Best way to keep run from turning into a muddy quagmire?

[lovingmyhens]

I’ve read that some people use something called sweet peet?not sure of the spelling. I’ve also read of people having good luck with pellets used in horse stalls. Not sure what that’s called.

 

[hillbilly91]

Hello all!

My setup is a 10x20 shed where back half is coop (other half had cabinets built in when we bought it and we do store some things along the walls and in cabinets), and that coop area opens up via a small door onto our run, which is located between our shed and fence (shed is in corner of property and run is 8 feet wide approx and 20 feet long).

Anyway, our main predators here are hawks and cats. We had a tarp over the run for the hawks but a cat got in between the top of the 6' fence and the tarp, so we removed the tarp and ran wire along the top as well so neither cat or hawk could get in.

So when it was dry, it was perfectly fine. I toss old bedding in there and the chickens do a lovely job of stirring up my compost pile that results But it rained 1/4" last night, and today the run was a muddy mess even with the 6+ inches of used straw in it. As a result, the hens' feet got muddy and so the eggs got muddy when they walked into the nest boxes with their muddy feet.

My question is- what run material do you all use that you find keeps the run area driest? We are considering putting the tarp back up but UNDER the wire this time (pinned to wire via quilt-size safety pins) so it doesn't also try to blow off. But we get snow here, so we're trying to work on a more permanent "half roof/half wire" option.

But I'm facing a hysterectomy at 32 soon, so I doubt we'll get that half roof built before spring And the tarp can't stay on there once snow falls or it will weigh down and collapse the wire roof.

So what type of material do you use in your run to keep things drier in the wet weather? Once it's frozen enough it will be hard, but in fall and early spring here it tends to be wetter than dry and I'm looking at nothing but rain for the next two weeks or so. The last thing I want is to have mud-covered chickens and muddy eggs

Thanks!

Use 4" or 6" of double or triple ground mulch. Clean under the roost as need be per your chickens. It has worked good for me and because winter is coming we put 6" in all our stationary pens, so now there flush with the top of the 2x6.

 

[tweetzone86]

I mix them. I also *just today* installed a tarp. My old tarp held puddles of water, so I oitched this one with taut line. Is that an option for you?

Do you have access to free wooden pallets that aren’t treated with chemicals? Maybe you could place some throughout the run for your flock to walk on.
I have a big branch in my run that is held up on one end by a big rock and at the other end by a side branch. The girls love it.

A tarp will work until snow starts falling. We're supposed to get a rain/snow mix starting November 8 and snow itself won't be far behind. But we get a 40 pound snow load (40 lbs/square foot) here and the tarp can't hold up to that weight without collapsing. So once snow starts we'll have to take it down to avoid a collapsed roof/wire roof.

 

[Relleoms]

Unfortunately the whole top is open to the elements. The shed overhang is only one foot, which leaves 7 feet by 20 feet of exposed wire roof that's not going to stop rain from soaking the run. A gutter might help what runs off the shed roof itself, but the rain will also fall into the run directly.

Sorry, I wasn’t very clear; I knew what you meant, I just meant it’s helpful to keep any additional water out if possible! Our run is on an incline, so even though it’s covered, we had to create a dam of sorts to keep water from coming through from below, if that makes sense. But the mulch helps a ton, and it’s easy to rake back into place when they scratch holes to China!

 

[tweetzone86]

Use 4" or 6" of double or triple ground mulch. Clean under the roost as need be per your chickens. It has worked good for me and because winter is coming we put 6" in all our stationary pens, so now there flush with the top of the 2x6. View attachment 1574280

The chickens' roost and nesting boxes and feeders and waterers are all inside the coop area (back half of a 10x20 shed so plenty of space for those things indoors). I don't have any roosts in the run.

Where do you get your mulch, and is it ok for composting?

 

[micstrachan]

Herbicide-free? A lot of hay/straw is sprayed with either aminopyralid or clopyralid, which are two very potent herbicides (to make their bales "weed-free") that can stick around in the soil for up to 30 years and make vegetable gardens impossible to grow. I am leery of compost in the stores for the same reason, so I am trying to compost our used chicken bedding and our composting pile is the run itself so the chickens can stir it up for me while looking for bugs

Plus, if I'm composting anything for the garden, it has to be herbicide-free. I can ask TSC and see if they have any herbicide-free bales but they are surprisingly hard to find...

OMG. Really? We have bunnies (that’s my husband’s thing) and feed them hay from a bale. The chickens LOVE to get into the bunny run when free ranging (if the bunnies aren’t in there) and scratch through it. Is that plot of soil toxic sndnot going to grow pasture/lawn down the road?

 

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

Hello all!

My setup is a 10x20 shed where back half is coop (other half had cabinets built in when we bought it and we do store some things along the walls and in cabinets), and that coop area opens up via a small door onto our run, which is located between our shed and fence (shed is in corner of property and run is 8 feet wide approx and 20 feet long).

Anyway, our main predators here are hawks and cats. We had a tarp over the run for the hawks but a cat got in between the top of the 6' fence and the tarp, so we removed the tarp and ran wire along the top as well so neither cat or hawk could get in.

So when it was dry, it was perfectly fine. I toss old bedding in there and the chickens do a lovely job of stirring up my compost pile that results But it rained 1/4" last night, and today the run was a muddy mess even with the 6+ inches of used straw in it. As a result, the hens' feet got muddy and so the eggs got muddy when they walked into the nest boxes with their muddy feet.

My question is- what run material do you all use that you find keeps the run area driest? We are considering putting the tarp back up but UNDER the wire this time (pinned to wire via quilt-size safety pins) so it doesn't also try to blow off. But we get snow here, so we're trying to work on a more permanent "half roof/half wire" option.

But I'm facing a hysterectomy at 32 soon, so I doubt we'll get that half roof built before spring And the tarp can't stay on there once snow falls or it will weigh down and collapse the wire roof.

So what type of material do you use in your run to keep things drier in the wet weather? Once it's frozen enough it will be hard, but in fall and early spring here it tends to be wetter than dry and I'm looking at nothing but rain for the next two weeks or so. The last thing I want is to have mud-covered chickens and muddy eggs

Thanks!

So i use a plain untreated bark mulch. Our friends dad owns a tree service and when he cuts trees down he has tons and tons of chipped wood. He gave us a load for free and i just keep piling it in their. It gradually breaks down and becomes dirt and eventually a post i read says to scoop it out for the raised beds. Viola! Run bedding and compost plan all in one. I have only been a chicken owner since April but it’s worked very well for us. And as we speak 2.5 of my 3 acres are covered in water that’s not properly draining. So we are very wet here!!

 

[hillbilly91]

The chickens' roost and nesting boxes and feeders and waterers are all inside the coop area (back half of a 10x20 shed so plenty of space for those things indoors). I don't have any roosts in the run.

Where do you get your mulch, and is it ok for composting?

As long as you get mulch that isn't dyed your good as far as chickens and composting. You can go to a Landscape Supply or local sawmill.

 

[micstrachan]

A tarp will work until snow starts falling. We're supposed to get a rain/snow mix starting November 8 and snow itself won't be far behind. But we get a 40 pound snow load (40 lbs/square foot) here and the tarp can't hold up to that weight without collapsing. So once snow starts we'll have to take it down to avoid a collapsed roof/wire roof.

Understood. Even if pitched, right? Thus the question of how to keep the ground from getting muddy.

Now that I understand the snow situation, I don’t think my fine materials would be great for you unless you also mixed in something bigger material like course wood chips.

 

[Helloworld]

I use white sugar sand in nest boxes and pea gravel on top of sand. As a treat we will throw old leaves collected and let them have a toss party.

Are the sides of your run sturdy enough to hold metal siding? Holes can be drilled to attach to what you have? I usually buy extremely large zip ties and use them. That will hold snow. Make sure your corners are either covered or wrapped to avoid head bumps or eye pokes to humans lol if not over your head.

Also, take a look to see if you can relevel the area to move water away from it. Use construction sand or something larger that will drain. If the area where they lay eggs is getting muddier and muddier, try getting some plywood and putting it up on some bricks, timbers, whatever you have that they can step up onto.

Get ready.. I had laparascopic hysterectomy and it took 8 weeks to even think about a chicken. It sucked. AND just start taking laxative now. You will thank me later! Good news was, after 3 weeks I still couldn’t do crap but felt some better but the pampering continued the rest of the time. The man here doesn’t like geese or chickens anymore but he knows how to take care of them! You will do good. You know why? God is looking after you and a prayer for speedy recovery and spoiling have been sent!