lots of rain this week and mud in coop

[maf2008]

Our large coop 20x21 is muddy. Its covered by tim roof and sides have hardware cloth. I do not want to add more shavings its just too hard to clean up later. If chicks have a dry spot to stand in is mud OK for a few days until I can clean out the pen. We just keep getting rain!

 

[jenjscott]

How old are the chicks? gettin wet can be hard on them.. On the other hand, my chickens love wading in the mud, especially when its warm outside.

 

[mamaKate]

Some people add sand.

 

[Blue_Myst]

I feel for you, this happens to me all too often, the way the terrain shifts the water. I usually shovel in some straw. It's easier to clean out than shavings, and it does absorb a bit. Also, it won't 'meld' into the mud as much as shavings do.

On a side note, is there a way you can perhaps put tarp around a small section of the walls? As a temporary measure to keep the rain out? I know you couldn't do it around the whole coop since it's so large.

 

[Omran]

Well adding sand or shaving or any other thing will not solve the problem, you have to get to the bottom line and find where the water is getting in, if it is a drainage problem you might be able to fix it with a french drain system for few $$ or grading around the coop, if the roof is leaking or the sids are not sealed, you also can fix that, can you please post some pictures for us, may be someone can help you.

Omran

 

[maf2008]

My chickens coop is large and has 3 rooms. I think the problem is the wire gate that surrounds the pen. This used to be a pig pen (duh!) and was supposed to hold mud. (It does!)

I will remove the boards ASAP and I have already dug a drainage "ditch" behind the coop to prevent water back up. but the smell of wet chicken manure! whew!

I will scrape this out as soon as it stops raining.

Thanks all

 

[Chickenmaven]

You could dig a ditch and fill it with gravel. I have heard this called a "french drain." Should help.

 

[patandchickens]

See my "fixing muddy runs" page, link below in my .sig.

Summary: use gutters and tarps and trenches/ditches to limit water coming in, add some wood chips or whatever as a temporary fix, then when the ground is drier contemplate a more permanent fix possibly involving sand or gravel.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Krieger]

I don't know if this is safe around chickens, but maybe the more experienced people on the board can provide some input. I have found that there is a simple way to firm up a soft spot in the yard that is in a "high traffic" area. The solution that I found is to spread a light coating of bagged ready mix concrete on the marshy area, and water it into the soil. Sometimes, if it is a very boggy area, it may need a couple of repetitions of the above steps, but I have yet to see it not work. The area will firm up nicely, and grass will still grow in the area where the concrete mix was watered into the soil.