HELP! Chicken run has horrible drainage! URGENT

[safarichick101]

Their coop is an old barn turned into a chicken coop. Its very sturdy so we didn't have a lot of options when deciding where to put our chicken coop.

Well, we in East Texas have clay soil, so the drainage is horrible. Puddles stay for days and the chickens get their feet wet and gross. I know this can cause disease. Is there some way I can solve this drainage issue?

 

[Hillsvale]

someone else started a thread on this the other day, do a search for drainage and your have your answers.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Save all glass bottles and jars and bury them real deep when its dry enough and cover with whatever kind of shells you can obtain. I also use sandy soil in the puddles to raise the level of the ground. Keep raking up lots of leaves and needles to give them something to scratch around in other than mud. If it doesn't work, you might want to consider concrete.

 

[chickenshagg]

I put down about a yard of Peagravel in my run. That has done a pretty good job though I think I will add some more this spring. I have also added several bags of sand. When we had snow on the ground I put out straw for them so they could come out and not have to stand in the snow. I did not spread that out, I just put it down in clumps and they spread it out quite nicely.

 

[patandchickens]

see "fix a muddy run" link in my .sig below

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[safarichick101]

thanks that was helpful! So basically I just have to get A TON of gravel/sand?