Mud abatement using leaf litter?

[LER23]

So i'm trying to manage my coop run on the cheap. I put down cedar shavings that a carpenter friend gave me and of course that has been a great temporary fix, but now I am looking ahead and trying to avoid buying anything for mud abatement in the run. Does anyone have any reason why I can't take the maple leaves in my yard, crunch them up a little bit, and use that in the run? It seems like a genius way to get rid of the leaves in my yard. Am I nuts?

 

[Sally PB]

First, ask yourself why you have mud in the run. I'm assuming you don't have a roof over it.

Leaves could help, but wood chips are usually better. You need something that is somewhat absorbant.

 

[LER23]

Yes, I do know that wood chips are best. Unfortunately they are, for me, not in my budget right now. I know the leaves are very temporary, but as long as it does not affect the health of my chickens, I think I will go with it. I have tons of leaves, and they are free. My concern is whether they will be bad for the chickens. I probably didn't word my query correctly. Thanks for your input, though.

 

[Sally PB]

Ah, I get it. Yes, free is good. And the chickens will LOVE scratching through the leaves.

You could look online to see if there are any arborists who need to get rid of wood chips. There are some places to get them just for picking them up, and some places will bring them, again, just to be rid of them. One caveat: you may need to take delivery of a BIG pile of chips.

Another question: is all the water coming from above, ie, rain? If you have any drainage issues, or have water flowing into the run, addressing that would help. If you need ideas/help with that, post some pictures of your setup.

 

[perkolator]

I would add the leaves, but I don't think it will resolve the issue once they get saturated and integrated with the mud/soil. A nice thick layer of wood chips would likely resolve it though, I have never paid for wood chips as they're usually free from an arborist/chipdrop

 

[rosemarythyme]

From my own experience leaves and nothing but will just add to a mud issue. As they break down they mat and can get slimy too, which can worsen any drainage issue because rain/snow melt can't easily penetrate and drain down.

I have about 4" of leaves in my run right now, but under that is a new layer of chunky wood chips (I don't pay for chips, tree services here are happy to drop off as much as we want). As the leaves break down the bits get churned into the chips, which continue to provide aeration and drainage to prevent it from turning into a muddy sludge and reduce the matting problem.

 

[LER23]

Ah, I get it. Yes, free is good. And the chickens will LOVE scratching through the leaves.

You could look online to see if there are any arborists who need to get rid of wood chips. There are some places to get them just for picking them up, and some places will bring them, again, just to be rid of them. One caveat: you may need to take delivery of a BIG pile of chips.

Another question: is all the water coming from above, ie, rain? If you have any drainage issues, or have water flowing into the run, addressing that would help. If you need ideas/help with that, post some pictures of your setup.

It's rain. not a drainage issue, and any place that puddled has been filled in with soil. A lot of people wouldnt be concerned, but I especially hate mud, lol!

 

[Sally PB]

Is there any way to add a roof to the run? On half of my run, I have a heavy duty (silver/black) tarp from TSC. This will be its 3rd winter, and it's holding up well. One reason is it's tied down securely with zip ties and doesn't flap in the wind.

 

[aart]

From my own experience leaves and nothing but will just add to a mud issue. As they break down they mat and can get slimy too, which can worsen any drainage issue because rain/snow melt can't easily penetrate and drain down.

I have about 4" of leaves in my run right now, but under that is a new layer of chunky wood chips (I don't pay for chips, tree services here are happy to drop off as much as we want). As the leaves break down the bits get churned into the chips, which continue to provide aeration and drainage to prevent it from turning into a muddy sledge and reduce the matting problem.

Ditto Dat^^^!!

 

[MGG]

We have a cabinet shop by us, and they let me take all of the wood chips I want. They all go into one of those big metal storage containers and I just collect them whenever I need some. They're really nice quality and much fluffier than store bought ones. I just have to get them in the evening when no one is working. If you have a cabinet shop or something near you it might be worth calling and asking what they do with all of their wood chips.