deep litter method

[WoodlandWoman]

Mstricer, does the water also flow past your coop and run area, flowing farther downhill? Or is your coop and run at the very bottom?

If it's just along the path of the drainage, you may be able to make a low berm with a gentle slope, just uphill from your coop, to channel the water flow around that area. Otherwise, just raising the level of the area your coop and run are on may be your best hope.

We live on the side of a hill and I've had to do work in several different areas of the yard to improve the water flow. At least once you get it fixed, it's fixed.

 

[Hunter0704]

My coop floor is covered with Equine Pellets which are working great! Sand got wet! Coop smelled! The pellets absorb water from waterer and poop, I stir the floor every few days, there is absolutely no smell. I change the floor once a month as I have added another bag of Equine Pellets after two weeks. I have ducklings and chicks together in the coop and everyone is dry and happy. The run is covered with pea gravel...again, sand got wet. Water runs through pea gravel. Another suggestion...If your run gets wet from excess rain, make a berm above the run for the water to run around the run, or you can dig trenches to do the same thing...moving water away from your run.

 

[moetrout]

I love DLM! It works, my coup is not real smelly and it saves a lot of work. I'll be doing my 6 month clean out this weekend. Takes me about an hour! I can't imagine how much it would cost if I did it any other way. I initially put down about 1.5 cubes of pine litter and dust with DE. I don't think I go through more than one more cube topping it off throughout the season. I would say about once a month I turn the litter, top off if needed, and redust with DE. I have never had lice or mites on my hens. The coup is always dry!

 

[mstricer]

Quote:
Yeah runs right down into the run also. My neighbors were probably laughing at me, as I was hoeing trenches so the water would down towards the field. All of this in a down pour in the night time. Almost done with the cleaning part of the coop, then we are adding 4 to 6 layers of sand and some around the outside. I'm mixing sand with DE for ants, I don't know if it will work, but makes me feel a little better.
Michele