I'm in soaked and saturated Austin. Due to city rules, my coop is located at the low end of a slight slope, where the run is now a smelly mess of mud. The chickens are spending lots of time in the garage, where the floor is cleaner. The flies are horrible, traps are filling up rapidly. Mulch is getting washed downslope forming dams and large puddles.
We're getting downpours followed by warm sunny periods that steam up the air. The yard is less able to drain and water is getting into the garage, adding a lot a cleanup time, with the chickens hanging out there. When the birds are outside, they get covered in mud and track in onto the fresh bedding. My concern is that mold will soon take over.
I'm spending a lot time navigating dangerous slippery ground, because my meat ducks have consumed all the greenery. They are at slaughter age, but the rain is slowing down that process.
One of my make-shift pens was destroyed in the Memorial day storm. Wind or lightning hit my pop-up canopy and twisted the frame into something bizarre, tangling it with the wire-fencing. The chickens are escaping the yard, and I have to do head-counts and captures throughout the day.
This is an opportunity to improve my landscape to better support poultry keeping. I'm thinking I need a french drain to circumvent (or underlie?) the run; some hardscape to give me safer access; a larger coop to give them indoor recreation; more shelter plants, forage plants, and erosion-prevention plants.
Our magnificent highland lakes are filling up, after being near empty for several years due to drought. That's wonderful, but I look forward to relief from all this monitoring, cleaning, salvaging, hand feeding, and other labor.
Thankfully I haven't lost any but they are seriously miserable. I have momma hens with chicks who are having a terrible time trying to give their babies outdoor time without getting caught in a sudden downpour. I don't think I (or my poor birds) can handle much more!
