Iowa Flood/Mud Help

[BjaJra826]

I live in SW Iowa, and it is unreal how wet it is. We have been lucky to avoid major flooding issues with out home, but my poor birds are not fairing as well. Usually the enclosed run I have drains like a champ. It is at an incline with drainage towards the local creek. In the past I have done DLM in the winter and do a dirt run in the summer, but this rain just won't quit. Even the ducks are tired of the mud (something I thought was inpossible). I have tried re-establishing the ground with digging, but the soil here is super saturated everywhere. Then I tried doing a mild litter of course wood chips and cut grass, but the mud engulfed it. At first I thought it might be the ducks having way to much fun (mixed flock limited space in city limits) but then I noticed our time-out cage (dog cage recently used to isolate a RIR that ate another bird and was overly agressive) is just as muddy as the rest of the run even without the bird foot traffic. What do I do? Should I just wait out this flood and hope that mud-induced diseases aren't a problem? I do have a semi dry coop with about 50 ft of roosting space for 14 chickens. Or should I try to go full deep litter again? Like I said earlier my setup usually works without this insane saturation. Also open to suggestions on helping my ducks. Their house is full of mud because they are covered in it. I do have a tub for them to swim in and do spray the mud off them daily, but they don't fly or even try to reach elevated ground (with the exception of my muscovy who as taken to the ramp into the chicken coop). Sorry for the book, but I am in serious need of ideas. I love my birds and want the best for them. I am including pics of pre-flood coop and post flood coop.

 

[333113]

It's flooding here, too. We took our ducks out of their normal pens and put them in smaller cages where we could build up a good layer of litter, and that wasn't enough to keep them dry. So I raised all the cages. I didn't have enough cement blocks so I used logs to raise both ends of the cages and let water flow underneath. These aren't big cages, but they are bigger than the show cages they spend a week in at the Missouri State Fair. I have a three-gallon water basin in each cage. After four days they are finally starting to to look clean again!

 

[BjaJra826]

Thanks everyone. Hoping we can make it through this...

 

[333113]

Holy Buckets!!
A few bags of bark ain't gonna help that.
Bet the ducks kinda love it.

My ducks love it too...and then call for more water to wash off. A never-ending cycle, an inspiration for a perpetual motion machine to bring water to ducks.

Wait, I studied that in school...that would be the water cycle!

 

[ChickNanny13]

Those horse pellets help to absorb the standing water, dissolve to saw dust (?). We had a few days of wet weather and it very helpful. However we are not entering the really wet season = hurricane season; June 1 - Nov 30

 

[ChickNanny13]

to all of those having to deal with the rain/flooding

 

[Trux]

some people last summer were having wet issues and went with bags of pelletized horse bedding you can buy at TSC might be worth a try

 

[BY Bob]

How big were the wood chips you tried? I get extra large bark style wood chips. You might be able to put enough of those down to get them out off the mud. How deep is the mud at this point? It might take quite a few bags. If it worked I would try not to walk in the run and your weight would push them down.

 

[BjaJra826]

They were the biggest I can get at my local Orschlen's store. Mud is probally 4 inches deep. Damn weather... I am staying out as much as possible. I just feel so bad for my birds.

 

[Waskoneto]

I went through the exact same with the flooding here in Oklahoma!! My poor ducks were soaked and muddy and sneezing, coughing...broke my heart. I just kept putting wood chips down. They'd be gone, sunk down in the mud within an hour or 2 and I'd just put more and more on. I was desperate to get my piggies some relief. Yesterday was the 1st day with no rain and they were in hog heaven!! Hope you get some sunshine soon!!