Torrential rainfall, totally soaked pine shavings

[Soujrnr]

Hello folks,

We have had tons of rain here lately and our run, which is 6' x 18', is full of wet pine shavings. We use the deep litter method in there, so it's several inches of now wet pine shavings. I wasn't able to get the roof done before we left town for a week, and then everything in the run got drenched. The coop is fine. It's just the run. My question is should I just let those shavings dry out (we've been turning them over to help the drying process) or should we remove them and start fresh? I could also just add dry shavings over the top, but that seems like a bad idea to me. Being new to this, I bow to your expertise!

Have a superbly excellent and blessed week!!

 

[aart]

Just let it dry, toss some scratch grains out and the chickens will mix it up.

Are you using just pine shavings from the farm store,
or are there other ingredients in your "deep litter".

 

[Soujrnr]

Just let it dry, toss some scratch grains out and the chickens will mix it up.

Are you using just pine shavings from the farm store,
or are there other ingredients in your "deep litter".

Just pine shavings at the moment.

 

[DLA]

Just let it dry, toss some scratch grains out and the chickens will mix it up.

Are you using just pine shavings from the farm store,
or are there other ingredients in your "deep litter".

I agree, keep turning it and let it dry out and enlist the chickens help with that. I use pine shavings, leaves, pine straw, dried grass clippings whatever is cheap and/or free and readily available in mine. I have some of those big cheap porch blinds that hang on the side of my covered run that gets most of the rain blowing in. I use deep litter. I usually keep them up the whole way for ventilation but If I know we're going to get rain that might blow in I lower them temporarily to keep some of that out. Also gutters with a drain hoses and a ditch to carry some of the water away.

 

[Soujrnr]

I have some of those big cheap porch blinds that hang on the side of my covered run that gets most of the rain blowing in.

That's a really cool idea!! I just started putting a roof on mine. I'll see if I can find a picture of it. I'm going to put a roof over the entire run, but blinds would help if we're expecting sideways rain.

Also gutters with a drain hoses and a ditch to carry some of the water away.

I have a gutter on the main part of the coop that is connected to a 55-gallon water barrel that auto-feeds the watering bucket in the coop. Two rainstorms filled the entire 55 gallons. I installed a spigot on it as well, so that I can control the refilling of the water bucket in the coop.

toss some scratch grains out and the chickens will mix it up.

We've been doing that, so that's one good thing about mixing it up. It's supposed to be really hot next week, so I'll be picking up a pitch fork at Lowe's and turn it all over each morning to supplement what the chickens are doing.

Thank you all for the great info and tips!