Help: Run = Mud skating rink

[Doc McCluckins]

Last year my husband and I added a coop and run to our new residence. Run is about 10x40 (400 sq foot) and has a pretty steady decline( I have skied down that slope more times than I care to admit). There are 11 hens in the coop. We should have prevented this before it started but I have never had this happen in any of the other 2 coops/runs I have had. The ground is packed and when it rains it is slippery!!! We just mowed our grass for the first time this season and put all the clippings in there. We have a hay barn that has loose hay we can use if it would work. I don't expect to be able to plant anything that will grow there but I would like to have some plant based matter for them to walk around on. When it is muddy the chickens have muddy feed and I get muddy eggs. What is the best thing I can do to remedy the situation?

 

[flyin-lowe]

I am new to this but after a lot of reading my plans are to keep adding material similar to what you did, once mine gets down to mud. Basically the deep litter method. I plan to each week when I mow fill the run with grass clippings, plus leaves, and other yard/garden waste. Jet that stuff start to compost and use it on my garden in the spring and fall. It sounds easy enough (LOL) but I am not there yet so time will tell.

 

[TigereyedGypsy]

I put up a cage in one area and threw down grass seed under it so they could not access it. Grew it in thick then moved cage to another space. Taking a while to complete, but it keeps them out of it until it is hardy enough to withstand some abuse. For the holes in the yard I poured some sand in.

 

[ChickenMammX4]

I am new to this but after a lot of reading my plans are to keep adding material similar to what you did, once mine gets down to mud.  Basically the deep litter method. I plan to each week when I mow fill the run with grass clippings, plus leaves, and other yard/garden waste.  Jet that stuff start to compost and use it on my garden in the spring and fall.  It sounds easy enough (LOL) but I am not there yet so time will tell.

This is what we do in our run. We're getting ready to rake it out to till all that beautiful compost into our garden and start over again for the summer. It is so easy!

With that said, our run is covered so pretty much stays dry.