How to solve problem with muddy chicken run?

[cnicho05]

Hello, Over the last 3-4 months I have had a growing problem with mud in my chicken run. We have had an extremely wet spring this year and I just can't keep the mud of out my run. I've installed a tarps to cover the area fully and some additional siding to keep the water out. The location of the coop and run are on high areas of my property and don't have standing water.

What else can I do to keep my run dry?

 

[Judy]

Here's a very good article on this

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-fix-a-muddy-run-chicken-coop

 

[6of6chicks]

I have a dirt run that was fine until we had a monsoon of a rain day. It took a while for the run to start to get puddles, but once it did it took a week to dry out. Not good!

I basically had to dig the entire run out and build it back up. I dug out most of the dirt, added a thick layer of gravel, then packed the dirt back in and added a whole lot MORE dirt. That raised the floor of the run up a good six inches from where it was. At the same time, I dug out the area in front of the run to create a natural slope away from the run. Last, I added thick layer of sealant around the entire roof (to prevent running drips) and drilled small holes in the base frame to help with drainage.

We've just had two solid days of rain and the entire area around the run is a lake, but the run is completely dry. My girls have been happily scratching away in there!

Before the changes:



Flooding: (IGNORE the extension cord - it wasn't plugged in

)



After digging out the run:



Doesn't look like much of a change, but that's because most of the work is buried, lol! It took an entire weekend of hauling bucket after bucket of dirt. The gravel layer underneath is about 2 inches thick, also sloped to help channel water, and with the surrounding slope factored in the run is now 6-10 inches higher inside than outside. We've had MORE rain this time than last time (when all the flooding happened) and the run has stayed totally dry. Yay!! Outside the run is also draining a lot faster with the slope.

 

[RonP]

Run floor - wood chips, used pine shavings, dried leaves, yard waste, and basically anything biodegradable - free - 8 - 24 inches deep - composted black gardeners gold gets kicked out of 1/2 hardware fencing and disappears. Level seems to remain constant. Chickens love to dig craters and distribute it for me. I just routinely dump a garbage can full of "browns" into the run. Haven't cleaned it, ever. No mud, bugs, or smell.