Help with muddy Northern California clay

[SpceSpff]

I have done some searching and read a few threads on here but I wanted to see if there was any specific advice for clay. In northern California the clay is so dense that water just doesn't soak in. I have a sail shade covering the run. The coop has a crushed corn cob floor. Currently, our run is a nasty, soupy mess of mud and poop. First winter with our Australorps and "fake" Barred Rocks and trying to figure this out. Here are my ideas-

Putting down coarse wood chips
Putting a solid roof over the run
Dumping a whole bunch of pea gravel down
Buying some landscaping pavers that have holes in them

Any thoughts or suggestions on my plans are much appreciated.

 

[DobieLover]

I would implement options 1 & 2 and completely avoid 3 & 4.

 

[3KillerBs]

In addition to the coarse wood chips, can you dig diversion ditches to help drain water away from the coop?

 

[igorsMistress]

Wood chips for clay. Lots and lots of wood chips. They improve soil structure when they break down and give you traction when walking.

Another option is straw, but it can be a bit slippery until it becomes matted.

The roof will help but not if water will run in from the surrounding terrain.

 

[Perris]

Hello @SpceSpff welcome to BYC
If you drive a fork down into the clay and then pour coarse sand into the prong holes it will help with drainage and soil structure going forward. The more holes you can make and sand you can get in, the better. Then any organic matter, inc chicken poop and wood chips, which break down better in the presence of some air, will decompose into it and improve it further.

 

[SpceSpff]

Thanks for the replies! Diverting water isn’t really an option as there is actually a brick border around half the coop. I put a little sand down and then lots of wood chips. So far so good! Thanks again!

 

[Banana01]

One of my coops is challenging like that, but i love it too because it is so easy to keep clean since the rain washes away the droppings down the hill into the garden. Can you post a picture of the area?

You have to deal with the standing water for sure, having a pile of pea gravel and pavers available would definitely help as useful materials to have on hand, not specifically to put inside the run, but maybe as part of a solution for the drainage. The physical labor necessary to fix drainage is hard work.

 

[CanadaEh]

Putting down coarse wood chips
Putting a solid roof over the run
Dumping a whole bunch of pea gravel down
Buying some landscaping pavers that have holes in them

Any thoughts or suggestions on my plans are much appreciated.

the words you are looking for are "deep litter"

Our run fencing is 2x4" welded wire with bottom 2 1/2' of 1/2" hardware cloth over the welded wire. Those bottom 2 1/2' are filled with fall leaves added every year. It is still gets messy in the fall/winter with all the rains we are getting, but there is no standing or running water 2+' above the grade.