Mud advice needed

[Cryss]

My big concern with my run is that when it rains a lot (I'm in East Tn. so it isn't a concern most of the time) my run area (not finished yet and won't get chickens for a couple of weeks) will be like a big puddle. Should I cover it with wood chips?

That is what I did. When weather is dry the chickens like to scratch down to the dirt. When the weather is wet the wood soaks it up. Bonus, all the poop washes down through the chips fertilizing the ground underneath as the chips directly in contact with the ground decompose. Come fall I'll dig some of that soil up and spread it on my gardens. Come spring my gardens are already fertilized and ready to plant.
Start with about 2 inches unless you are expecting your run to be really wet. Then go with at least 4. If you're in a dry area dont bother, let the chickens eat the greenery first. When they finish it off and it gets muddy try the chips.

 

[aart]

Good question! I would like to know the answer to this also.

If at all possible, do not put your coop and run in a low lying area.

Otherwise you'll need to build up the ground(fill dirt) under coop and run so they are on 'higher' ground and don't flood or gather water...and you still may need to do some water control, your fill may come from digging trenches.

Site planning is important.
Pay attention to the whole area surrounding the coop/run and beyond, where does runoff from roofs and hardscaping(driveway, patio, etc)around your yard go when it rains hard or during snow melt season? Trenches, swales, and berms can control where the water goes to divert it away from the coop/run.

My coop is in an elevated building, so it's safe, but part of the run under the coop is prone to flooding from my sloped land and especially the driveway. I already had a trench to keep the garage from flooding that goes right by the coop building and into the run area. I had to add dirt behind mini 'walls' made with pavers on edge and actually bury some pipe in the run itself to divert the water from under the coop(because chickens will destroy your carefully dug trenches with their digging-smh).

The best time to figure where to put your diversions(dig your trenches and place your berms) is when it's pouring rain and you can really see where the water is flowing. Not much fun to be out in the rain with a shovel, but it certainly is effective.

 

[CynthiaN]

If at all possible, do not put your coop and run in a low lying area.

Otherwise you'll need to build up the ground(fill dirt) under coop and run so they are on 'higher' ground and don't flood or gather water...and you still may need to do some water control, your fill may come from digging trenches.

Site planning is important.
Pay attention to the whole area surrounding the coop/run and beyond, where does runoff from roofs and hardscaping(driveway, patio, etc)around your yard go when it rains hard or during snow melt season? Trenches, swales, and berms can control where the water goes to divert it away from the coop/run.

My coop is in an elevated building, so it's safe, but part of the run under the coop is prone to flooding from my sloped land and especially the driveway. I already had a trench to keep the garage from flooding that goes right by the coop building and into the run area. I had to add dirt behind mini 'walls' made with pavers on edge and actually bury some pipe in the run itself to divert the water from under the coop(because chickens will destroy your carefully dug trenches with their digging-smh).

The best time to figure where to put your diversions(dig your trenches and place your berms) is when it's pouring rain and you can really see where the water is flowing. Not much fun to be out in the rain with a shovel, but it certainly is effective.

Thanks to a lot of excavating done by the neighbor above me while building their house and pool my entire yard on that side of my house will have standing water if it rains long enough. The other side of my house is a steep slope. The coop is elevated and will be safe. I replaced my retaining wall and hope that helps. Being in E Tn I don't have snow melt. I'm hoping that by building up the run area I'll be able to keep it dry enough. I'm definitely open to suggestions (-;