our run has turned to mud...what do i do???

[wnthunting]

Our outside run started out as grass but now the girls have turned it to mud ... what can I put down to stop the mud ... but something the hens will still enjoy pecking at.??

 

[stormylady]

Mine is the same way, and when it rains it stinks bad, I promised my self next year my run/pen will be tilled up and then filled over with sand. That way all I have to do is rake the poo up and if it rains the water should drain away, As far as stuff for them to entertain themselves and peck at, Im just going to continue throwing there treats, greens, cabbages stuff in like I alway have. I've come to the conclusion that what ever new greenery I would plant in there for them would be gone in no time and we would be back to square one in no time with a bare coop anyway.

I'm going to line railroad ties all around the base of the run and fill with sand that should hold the sand in and allow the water to drain out. I hope.
Funny story.... kinda!

I had my hip replaced in sep of 2009 and stayed at my sisters to heal for 8 weeks, not my choice everybody thought I would go mess with the chickens and get hurt, which I assured them I would not do that, but I got home and the feeders were empty the water was empty and the Run was full of empty milk jugs where the kids (grown) obviously filled the waters and just left the Jugs in the run, I had no choice but to fix everything unfortuately the run was soaked from the rain and the mix of poo and mud was slick, I went down.... my hip was ripped out, and there I lay in a muddy mess smelling like chicken poo waiting for the ambulance to come get me. Not a fun experience then, but kinda funny now. LOL anyway i decided then and there first chance I got I was going to improve the situation. and this summer I will get it done and thats the best method I can think of. Sandy.

 

[nurse_turtle]

When the smaller coop's run turns to mud, I add a couple inches of mulch. It drains well and they scratch at it lots.

 

[the Pollo Loco]

I added staw to mine and it's been helping!!!!

 

[CapricornFarm]

You can grow grass in the run. There was a whole thread about it before. You build a box as if you were making a raised bed for a garden. You put some soil in but don't fill it. You cover the box with chicken wire. Scatter seed, cover with straw or hay and water. The chickens can eat what grows through the wire but can't scratch the roots up. I made a few, but when I was away this summer the grass died in the drought. You must water it. But as a temporary measure , straw, hay or leaves can work.

 

[ZombieChickens]

I read that stones would be a good idea.....so I spent an entire day scooping stones from under my "old" deck and putting them in the run. BAD idea. They just got covered in $h!t too, and the joint was just as muddy and stinky as ever. Sand was AWESOME! But it seems that I need more. I think it's getting washed away. Good luck.

 

[mnabity]

I had the same problem, the last few days it has snowed, melted, snowed, melted over and over. The coop was a muddy slick mess. I cleaned it up after it dried a little then added a heavy layer of hay. The chickens scratched pecked rolled around and played in it like I gave them the greatest thing ever and it definitely helped the mud and got rid of the stink too.

 

[MusketeerinFla]

I am curious how this thread goes. I live in Florida, which is essentially a large spit of sand between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Love to hear replies from other Floridians. MiF

 

[Ogress]

I live in Mudville. We get over 80 inches of rain per year. I dug a bit of a moat around my run the first winter and then filled the run with woodchip.. The next winter we removed our kids playstructures and built a coop and run on the bark. This set up works great, no mud except for crossing the lawn to get to it. We have about 5 inches of wood chip over groundcloth. No mud at all in the run! The chickens enjoy digging around through the woodchip. The wood breaks down to smaller pieces, and they have made dustbaths where the chip is the smallest. My run is covered, but water does run off and the chickens have figured out how to dig so they get a little steam of water across one corner when it squalls, and the chickens all go run over and drink from this little stream.

 

[kichohana]

use this link:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-fix-a-muddy-run


she's the go-to gal!