Flooding in chicken run

[Varrington]

We have had a lot of rain in our area. Inside my coop I use Deep Litter method and in the run I've used sand. My girls love the sand. My problem is the amount of rain we have had the past few weeks. The sand is no longer draining well and is a muddy mess. We have been adding more and more sand but it only lasts through one storm. The girls don't seem to mind but I'm concerned about their long term health. I unfortunately didn't make the run tall enough for a person to get in. I have a long handle rake that I have used to clean and loosen the sand. Should I start adding shavings to the run also? Will adding DE help dry it out?
This is my first time with chickens and I am learning everything I've done wrong and slowly changing as I can.

 

[User395221]

The thing I find helps most when things get wet are bark chips. They don't absorb the water like sand so they tend to help with drainage.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

So sorry for what you are going thru. I can relate. I have the same problem. My poultry is on high ground but my swine is on low ground. That is what we planned for. EXCEPT the relentless rain fall here in North Central Florida this season. Major flooding. The ground is saturated and slow to drain. The sun does not stay out long enough to evaporate the ground moisture.
Hang in there! I know it is rough! Trust me. I know how you feel.
If possible, get a load of fill dirt. Shavings will make a mess I would think. I think higher ground and run off is best.
If possible snap a couple pics and show them.
Perhaps a wide view of the area? Not a close up of the water. Photos help with a more precise recommendation.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

The thing I find helps most when things get wet are bark chips. They don't absorb the water like sand so they tend to help with drainage.

I like your suggestion. Although we tried a bark type mulch and a couple older hens got bumble foot. I think it was our particular type we had chosen. It was coarse and splintered before it started to break down.
Ours tend to relentlessly scratch and relocate it as well. It was like new to them and they would dig thru it for hours like kids in a candy store. I think that is how they hurt their feet, from hours of scratching.
Just thinking the softest material possible..

WHAT KIND OF BARK DID YOU USE?.. I would like to try some of it. If is softer than what we used last time!

 

[andreanar]

Ugh, the dreaded flooded run! We made every mistake with our first flock, but at least we learned what not to do! LOL. First, do Not add any straw or shavings, that will turn it into a stinky mucky mess. We did that ugh. After raking and shoveling all that gunky mess, we put down pea gravel for drainage, then put the sand (a coarse sand) on top of that. It built up their run a bit so the water didn't settle there anymore and the pea gravel is great for drainage. It was a lot of work because of the mess we made with adding other stuff, but in the end it worked like a charm!!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

do Not add any straw or shavings, that will turn it into a stinky mucky mess. We did that ugh. After raking and shoveling all that gunky mess!!

LOL... I have shavings in my compost that have been there forever! Shavings are like a sponge. But sponges dry out faster than pine shavings once they start to breakdown. It's like gravey... And a safe harbor for flies to breed.

 

[Varrington]

So sorry for what you are going thru. I can relate. I have the same problem. My poultry is on high ground but my swine is on low ground. That is what we planned for. EXCEPT the relentless rain fall here in North Central Florida this season. Major flooding. The ground is saturated and slow to drain. The sun does not stay out long enough to evaporate the ground moisture.
Hang in there! I know it is rough! Trust me. I know how you feel.
If possible, get a load of fill dirt. Shavings will make a mess I would think. I think higher ground and run off is best.
If possible snap a couple pics and show them.
Perhaps a wide view of the area? Not a close up of the water. Photos help with a more precise recommendation.

 

[andreanar]

LOL... I have shavings in my compost that have been there forever! Shavings are like a sponge. But sponges dry out faster than pine shavings once they start to breakdown. It's like gravey... And a safe harbor for flies to breed.

Oh you have no idea of the mess we had!! I can laugh now looking back, but at the time it was so bad I almost cried

 

[Varrington]

I know the run is small and we are having a good morning right now. Today we are expecting to have more storms. The ground is mainly shale and usually drains very fast. Our yard slants down to the beginning of a stream bed

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Oh you have no idea of the mess we had!! I can laugh now looking back, but at the time it was so bad I almost cried

I have a rough idea. I have not seen my feeder pigs feetmin two months! LOL!