How to get rid of mud in the out door run

[PaulaLee]

Hi, who knows how I can get rid of the mud in my chicken run?!

We have a 30x20 outdoor area. It has some plastic sheeting over the top on part of it for a temporary fix till spring when we can build a proper roof but it still won’t be completely covered. It’s too big! Lol

But for now, with this Washington rain/snow, then raining, raining, raining some more I am having a hard time getting rid of the mud in the run. What can I put down to help?

Straw seems like that’s a breeding ground for nasty stuff and unhealthy.

Woodchips? All I can get is cedar...
Gravel?
Sand?

Other ideas??

I bought some pine beauty bark from a box store and that has worked for me. Being from Washington I feel your pain.

 

[ValerieJ]

Thanks for the advice. So you don’t think straw is bad? I haven’t ever tried it.

I wanted to jump in here and say I've been using straw in the run for 4 years. My run is 4000 sf and therefore not covered at all, except with bird netting. I do have covered areas that stay dry. I have never had the straw get moldy. It just eventually turns to dirt. And the chickens love straw day. You might say they have a hay-day digging through it and helping me spread it around. We live in a rain forest and moss grows everywhere, but I have not had mold in my straw even one time. I use straw in the coops and scoop that out into the run every week too. Last week I had puddles everywhere out there. Friday I spread a few bales of straw around and it's so much better.

I vote straw.

 

[ColoradoPip]

I'm on the fence about sand. It's heavy, especially when wet. Regarding the hole-poking method, I used a piece of PVC pipe I had laying around, hammered it into the puddles as far as it would go and yanked it out. Shlurp! The water disappeared down the hole. It's not a permanent fix, just for emergency drainage. When it dries out enough you can deal with the low spots with a more permanent solution.

For me sand was unbelievably great, but seeing the pics and that you live in Florida. I'm not sure it will work. In order for sand to work you need sunlight and it must be able to drain. Given your location, the wetness, humidity, etc. I suggest trying a small area to see how it works if you do try it. Use paver sand, if I rmemebr correctly the brand at home depot has a bad inhalant and should not be used, lowes carries this brand which does not contain that
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Aspen-Mountain-0-5-cu-ft-Tan-Paver-Base-Sand/3726717
I believe the best solution suggested is building soil up whereever you want the chickens to be. With the rest, plant rice!

 

[Cryss]

For me sand was unbelievably great, but seeing the pics and that you live in Florida. I'm not sure it will work. In order for sand to work you need sunlight and it must be able to drain. Given your location, the wetness, humidity, etc. I suggest trying a small area to see how it works if you do try it. Use paver sand, if I rmemebr correctly the brand at home depot has a bad inhalant and should not be used, lowes carries this brand which does not contain that
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Aspen-Mountain-0-5-cu-ft-Tan-Paver-Base-Sand/3726717
I believe the best solution suggested is building soil up whereever you want the chickens to be. With the rest, plant rice!

I want sand for their dust baths. The sand in your link isn’t available at my Lowe’s but the tan/brown one is. Reading some q&a it came up that the tan/brown causes cancer if inhaled so not recommended for children’s sand boxes. That doesn’t sound good for chickens either. Is that due to color difference?

 

[ColoradoPip]

I want sand for their dust baths. The sand in your link isn’t available at my Lowe’s but the tan/brown one is. Reading some q&a it came up that the tan/brown causes cancer if inhaled so not recommended for children’s sand boxes. That doesn’t sound good for chickens either. Is that due to color difference?

Back when I did a lot of research on the topic it seems that crystalline silica was the ingredient you need to avoid. I don't remember if color has anything to do with it. Do not use play sand either, it's too fine. If you have a dirt and gravel place around, they should have it, however it might be called something else (my memory has failed on the name).

 

[5GodsDown]

I don't know if it was mentioned already, but I find leaves a pretty good temporary solution in the rainy autumn. I have four big oak trees in my garden so a LOT of leaves in autumn. I pick them up with the leaf blower which cuts them into smaller pieces and I empty the bag in the run, the chickens will do the rest. It's not the best solution, but it's cheap and works for a while if you have no other resources available. Again, not the best solution, I'm also looking to cover the run.

 

[Mtnboomer]

With consistent rain/snow you may wish to create a subterranean gravel bed. Its cheap but requires some sweat equity.
Steps to do so are:
1. Dig a sump about 12-18" deep and 6" wider than a 5gal bucket. in desired location inside the run and run a line of corrugated pipe to daylight on side of your hill.
2. Slope run towards sump from all directions. It does not have to be to sump bottom.
3. Use a soil separator (mesh cloth found at home depot etc) or even just weed block fabric across entire floor of run.
4. Perforate a 5 gal bucket by drilling 1/4" holes about every 2" around entire bucket and place upside down and cut to depth of sump with notch cut out to go over drain pipe.
5. Back fill with #57 gravel to a min. depth of 2" across entire run floor and over bucket. You can make this as deep as you want.
6. Top with another layer of soil separator across entire run floor and staple down edges.
7. Add whatever finished surface you so choose so long as it is not clay or a fine particle material (sand is ok).

The open space in gravel gives the water a place to be held until drained and the soil separator keeps this void space from becoming clogged by soil.

I did a Similar sized job at the house for about $350 (not counting surface material) but the mud is gone.

 

[Jerry rigged farm]

Hi!

My run is sloped since we live on a huge hill, but for the most part of its not raining or snow is t melting the run drains fairly quickly. It’s just that we’re always wet where we are. We’re in so kind of rain shadow in addition the the wonderful rainy weather we get for 9 months out of the year. So I don’t know what to do, I might just have to cover the whole thing!

Have you tried looking up french drainage systems there very useful for run off and drainage. I live in oregon and it rains alot and my yard is a swamp. Currently in planning of a French drain or dry well for this summer Projects.

 

[Mo'sMenagerie]

My last coop was on a hill so drainage wasn't a problem. This time though I'm on [more or less] level ground that does puddle when it rains. So this time I took a different tack; first I covered the bottom of the run with hardware cloth then covered it with a half ton of river rock (small, rounded pebbles). This rock layer isn't deep but it seems to be alleviating the mud problem so far. Even after a good rain there is no mud and they haven't managed to scratch any bare spots yet.

This could be helpful for me situation. Do you have pictures of this?

 

[FlyWheel]

Yes,

This could be helpful for me situation. Do you have pictures of this?

Yes, but I'll have to get them ready for uploading here, they are way too big at the moment.