How to "fix" a swamp??

[MROO]

Wood chips HEre can be obtained for free from the Landfill. Landscaper trimmings go into those chippers even small chunks of wood.... But be aware. Oleandar is extremely poisonous and if its grown in your area I would pass up the free stuff from the land fill.

In my small Maryland town, every homeowner is entitled to two huge bags of mulch, free of charge, as long as they pick it up at the landfill themselves. Did it twice and I learned the hard way that, while much of the mulch comes from yard waste, a great deal is shredded trimmings from Public Works and roadside maintenance. I ended up with the WORST case of poison ivy I've ever had in my life! NEVER again!

 

[ame087192]

In my small Maryland town, every homeowner is entitled to two huge bags of mulch, free of charge, as long as they pick it up at the landfill themselves. Did it twice and I learned the hard way that, while much of the mulch comes from yard waste, a great deal is shredded trimmings from Public Works and roadside maintenance. I ended up with the WORST case of poison ivy I've ever had in my life! NEVER again!

yep- my city has a commercial composter and thy compost all our green waste- every year they have an annual pick up. they give out one truck bed full of compost per household. I was SO happy to get it free. But i ended up having the worst weeds ever in it. And there were small bits of wire and plastic- clearly not just green waste was in it.
lesson learned- free isn't always better.

 

[perchie.girl]

we dont have poison Ivy but we do have Oleandar.... and poison Oak. But its not prevalant...

deb

 

[True Patriot]

With the recent storms we have had, dumping large amounts of rain in a short time, our ground is a soaked sponge, and our runs look like swine pens. Not only mucky, but stinky, and the flys and gnats are everywhere.

Thinking about layering with a thick layer of sawdust to absorb moisture and stench. Moving the animals isn't possible, so we have to fix where they are.

Sugestions?!?

I live in southern Georgia, my yard borders on an actual swamp. I have a constant love hate relationship with a wet yard, so I understand your problem. First question is, why can't they be moved? In a lot of cases it's cheaper and less labor intensive to move the habitats. If there is a drier area I strongly encourage you to consider that option. If that is actually not possible here is the solution, it's not cheap or easy.
You can't make an area dry by adding anything to it. Reason being, the water is still there, just hidden. Like tossing a throw rug over the dirt swept into a pile. The problem is now just hidden. First step is to install drainage. Either in the form of trenches or drainage tile pipe. Water always flows downhill, so these drains must end in a lower location. Google "french drain" for examples. Once the drainage is correct you must raise the existing elevation of the ground. Adding 4-6 inches of gravel is the norm. The gravel must be covered with a filter media, landscape cloth or similar. Above the filter media is your substrate, usually 4-6 inches of Earth. Above this substrate goes your choice of material, bedding, deep litter etc. This is really the only permanent solution to wet areas. Unless the water goes somewhere else the problem will continue to persist. Cost is usually about the same as a leech field for a septic system. ($1200-7000 depending on geographic location)

 

[alexa009]

Pine shavings should work really well for absorbing moisture but will probably only work temporarily, until it rains again or something else. I would recommend draining as @True Patriot said and somehow try to get you your swamp area level so water doesn't accumulate in one spot and keep causing all of that moisture and stench. My slope is at least 12-15 feet deep so would be harder to get the whole area level. Using a compactor to put in soil and mulch should make it level if you have the supplies. Hope this helps!

 

[LorettaClaire]

I had the same problem year 1 with my coop. Tried so many things but ultimately the only solution was to cover the run and some small measures with some bricks to divert the water away from the front. Initially I erected a pvc hoop coop top on the run with a tarp covering. That lasted a couple of years until a humongous branch fell on it. It still was functional after that, just a little wonky. But this year we put up a tin roof over the whole run and coop. It's so nice to be in with my girls with the roof overhead and dry ground. It's really worth the effort and cost. In the long run you will save $.

 

[imneva]

We had the same problem,and had read on byc to use pelletized horse bedding its pine pellets sold at tsc $6 for a 50 pd bag ,I raked the run and put the whole bag down it was terrific!!! The raw sewer smell was gone so quick and helps soak up puddles too. I want to give a shout out to whoever posted it thx so much ,we keep a bag on hand

I swear horse folks know everything to keep the stench away!!! good info!!!

 

[Cryss]

I use wood chips I get free from local tree services. The wood absorbs water, the surface dries, and eventually they disintegrate into compost along with the poop.

 

[Crow-ded house]

We have had horrible rains in NE Ok. I have a layer if sand on the bottom, have bought a round bale of hay and put a thick layer in there along with some twigs and pine nugget bark from lowes. Before it was a muddy smelly mire that was making chooks and me miserable. With all the materials I put in there it does get wet but almost no smell and on hot days chooks can dig down to cool sand for bathing.

 

[ChickNanny13]

A question was asked "Will the chickens eat the pellets" being that it looks like feed pellets? I was wondering about that, sounds like they're not that pea brain but rather ask than have issues with impacted crop. I'd love to try it but never thought of "will they eat it"