MUDDY RUN! OMG The slop, slippery ick!

[kimboolah]

Usually it's ok--it drains well, it is just because we have had heavy rain for the last three days. UGH. My girls are banished to the coop and free ranging with no time allowed in the yard because it's such a mess. I just heard the weather and it's supposed to FROST tonight--well great, theren't nothing better than muddy ICE! What can I put down to alleviate this? Sand? It's just disgusting. (and dangerous!)

Thanks
1

 

[mrbstephens]

Sand sounds good to me.

 

[cmom]

Gravel with sand on top maybe. I have sand in my runs.

 

[kimboolah]

Thanks! I just gave my husband specific directions about what we need and he said "well, I guess so" when I asked him to get the gravel and sand tomorrow. Poor tortured soul.....ha ha not.

It's starting to dry up this morning, but it's just so disgusting and I think we have ruined/messed up every pair of shoes because of the rain/wet and the mud! ugh.

My husband just went out there to collect eggs and said they are really mad that they are cooped up in the coop!

 

[patandchickens]

Sand is useful but there are other things you can do as well.

Check out the 'muddy run' link in my .sig below.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Wifezilla]

Great page Pat. The photo reminded me of my younger days in Wisconsin. Every spring we had to dig a big trench through the ice and snow around our house to keep the basement from flooding.

Even in Colorado things have been a bit on the soggy side this year. I use deep litter in the duck pen and it is working great. No mud.

 

[speckledhen]

One suggestion would be that if you add gravel, make sure it's smooth, like river rock, and has no sharp edges. That could set you up for a cycle of bumblefoot.

 

[kimboolah]

Thanks everyone for the ideas. Today was a sunny bright day so it dried up some, but not the dusty dry that it was before. I told my husband specifically that we need "round gravel" nothing sharp and he sighed and said "ok". He just spent the weekend in the rain, sick on antibiotics, enlarging the coop for the new babies, so I can forgive his lack of enthusiasm this week, i guess.

I will hold off until it's as dry as it is going to get and then lay down the gravel and tons of sand.

Oh! it's going to be 31 degrees here tonight. Good bye garden, hello winter. It's August 30th!!! AACK!