Muddy Mess in the run, what to do????

[Mommysongbird]

We had some storms today and our chicken run (our big girls run) is a muddy mess. Our white chicken is no longer white, she is nearly brown.

When we built this coop and run I have to level the land so we tilled it up and didn't have time to put grass seed in before putting the chicks in at the time. What can we do now? I have tried straw but after a few days, the straw is pushed down into the mud and it gone.

We are going to have rain for the next few days, some strong storms are possible. The only dry place is in the coop or under the coop and they won't stay in either place.

I am hoping to put a roof on this summer, but until then what is the best thing to do??

 

[RonC]

Might get a tarp and some bungee cords and make a temporary top till you can put on a permanent one. Of course it's gonna take a while to dry out but...

 

[Whittni]

Have you tried wood chips? They absorb water well, the tarp is also a good idea but neighbors call those eye-sores.

 

[ivan3]

You could try emptying out several 100lbs of sand (50lb. bags of quickrete Construction/play sand will do) and leave in 3" inch layer around door of coop - your usual walkway to and from coop in run. This will provide some relief from most acute problems (cleaner feet for chooks/humans) and then, later on, add a LOT more sand over time (having it delivered by the ton is far cheaper). This was a mud/clay mess during our first Spring - plenty of sand has solved that problem:

 

[Mommysongbird]

Do you mean like the pine chips that you can buy at Tractor Supply??

We had plastic over the top for the winter, but we have mainly gotten rain and no winter, there ended up being holes all in it. So we took it off.

Our other run is great. We didn't have to dig that one up.

I have 2 bags of saw dust and chips that I was going to use for the coop, but wondering if I should just throw them in the run now??

 

[Mommysongbird]

We did sand about 175 pounds back last June and that only lasted till the first hard rain (about a month or so later). I don't have a way to have it hauled in, can't get a truck or anything up in the yard. I just wish we could grow some grass. Wonder if I put down straw with grass seed under it, if the girls would scratch it up imediately??

 

[NovaAman]

175 pounds ain't gonna do anything... You need more like a yards worth. Layer of pea gravel underthe sand.

 

[Mommysongbird]

I got the sand free, so I wasn't that choosy. Our run is only 4 foot wide by 6 foot.

 

[kmatt87]

i was just thinking about this for our temp run. There is no plant life growing where the run/coop is going to be for a little while. I won't have time to grow any either. I was thinking wood chips to start with....

 

[1muttsfan]

Just use a lot more straw, like a couple bales, cover the floor of the run and add more as needed. You could also use wood chips.

BTW, sawdust is not a good choice inside a coop. it is too dusty (bad for lungs) and is usually too high in moisture, as it has not been kiln dried like wood chips.