Flooding

[bradnchristina]

Living in Eastern North Carolina we get alot of rain year round and it has proven to be a pain. Does anyone have any tips or tricks that prevent flooding in their runs? Ours is about 4-6 inches now and it is still raining. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Read this. Pat wrote it with you in mind.

Pat’s Big Ol' Mud Page (fixing muddy runs):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-fix-a-muddy-run

There are two basic ideas. Keep water out to start with if you can. When it sets in wet that can be real hard to do, especially if your run is of any size.

Cover what you can if you can, though rain will blow in from the side. Slope roofs so the water does not go into the run or maybe use gutters to direct water away. Landscape to keep rainwater runoff from going into the run. Maybe use swales or berms for this.

If water gets in, it needs to be able to drain out. If you are in a low spot, this might be a challenge. It’s probably too late for you, but try to build it on a high spot. Another option is to fill the run so it is high enough the water can drain from it. Sand works great for this because it drains so well, but there are some challenges with sand.

Sand tends to mix with the mud underneath and disappear over time into the mud. If you put a layer of rock down first that will slow this down a lot, but you might occasionally need to put in more sand. Also it can wash away in a heavy rain or just the chickens scratching will spread it. It’s usually a good idea to line the bottom of the run fencing with something to contain the sand so it doesn’t erode away or get scratched away.

Pat goes into a lot more detail. She writes some pretty good articles. Good luck with it. This is a real common problem for us.