How to maintain dirt floors in open air run

[ehoneybee]

# of chickens, soft of run. If it's always covered in poo sounds like there are too many chickens for the size of the run.

When it rains its gets muddy. ignore it.

I have 5 chickens and the run is probably 10'x20'. It's in the shade, uncovered, under trees and it gets super muddy in there in mud season. It was a sticky mess this last March. I've been putting straw down but it just dissolves in the rain. When it dries out they take dirt baths but the ground is pretty packed down at this point.

 

[aart]

Is there standing water when it rains....or does it have a place to flow away?
Drainage is first....then...Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, and larger wood chippings as needed.

 

[ehoneybee]

Is there standing water when it rains....or does it have a place to flow away?
Drainage is first....then...Aged ramial wood chippings are best IMO.
My runs have semi-deep litter(cold composting), never clean anything out, just add smaller dry materials on occasion, and larger wood chippings as needed.

Drainage is poor when it's really rainy. Like inches of water in certain places :/.

 

[Cindy in PA]

I have tried deep litter in the run for the past few years & it hasn't worked! The last year has been extremely wet. Drainage is questionable, but never noticed a problem in the first 20 years or so. Everything disappears within a few weeks & I probably never have quite enough stuff put in. Yesterday I tilled the pen so I can let my 7 week olds out of the coop. It rained about 4 inches in the last few days. The material fluffed up about 6 inches & was mainly layers of stuff I have put in over the last year. Had another 1/2 inch of rain last night & will have more today. I have to dig some stuff out soon as it is covering the bottom rungs of my kennel by a few inches. Sure hoping for the hot dry summer they have promised! I plan to do some rearranging of the run come fall. Planned to do it this spring, but family obligations have gotten in the way. My run is 350 sq.ft. & never had more than 13 chickens at one time. I will have only 10 this year.

 

[aart]

Drainage is poor when it's really rainy. Like inches of water in certain places :/.

Can you dig trenches so it can flow to a lower area?