run and I've started to do that. I've also shredded the old raspberry canes and what I trim from the willow tree and the buddleias, which makes good litter rather like wood chips. It's reassuring that something like that is the gold standard but the commercial wood chips that I bought before I had the shredder were not so good because they were damp and musty.
Usually I let the branches and leaves dry thoroughly before putting them in the run but we've had so much rain this autumn that I've not managed to make much woodchip and the leaves haven't dried out. I've been glad of the advice about shredding card and paper. Fortunately, my partner's having a clear-out of old documents at the moment so there's a grand supply of warm dry litter! I just need the motivation to keep on feeding it into the paper shredder.
The problem with drainage is that we live where the ground water drains down to the river and the garden is lower than the house. The soil itself is good, a sandy loam, and does drain well as long as the water table is low enough.

 

[3KillerBs]

The problem with drainage is that we live where the ground water drains down to the river and the garden is lower than the house. The soil itself is good, a sandy loam, and does drain well as long as the water table is low enough.

Can you dig a diversion ditch to lead water away from the coop?

 

[Mother-Hen-Michele]

Can you dig a diversion ditch to lead water away from the coop?

I second 3killerBs advice, I have a mountain behind my home, so everything in my life is about diverting water. The good news is that once you give it a place to go, you can make it useful. I dug a hole which is now a duck pond and made canals that gather up the water when it rains/snow melts so that it keeps water available to my garden when it gets dry. Try to make a place for the water to gather so that it is your friend, not your foe. A muddy run is no fun for you, it gets dirty and cold.

 

[Jenni Hen]

Can you dig a diversion ditch to lead water away from the coop?

I was thinking about that but there's no obvious place for a drainage ditch. The garden's about 15ft wide by about 40 feet long with the run 18 feet and the shed 12 feet so space is quite tight. An old stone barn, very weathered and classed as a ruin, blocks off most of the end of the garden and ironically the frog pond's in the way of the ideal course for a ditch. (It's in a plastic liner.)
Not meaning to sound negative but your suggestion does spur me on to continue thinking! Maybe a soakaway, keeping the ground surface level, would be better? and I wouldn't tread in it! .And it could widen out into the frog area where the chucks aren't allowed.

 

[Jenni Hen]

I have one section of run that i've added dried leaves to. Its gradually higher (like a little ramp) than the rest of the run. I see them always hanging out there when its super cold. Its softer than anywhere and when it rains, water doesnt seep up and it stays dry. I rake it and mix it but always try to keep a 'fluffy' area.

Mine adore dry leaves. They get a bag of leaves on days when I won't be around to give them an afternoon treat. It's a treat for me to see how much they love piling into the pile!

Landscaping the floor of the run could be another idea. They'd probably love it if I helped them to dig! They tend to dig at the edges anyway and I'm always filling the holes again but maybe if I used stones or pebbles that would create a drain and maybe not so easy for a fox to dig (there's a stone path either side of the run anyway).

 

[Jenni Hen]

I second 3killerBs advice, I have a mountain behind my home, so everything in my life is about diverting water. The good news is that once you give it a place to go, you can make it useful. I dug a hole which is now a duck pond and made canals that gather up the water when it rains/snow melts so that it keeps water available to my garden when it gets dry. Try to make a place for the water to gather so that it is your friend, not your foe. A muddy run is no fun for you, it gets dirty and cold.

I used to live on the side of a hill, but here we're on flood plain - sort of. The field at the back of the house gets puddles when the river is high, because the ground water can't drain into the river. In fact there's a pumping station for the beck because it backs up if the river blocks its flow.
We're very bad at collecting water because we usually get so much of it but I do collect from the roof into plastic tubs. I have tried making little channels on my veg plot but I'm the only person who does that. I feel very encouraged that you recommend this and I'll think about what I can do. I don't have much space but every little helps.

 

[3KillerBs]

I was thinking about that but there's no obvious place for a drainage ditch. The garden's about 15ft wide by about 40 feet long with the run 18 feet and the shed 12 feet so space is quite tight. An old stone barn, very weathered and classed as a ruin, blocks off most of the end of the garden and ironically the frog pond's in the way of the ideal course for a ditch. (It's in a plastic liner.)
Not meaning to sound negative but your suggestion does spur me on to continue thinking! Maybe a soakaway, keeping the ground surface level, would be better? and I wouldn't tread in it! .And it could widen out into the frog area where the chucks aren't allowed.

Even a shallow scrape around the uphill side of the coop and down the sides could help.

Building up the ground inside the coop with plenty of dry organic material will also help.