mud in coop??

[TalkALittle]

Well, you could place concrete blocks or pavers in each corner and a couple in the middle of the coop. Then frame out a real floor atop them using dimensional lumber (2x4s or 2x6s). Then cover that with plywood. As long as you made the floor joists close enough and supported it evenly with the blocks it would be plenty sturdy enough.

If you are looking for a quick and cheap way, you could always just lay down pallets directly on the dirt floor and lay some plywood sheets over that.

 

[Outpost JWB]

Pallets are a good idea. You can usually find them very cheap if not even free. You are probably going to have to build it up in there gradually. Until eventually it will not be muddy. Wood chips are a great idea also. But again it will take time to get it built up. The wood chips will compost if done correctly.

 

[Alaskan]

I second (or whatever number we are at) the pallet idea.

For now, temporary fix.. toss a pallet on the floor, so that you and the chickens can walk where it is dry.

I have some just super nasty mud seasons, and for those times I just toss a few pallets in my run, so the chickens can get out of the constant puddles.

I used to have a lake inside my Chicken Shed in the spring....

I did 3 things to fix it:
1. in the summer, I dug a trench all around the outer walls of the shed, and then angled the end of the trench so that all of the water could keep on going, down the hill and away from the Chicken Shed
2. I extended one little bit of roof, to get the rain to fall further away from the building wall, AND to keep the snow berm and resulting snow melt further away from the building
3. I added LOTS of sand to the Chicken Shed floor to increase the height of the floor.

It worked... I did that 2 summers ago, and last spring I had NO flooding in my Chicken Shed.

 

[HillsideEstate]

There are two basic ideas. Keep the water out to start with or get the water out once it gets in. Not always easy but this might help.

Pat’s Big Ol' Mud Page (fixing muddy runs):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-fix-a-muddy-run

To me a proper floor is one that keeps water out and drains water out if it gets in. I built my coop on a slight rise and then added a few inches of dirt so it is higher than anything around it. I also built a swale on the up side to help keep those heavy rains from flooding it anyway. My coop does not get wet from floodwaters.

Sometime some rain water or especially dry swirling floating snow will come in through an opening. The dirt will eventually drain since it is higher than the surrounding ground, but what I really rely on to dry it when that happens is ventilation. Lots of ventilation will dry it out, but it really helps to rake it. You can do that yourself or just toss a little corn on it and the chickens will rake it for you.

A lot of different people use different techniques. Building it up with sand can be a great solution as long as the sand is high enough that it has somewhere to drain to.

A lot of people will consider a “proper” floor a raised wood, concrete, or something else floor. That can work but if water gets in it still needs to be able to dry out.

Hi-
I have a question and since I haven't read all the way to the end of the thread I hope I am not being redundant.

I was just out side up to my ankles in mud today. I had a coop and run built last July. The coop/roost part is off the ground, totally dry and cozy. However......I had envisioned the run being well drained as it is on a hill, but this is not the case. I clearly need a swale to eliminate the up-hill waters from draining through the run. But even the slightest rain or snowmelt makes it a mess. I hate that my girls are wading through this.

Any suggestions or directions would be eternally appreciated by me and my muddy ladies.

KD

 

[PapaChaz]

If you have access to wood chips, about 12" deep should also work.

this is what I was going to say. The spot in my yard I'm building my coop and run is a bit low and stays wet longer than the rest of the yard. It's the nicest looking spot with shade for putting the girls in, so I decided I'd built there and just build up the run floor with wood chips.

In our county, we have several 'convenience centers' scattered around in the country where they have the trash dumpsters, recycle bins, etc. At most of them, they allow people to bring tree limbs up to 3" diameter. When the pile gets big enough, they grind them into another pile. The chips are free for anyone who wants to come get them. I've hauled loaded and loads out and used them in gardens, flower beds, to line pathways.......this is what I intend to do to build up my run.

The chips will draw bugs for the chickens, and eventually will break down to mix with the soil.

 

[HillsideEstate]

Thanks. I will see if I can find any. I have a half ton of mulch but most of it has started breaking down and will likely hold more moisture than it will drain.

Some have suggested sand. Do you have any thoughts on making half of the run a raised bed of sand? Can I add this now even if I am in the height of the mud?

 

[PapaChaz]

if it's pure mud and sand is available, yeah add it. it certainly won't hurt anything. It really sounds like you need to raise the floor with something, sand, chips, leaves etc.......too bad it's not summer and grass cutting time, the grass clippings would be good too

 

[HillsideEstate]

It is on a slope, but I guess this Virginia clay got the best of us. I panicked with all of the mud today and decided to build a big frame, line it with landscape fabric, and add sand. All of which needs to be purchased and then pay someone to haul.

I am intrigued by the wood chip idea. I bet my firewood guy would know where to get some cheap. I have a welded wire fence so I really wouldn't need to build a frame or anything since the fence would hold most of the chips in and allow for air. And then I could really add a good layer. Does this sound feasible, using the fence to hold the chips in??

 

[PapaChaz]

I'd worry about putting sand on top of landscape cloth because it will wash off if you're on a slope. Remember the chips will break down and basically turn back into dirt, same with leaves. I've raised low spots in the yard by getting the neighbors leaves along with mine and putting them there and just let them compost back down.

My dad used to go to town and get bags of leaves the city collected from homes and put them in his garden to improve and raise the level of his soil

 

[RIR0BCM]

I've tried leaves !! Leaves don't work well they mix with the mud and when they are mixed they smell reaaaalllyyy bad