Need advice on muddy run...

[lynnehd]

Thanks so much for the response and suggestions! They are much appreciated

. Unfortunately we don't have any other stuff to put in the run at the moment (I went over budget this Christmas

.) Just eucalyptus. So, I loaded up the wheelbarrow with the leaves and wheeled 'em to the run and realized I needed to dig a trench to redirect the water. There WAS run off as we are on a slight slope and the coops & run are down below. I don't think the leaves would have made a difference really so I didn't use them. So far the trench is working well and I look forward to checking out the link you posted. Thanks again!

Try contacting tree removal and trimming companies and see if they will dump a load of wood chips for you to use, after a job. They'll need to get rid of them anyway.
A thick layer of wood chips seem to last longer than leaves.
Good thing you re routed the water!

 

[aart]

Sand can turn mud to concrete.....just sayin'.
A lot of folks who had lauded sand ended up greatly regretting it and switched over to a deep litter solution.
Do some serious searching/reading on sand before committing to it.

 

[lynnehd]

Sand can turn mud to concrete.....just sayin'.
A lot of folks who had lauded sand ended up greatly regretting it and switched over to a deep litter solution.
Do some serious searching/reading on sand before committing to it.

Very true. I would not add sand to a muddy run, or an uncovered run.

I have it in my covered run, in the PNW. We set the record, ever, for inches of rainfall in December, and my sand is mostly dry, except for areas like the free range door. True, I've covered the lower parts of the run with greenhouse plastic, to give my chickens additional space adjacent to the coop to use during the harsh weather. But this is mainly to protect them from the near freezing winds (gusting to 50mph) that we had.

That said, I am contemplating converting my coop run to deep litter. I already use that concept in the secondary run that is connected.

 

[Mr Beaks]

Thanks everyone for all the wonderful suggestions! I will definitely do lots of research to come up with a permanent solution. Since moving we really haven't had much rain until now and I went into panic mode. It's really nice to be able to come to a place like BYC and get advice, especially when the stuff hits the fan. I really appreciate all of you who are willing to take the time to help folks like me out . Thanks again!