I need to keep water out of the run

[ChickNanny13]

Ok, my two cents ... Being on a fixed income & not having the strength, I try to do things the easy way. You need to figure how to drain & redirect the water from your Run. Are you sure it's not wicking from the ground also?

I'd try to dig a trench at the end of the run(outside the run) opposite the pop door, see if it'll run out.

I would try this first, you need to figure away to drain the water out & away from the run.

I had a similar problem. I made a trench (dragging a hoe) on the side that I thought the water was running in directing it away. Filled it with a couple bags of 5/8" gravel (thin layer), yes it was heavy but I used a wheel barrow to move the bags one by one (exercise, ha ha). It did redirect water from the section that always got wet when we had DAYS of RAIN but that corner was still pooling

I then figured out the clay dirt floor w/DLM shavings was wicking & pooling water in that one back corner, flowing down the left side. So what I do now is rake the shaving from that area to the opposite side during heavy rains before it wicks, as it pools rake some shavings into the pool to absorb the water. Chickens love digging in it & if it gets sopping wet, I wheel barrow the soaked shavings on to a tarp that I put in the patio until the suns comes out. Then dry it back out & put it back into the RC ... It's work but for me it works & I can do it myself. I've thought of putting some wood chips in that corner, may try that next.

Cryss is right on about shavings, it's lighter & easier to move than sand plus a bale really expands. Is there any way you could built the sides up around your run, maybe 6"? Fill with shavings? Once you get some dry weather IF you can dry out the sand in there, fill sand bags to place around the outside of the Run, fill the inside with shavings?

It's hard for us to work cause we're not there to see & try but we got IDEAS ... Hope you can find one that works for you.

 

[unbaked pegga]

Ok, my two cents ... Being on a fixed income & not having the strength, I try to do things the easy way. You need to figure how to drain & redirect the water from your Run. Are you sure it's not wicking from the ground also?



I would try this first, you need to figure away to drain the water out & away from the run.

I had a similar problem. I made a trench (dragging a hoe) on the side that I thought the water was running in directing it away. Filled it with a couple bags of 5/8" gravel (thin layer), yes it was heavy but I used a wheel barrow to move the bags one by one (exercise, ha ha). It did redirect water from the section that always got wet when we had DAYS of RAIN but that corner was still pooling

I then figured out the clay dirt floor w/DLM shavings was wicking & pooling water in that one back corner, flowing down the left side. So what I do now is rake the shaving from that area to the opposite side during heavy rains before it wicks, as it pools rake some shavings into the pool to absorb the water. Chickens love digging in it & if it gets sopping wet, I wheel barrow the soaked shavings on to a tarp that I put in the patio until the suns comes out. Then dry it back out & put it back into the RC ... It's work but for me it works & I can do it myself. I've thought of putting some wood chips in that corner, may try that next.

Ohh I think I have a mental block. I can’t get the idea of what you are saying

 

[ChickNanny13]

1st picture = My RC (run combination coop, before I channeled) it's on the high ground but our property is lower than the one in back, water flows down hill Toward back & down the left side is lower than the right side. So I used the hoe & scraped along the perimeter down about a couple of inches along the back & along the left side, making like a channel. When it was pouring rain, it got muddy so I first used wood chips & stomped it in the mud, then put gravel on top of that. Now it don't get muddy & the water run from the back to the left side to the front & into the yard.

2nd picture = See the back left corner, it pools when it rains for day then the whole left side gets wet. The water's not flowing in (I learned) but wicking from underground So what I do is rake the shavings to about the middle letting the dirt wick, chickens like digging in it, they don't get to free range With their scratching shavings all over, it ends up in the pool & absorbs. I add more just so it's not pooling.

IF the shaving get really soaked, I wheel barrow it out into my patio (residential property) on to a tarp to dry. When it suns, I drag the tarp into the sun & move the shavings around to dry. It's "fun" work & I can do it myself, know what you mean about age, finances & being female ... ha ha

The bottom of my RC is 2x4 on it's side, then I read about DLM so I built up the sides with another row of 2x4 offsetting the ends, so my sides are now about 6". Then I just added shavings. The RC is 8x12x7, I started off with a bag/bale & of shavings (RoseBud @ Dels/TSC) add as I want more cushion.

Fell in love with TN when we were there in 1998, got real close to purchasing some property in Lebnon but Hubby couldn't handle the Winters The Summer humidity would have been hard on me. Humid here alot but had to return to help my Parents as they age ... Good luck

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

You need to make the ground inside the run higher than the ground outside the run. If it's lower inside the run, it will collect water. If you make the inside higher, no water will drain in, and any that does get in (rain) will drain out.

 

[unbaked pegga]

Ok, my two cents ... Being on a fixed income & not having the strength, I try to do things the easy way. You need to figure how to drain & redirect the water from your Run. Are you sure it's not wicking from the ground also?



I would try this first, you need to figure away to drain the water out & away from the run.

I had a similar problem. I made a trench (dragging a hoe) on the side that I thought the water was running in directing it away. Filled it with a couple bags of 5/8" gravel (thin layer), yes it was heavy but I used a wheel barrow to move the bags one by one (exercise, ha ha). It did redirect water from the section that always got wet when we had DAYS of RAIN but that corner was still pooling

I then figured out the clay dirt floor w/DLM shavings was wicking & pooling water in that one back corner, flowing down the left side. So what I do now is rake the shaving from that area to the opposite side during heavy rains before it wicks, as it pools rake some shavings into the pool to absorb the water. Chickens love digging in it & if it gets sopping wet, I wheel barrow the soaked shavings on to a tarp that I put in the patio until the suns comes out. Then dry it back out & put it back into the RC ... It's work but for me it works & I can do it myself. I've thought of putting some wood chips in that corner, may try that next.

Cryss is right on about shavings, it's lighter & easier to move than sand plus a bale really expands. Is there any way you could built the sides up around your run, maybe 6"? Fill with shavings? Once you get some dry weather IF you can dry out the sand in there, fill sand bags to place around the outside of the Run, fill the inside with shavings?

It's hard for us to work cause we're not there to see & try but we got IDEAS ... Hope you can find one that works for you.

This is a picture I dug around my coop (it is on the left) about 2 years ago. It was at least a foot deep Nd went a loong way down the yard to where it fell off a little bit more. I then put 40 bags of egg rock the entire length. I couldn’t tell that it helped much and did nothing for the ponding around the house. I had a landscaping company fill in that ditch and theyhe put drains on the downspouts and hauled in dirt and laid sod ($5000) I thought maybe it would help the area around the coop but it didn’t. I don’t reckon there could be an underground spring there. There is a well in the back yard but I have never used it

 

[Cryss]

You need to make the ground inside the run higher than the ground outside the run. If it's lower inside the run, it will collect water. If you make the inside higher, no water will drain in, and any that does get in (rain) will drain out.

Yes, that is what I was trying to say. You said it so much better.

 

[unbaked pegga]

Yes, that is what I was trying to say. You said it so much better.

Now that made perfect sense. That will be the first thing I do when it stops raining

 

[ChickNanny13]

You got a plan to work with. Hope the weather clear so you can work on your run.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Now that made perfect sense. That will be the first thing I do when it stops raining

If you want to raise up the run a bit, here's how you can do it.You might find a better way to do this, but this is the general idea

First I'm assuming that it's not attached to the coop.

When you put dirt or sand inside, put it around the inside edges first, but don't compact it.

Once done, from the outside lift up on one side of the run so that it raises off the ground a little bit (It doesn't look heavy, but you might need some help. Be careful; don't hurt yourself).

Hopefully some of the dirt or sand will collapse underneath the edge of the run. If not, you can get someone to place an object underneath the edge so that when you set the run back down it will be off of the ground a bit.

Then you can backfill that gap with dirt or sand. Do that all of the way around the run. Then fill in the rest of the inside of the run

 

[jthornton]

Rather than trying to lift anything call Lever Man to do the job. Just dig a little hole under the bottom board of the run big enough for a 2x4. Insert 2x4 and step on it, if you need more lift put a 1x2 under the 2x4 just outside the bottom board. I've lifted and moved some very heavy things using Lever Man.

JT