Muddy run

[angiefox32]

Hello everyone. I'm new to the group and was wondering how to dry up a muddy run? I just got my coop on Sunday and got 7 hens for it on Monday. It's a 6 by 12 cabin coop with a covered run. It rained really hard the last couple of days and my coop run is muddy and stinky already

I need advise on what to do? I really didn't think it would get that much rain in there but it did. My Chickens laid 11 eggs total the first two days. Today I only collected 1 small egg!!

I also noticed one of chickens has the runs!!! Could she be sick??

 

[angiefox32]

I don't think I posted this in the right place! Lol...I'm a newbie

 

[3riverschick]

Welcome Anglefox32 and

How much longer is rain going to be an issue at your place? If only a day or two, get a bale of hay at the feed store and spread it on the wet ground. It should be deep enough the birds are walking on the straw, not in the water or muddy ground. It won't last more than several days but will hold you in a pinch. Is the rain blowing in one side of the run? If so, go to the dollar store and get a clear show curtain and hang it up on that side as best you can. That will at least give the run some time to start drying out.

Your chicken should not have a runny nose. That is worrisome. if it is a sickness you want to nip it in the bud before it spreads. Tell you what, take your birds health issue over to the emergency list.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/10/emergencies-diseases-injuries-and-cures
Title your post newcomer needs help, sick chick?? We have a lot of folk there ready to help and they have seen all kinds of symptoms. Is the inside of the coop damp? Does the air smell at all like ammonia? If so, clean out the coop and fill it with about 4 inches of hardwood shavings. Not softwood. You can tell the difference because hardwood shavings smell like fresh dry sawdust. softwood shavings smell like turpentine. ask or poke a small hole in the bale and sniff. Try Tractor Supply or your local feed store.
if you are at your feed store or tractor Supply, ask of they carry Poultry Nutri-Dench. This is a great emergency nutritional supplement for any time birds are stressed as yours sound like they are now. It is different from other aids because it does not need digesting Mainlines right into the bloodstream with 99% uptake in 30 minutes. I have used it on my birds for years and won't raise chicks without it. The 4 oz. bottle ( 6.99 to 9.99) is all you need, it's very concentrated. See this thread for usage instructions.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/746509/how-to-deal-with-travel-stress-in-baby-chicks
No, I am not saying your birds are going to die. I am just saying if your birds are stressed by sickness or environmental stressors, it often will inhibit how well they are able to uptake the nutrients in the food you give. So this product does not stress their G.I tract any more. It simply absorbs directly into the bloodstream giving the birds the extra energy they need to get past the stress. and energy to help get well.
Best Regards,
Karen and the Light Sussex in western PA. USA

 

[JadedPhoenix]

Hello everyone. I'm new to the group and was wondering how to dry up a muddy run? I just got my coop on Sunday and got 7 hens for it on Monday. It's a 6 by 12 cabin coop with a covered run. It rained really hard the last couple of days and my coop run is muddy and stinky already

I need advise on what to do? I really didn't think it would get that much rain in there but it did. My Chickens laid 11 eggs total the first two days. Today I only collected 1 small egg!!

I also noticed one of chickens has the runs!!! Could she be sick??

I keep oats, clover, and dandelions growing in my run. YES, I grow greenery in my run but I have a large one and I seed it daily to stay ahead of the chickens' appetite. Any seed that they don't eat grow and keep the floor covered. Keeps from having a muddy run.

For right now, I'd suggest that you get some wood shavings, straw or some other temporary cover for the ground to help dry things up and think about a way to drain your run a bit more. Maybe adding a slope to it.

 

[Lotta3]

I've got a couple sacks of wood chippings from the local woodyard on order to cover muddy areas with a deep layer they can scratch about in, will be seeding under it so the wood chip will protect the young growth but won't stop it eventually pushing up and through

Just make sure it's safe wood - ie not yew or cedar

 

[debid]

"The runs" = diarrhea, not a runny nose. She was probably gulping up puddled water. That's a favorite rainy day chicken activity. If there is blood or bubbly yellow, then worry. Otherwise, likely temporary condition from overindulgence of the beloved puddle.

And, it's a bit late this year but sacks of leaves gathered in the fall keep my run mud-free. The scratching and pooping action really breaks down those tough oak leaves. I eventually end up with nice garden soil out of the deal.

 

[yyz0yyz0]

if you have a muddy run more than a day or two after rain then you have a drainage problem with your run.


check out this post in the Learning Center section: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-to-fix-a-muddy-run-chicken-coop

Very detailed descriptions of muddy conditions, the causes and some solutions to try.

 

[c2chicks]

Check out some of the many informative threads about putting sand in your run. I love sand...it drains well, doesn't smell, looks great and is easy to clean.

 

[angiefox32]

Thanks for all of the advise! It means a lot! This is my first week with chickens. I just cleaned the coop and noticed my Americana is still acting sick. The other hens are pecking at her also. She just lays around and barely eats. Could she just be old?

I bought laying hens from a guy who said they were all a 1 1/2 but I think the Americana is way older than that.

 

[jlholm]

If she's sick and the other hens are pecking her, you need to take her out and put her in a separate cage isolated from the others until she is well. Otherwise, not only do you risk the other hens getting sick, but they will eventually kill your sick hen pecking her.