Muddy smelly run - Help!

[marianne5]

This is a very common problem I know, and i have read all the threads available but they are conflicting with each other.. so im looking for help from you peeps please!

We are relatively new backyard chicken owners.. had our ladies for 8 months now.
We originally had them in a small run and coop and let them free range our whole garden but they were wrecking the place so we decided to build them a large run.
Their run is about 12 metres by 4 metres so a decent size. the problem is it is in the area we had been moving their coop and smaller run around so they have already destroyed any signs of grass and the site was bare mud.. We are from Scotland and have suffered a horendously wet winter and summer this year so inevitably the site has turned to puddles n marshy muck and worse still has started to smell really quite bad.

We had done some research and had planned various floors to help with drainage but each are coming with their own problems so we are unsure what to do for the best. can you give your opinions?

Bark / wood chips- we originally thought bark would be a great idea,, good to look at, soaks up any rain and the girls could still scavage for beasties but im reading online it can attract red mites and cause mould. i also read it needs replaced reguralry which sounds like an awful lot of upkeep and expense..

Sand - I am seeing lots of good things about sand, good drainage, easy to clean out poop etc but then others saying it could easily turn into a cement mess?

Gravel - Gravel was a clear winner until yesterday.. Someone advised to put wire mesh on the floor (to prevent rats etc being able to dig up but still allowing bacteria to go down and the chickens being able to forage) topped with a good few inches of 20mm gravel. It was advised this would be easy to clean out, hosing down with partially bleached water once a week and that the poop would disintegrate and go below mesh level into the soil below. sounded great until another poster advised their gravel had turned into a muddy poopy mess and stank!

at a bit of a loss what to do for the best.. we ,want our girls out of the mud asap and also need to deal with the smell asap..

Being in Scotland rain is inevitable and we dont have the option to move to a different less muddy location.. we were hoping not to have to slab the area as i like the girls being able to forage and as for dust baths we are buying them a kiddies sand pit with a lid so we van close it off in the bad rain and have nice dry sand for the ladies to bathe in..

Any advice appreciated on how to sort the smell and the muck in most efficient manner ! There is too much contradictory advice we are really quite stuck!

Thanks!

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! It sounds like there's a drainage problem; can you fix the grade, even consider French drains? All that water needs to run out of the run. My run area is on an old building foundation, so water tended to stay in it. I use shavings (horse bedding) and hay or straw, not very deep, and shovel it out to the garden occasionally. Feeding treats there gets the birds to mix it up, just like the deep bedding in the coop. Covering at least part of it would help too. Wet weather is a challenge; here it's spring, when all the ice and snow melt. Mary

 

[marianne5]

Thanks Mary, I am starting gto think maybe roofing most of the run might be the best idea but i hate the idea the girls wont get any sun (they seemed to really emjoy sunbathing on my decking when they were free ranging! lol)
Sun is more scarce than rain here in scotland though so perhaps a roof is the best way forward!
Thanks

 

[21hens-incharge]

It would involve a lot of work to haul in material to raise the level of the run. I think it is best option though.
I found covering the run kept the sun from drying it worse than having mud at times.

To fix my mud pit I hauled in a lot of dirt and raised the level of the run a few inches. Yes they still dig holes and these get puddles in them.
If you put down sand use coarse sand not fine. Fine sand gets very hard. You want coarse sand like would be used in concrete. There should be pebbles in it almost like pea gravel.

I would get as much compost as you can from friends, family and even garden centers and start building it up. Leaves from trees and such. I use that and a spade fork to keep things turned if the ladies are being lazy and not turning it all.

 

[aart]

First correct any water run off issues, from surrounding roofs and ground grades, that might cause puddling in the run area.
Keeping water out of the run as much as possible is the first step, digging swales or installing french drains to redirect heavy runoff can really help.

A thick (4-6" / 10-15cm) layer of mixed organic matter will create an environment to house organisms that will decompose the chicken poop.
Use the 'browns' from the composting world, in a balanced mix of sizes, shapes and materials. The carbonaceous materials alone will help reduce the odors.

Meanwhile a light layer of dry straw or dry grass clippings and help reduce odor pretty quickly.

 

[Bryant Redhawk]

As aart says, first find and fix the water runoff issues. This is usually not hard to do and will prevent a recurrence later on.
A blend of straw, wood chips and other compost brown materials will go a long way with the odor and they will soak up surface moisture with out creating a bumble foot possibility.

Where in Scotland are you, Highlands or Lowlands ?

Instead of covering the whole of the run, perhaps only cover half of it so the girls can take cover or sunbathe.