Mud... I hate it

[porkchop48]

It has been raining non stop for about 4 days here... My run is a muddy mess.

Is the mud going to hurt my chickens? They don't really seem to mind it but I do. The coop is nice and dry and I have been adding extra bedding and hay to help with the mud they track in on their feet.

What else can I do ?

 

[Animalian]

If you have feather footed breeds I'd make sure it doesn't get caked on so they don't develop any bacterial infections underneath. Maybe dunk/clean their legs in a bucket of water before puttting them in on their roost for the night?

They will use roosts in the run as well if you provide them, it could let them 'dry off' if they want to while still staying outside. We get flooded here a lot so my chickens run is on a concrete slab about 20cm high with sand about 3cm deep over it. The sand doesn't really absorb/hold water so will drain and dry out quickly and won't get them dirty even when it's wet. They also have sand covering the inside of the coop which is about 1 metre off the ground. Only have straw in the nests.

 

[ilovemychooks]

I have the same problem. My entire yard is filled with holes my chooks have dug and when it's been raining it's like going for a mud bath every time I have to go out there. I'm guessing the only option would be to have the dirt paved or concreted over. Only problem is they love to dig and scratch for yummy bugs so much that to take away their dirt would be cruel. Would love to see if anyone's got a better suggestion.

 

[Animalian]

Quote:
Get them a kiddy pool full of sand, they will dust bathe in that! I have a kitty litter tray full of sand for my quail! They love it! And my dog used to destroy the garden digging so now has a kiddie pool of sand that I hide treats in for him to dig up! Doesn't touch the garden any more!

 

[porkchop48]

Thanks guys.


Roost in the run... I will work on that this weekend.

The straw is mainly in the nest but one o fthem has a habit of kicking it all out so they end up having straw bedding as well. I noticed them scratching a bit in it so I started adding just a bit to give them something to dig through in the coop.

I will look into getting a couple tons of sand to see if that helps. The forecast says rain should be done by sunday....

 

[kuntrygirl]

Not sure how many chickens you have but you could give them a bath so the mud is not caked on. A month or so ago, my guinea pen was so muddy that my guineas were covered in mud. They were grounded and could not fly on the roost. I had to physially bath every guinea that I have, which is 24. I put sand in their pen and there was no mud just this past week with all of the rain and bad weather.

 

[Ole rooster]

That is the exact reason I like the area under my coop so much. The run is 15X15 with a 5X5 box of sand. Under the coop it 4X& and it's dry. All of the hens and the rooster stay under there rolling and such when it rains. I've got about 3 inches of sand under there. The first day it rained they found that amazing and stood out in it. Then under the coop. If anyone is interested you can see what I've got on the BYC page. I couldn't get the pictures on the home page as such, so it one of the suppliment links.

 

[MandyH]

If you put down 4 to 6 inches of sand you will never have a problem again with a wet run.

 

[Tracyree]

Same situation here. I chose to put down pine bark nuggets yesterday and it is wonderful. The giant bags were lightweight and the run looks so pretty. The chickens seem thrilled to have so much to explore as well.