need advice re. muddy run

[Nyrial]

To reinforce the above posts.

Mine was getting muddy and gross and I sprinkled DE liberally all over it. As in snowfall liberally. Then I put down sand.
Best.Invesment.Ever.

 

[Barred Rocker]

IMHO you could just wait a few days and let it dry out. Or another idea is to put mulch down that should absorb a lot of moisture and will give the chickens something to scratch in. I know it's a mess, mine gets that way after a rain but mine isn't covered. After a day or 2 it's back to normal and the chicks are no worse for wear.

 

[TcherDawn]

Quote:
Wow, I bought Stall Dry for the first time from our pet store and it was $26. I will look into cheaper sources next time!
We just put 3 inches of fine pea gravel and lots of DE in our muddy run before winter snow sets us in. Girls love it, and dust bathe where the DE is thickest. Good luck.

 

[Jimmiaandboys]

We just finished putting down a light scattering of marble chips (already had on hand) then covered with play sand and so far it's held up well in the rain. The run was muddy more times than not so we're hopeful this carries through winter, too.

 

[JimWWhite]

Sand! A layer of Crush 'n Run (about an inch or so) and then three inches of creek sand. We've had it in our run all summer and fall and my gals have nice dry feet. Of course it helps they're under a metal carport too. Rain still comes in at an angle but the sand drains quickly and doesn't get all muddy. We had the remanants of Ida blow through two weeks ago and the gals were dry and happy. It's been a wet fall here but our run seems to stay dry enough. Next spring we'll remove maybe half of it and put it in the garden and replace it with fresh sand.

 

[patandchickens]

The reason for the muck is probably as much the straw starting to decompose as the manure that gets into it. You *can* go with sand or gravel or that sort of thing (I wouldn't have recommended marble chips, you don't usually want chickens on sharp footing that can cause bumblefoot, but it's evidently too late now and hopefully they're mixed with enough sand not to cause problems); but when the run doesn't get wet often, as with your roofed run, it is perfectly reasonable to consider just replacing the straw or etc when it gets ucky. In some cases you can get a *long* period of use out of one load of straw/etc. And it is WONDERFUL for the garden

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Cindy in PA]

We put 1 1/2 tons of sand in our run last summer (8 by 12) and with all the wet weather it lasted until April, before it was a muddy mess again. In September we put down 2 ton of sand. It works great, but I am sure we will be replacing it again next year, as 2 ton goes to nothing after awhile. We have been wet constantly since last winter. This week was supoosed to be nice, but it has been rainy or drizzly since Monday!!! Every week we are gray & crappy. This has been the longest year of my life! Supposed to rain through Saturday and then again Monday or Tuesday. The neat thing is with all the gray weather we are actually behind on rainfall for November.

 

[australorpchick]

I have sand and that worked really well, but the I moved the run. I'll be tossing down a 1/2 yard of pea gravel this weekend. Make sure you get your sand or gravel from a stone yard. It'll be much cheaper than if you get playground sand at lowes or home depot. My 1/2 yard of pea gravel cost me $21 and filled up the back of our truck.

 

[LynneP]

Yep, once you get the drainage and substance sorted, think about adding snow boards. We get sideways rain too, and part way through last year after a freezing rain blizzard episode, we slapped up some 1/4" plywood. I actually got it painted to match the barn last summer. We have a clear roof, so we still get lots of light. If $$$ were not a consideration I'd have bought polycarbonate panels, but *cough* they were a bit pricey. The boards were the clincher, no extra water getting in and because we are sloped and trenched, it stays really dry in there year round. Gosh they were dust-bathing in there today. The soil is sandy and I treat it with food-grade DE around the perimeter, plus it gets some stall shavings during cleanout which are also treated with Stable Boy powder and DE.

 

[purpletree23]

Please don't use ethanol. The residue it leaves is very toxic. The mulch is not good either. It will mold and the chickens will eat the mold and become very sick or die. A run is so chickens can get fresh air and eat grass and take dust baths. Why not rake out the straw and compost it (just like another poster recommended) add good quality dirt and spread grass seed? You will have to use a seed that is not treated and keep the chickens out of the run for a while but to me thats the best fix. Do you have room to make a temporary run until the old one repairs its self?