From my profile pic, I'm having a problem with mud since my hens have picked all the grass out. Any suggestions on what I can put down to stop the muddy marsh. I've had. My hens since April of this year and they're doing great!
I use a tarp to cover the area when the weather is calling for rain/snow. I pull it back and forth depending on weather. A pic is available in my albums. You can also look on here for drainage ideas using small gravel.
A lot of people highly recommend rounded pea gravel for their runs! I'm going to try this myself next year as it's supposed to have good drainage and is fun to scratch in.
I've saw a few that said yo use pea gravel but how would you clean up the poop? Now I shovel and rake the poop out and put down hydrated lime to keep the smell down.
I do use a tarp for the snow when it came. Even when its misty outside the dirt will get damp. I don't like seeing their feet muddy and want a more permanent solution. I do like your pics tho.
As a short term solution after heavy rains I put down bread crates upside down and threw hay over them. Got them up out of the mud so their feet weren't wet all the time. Long term solution is still being worked out but so far I've dug some drainage channels to divert heavy ground water run off and I think next winter I'd like to raise the ground level, at least in some areas like round the door with sand so it drains quicker.
I feel your pain! We just had about 4" of rain over the past few days. Bales of straw and or Pine chips work great to cover mud. My run has some scrap plywood sheets on the ground and then a build up of straw or chips over that. This helps raise the run elevation and prevents the birds from scratching down to the mud. A covered run is also really essential to keep snow/rain out and also it provides shade during the hot months. I also spread straw/hay/pine chips outside the run to knock down bare ground areas that get muddy. Rarely does the ground need to be raked since most chicken waste is on the poop boards which get cleaned daily.
Lots of info here on using sand. I love my sand....In the summer, I (sometimes) use a little kitty litter scoop to make it look pretty, but not so much during the rain and snow seasons. We had a few inches of rain here over the weekend and my sand drained beautifully. I have about 4-6" of all-purpose sand down on top of (horrible) clay soil. In the summer, I "maintain" it by sprinkling around some Sweet PDZ to absorb any odor once a week. Below is a pic of my uncovered, sand run. The front part is sand, the back corner is pine straw, leaves and grass clippings.
You might read this thread, especially my post #8. And follow the link in my post. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/844135/run-and-mud
Thank you all for your help. I put mulch down and that seems to work. No more muddy feet for my hens!
