Best material for drainage in the run?

[rascal66]

Husband and I are getting prepared to redo the run and extend our coop. Its really rainy and wet sometimes out here in WA. Sometimes the run gets so muddy and stinky, I really get concerned for the health risks it brings as well. So our goal is to also prep it for better drainage and to better eliminate any muddy environments in the run.

I hear a lot that sand is good for drainage. Is there a thread that goes into detail about it?

Our initial thought was to build a good covered run (since our current one is already no good) and to line the ground with some gravel. But can we do gravel and sand over the top? Any ideas would be great!

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might find this article interesting. The lady that wrote it lived in what she called a swamp in Ontario.

Pat’s Big Ol' Mud Page (fixing muddy runs):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-fix-a-muddy-run-chicken-coop.47807/

Some people love sand, some people absolutely hate it. I think there are different factors as to which side you might wind up on. Your post mentioned both mud and stink. Two different issues. And you specifically mentioned sand.

Gravity causes water to flow downhill if it can. Sand is great for drainage but clay is not. If you fill a hole in clay with sand, you've created an area that will stay wet and have some sand in it. What stinks is the chicken poop or other organic things composting or rotting in wet conditions. You want the microbes breaking down the material to be aerobic (oxygen breathing). That gives you a good earthy smell. If it is too wet for the microbes to get oxygen then anaerobic microbes take over. Those stink and it can get pretty slimy too. Most other bedding people use is organic and can stink if it stays wet.

So the first question is, does the water have some place to drain to? If not, how can you manage that? Do you build the area up so it is high or maybe a French type drain is a good move.

Chickens poop wherever they are. If you have a high chicken density the poop will build up faster than if they have more area to poop in. Poop can build up thick enough that it keeps itself wet. That can be a real issue for some people regardless of the bedding material they use. Some people with small runs relative to the number of chickens scoop the poop out of the sand regularly instead of having to regularly change out the bedding. If it stays relatively dry and your chicken density isn't too bad you may never have to scoop poop or change bedding, sand or anything else.

One issue with sand on clay is that it disappears over time. It may sink down in the mud. Pat's article talks about this. Her solution is to put a layer of gravel under the sand to reduce it disappearing into the mud. If I did that I'd use weathered round river rock or such that has had the sharp edges smoothed. Pea gravel would work. Another issue is that the chickens scratch a lot. They can scratch it through a fence and to the outside of the run. A solution for that is that is to put a border around the bottom foot or so of your run to contain the sand.

I think that's the high points for sand. A stinky run is unpleasant an a wet muddy run can be unhealthy. Unwanted microbes can grow in the wet. Also, if they can't get to dry places and their feet stay wet they can develop issues with their feet. People deal with this in many different ways. I don't know what will be your best method.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Ridgerunner covered a ton of good points. If drainage itself is an issue, there is no litter that can fix that because the water will just stand in place.

Not sure what part of WA you're in but in my area most runs I've seen use wood chips. I do deep litter on top of that. My soil's drainage is naturally very good so the chips and other litter materials allow the water to drain through so the soil absorbs it, leaving a nice fairly dry layer on top even right after pretty heavy rainstorms.

 

[aart]

Look at all the places around the coop and run,
during a really hard rain is the best time to assess.
Where is the water flowing?
Where and how might you divert that flow?

Gutters, trenches, berms might be the things to think about.
My run is in the only place where a lot of water drains off my driveway.
I already had a trench that kept the garage from flooding, but when I added the run I had to go further and bury a pipe that carried the water farther down slope in the run so it wouldn't flood the area right under the coop.
Luckily my soil is sandy and it drains pretty well overall, unless it rains hard and/or during snow melt season.