NOW is the season to mudproof/floodproof your coop and run

[Sylvie]

You are such a wonderful wealth of information, the kind I need as a chicken newbie on clay soil in the snow belt.
Just as I was getting those warm and fuzzy thoughts about our first pretty snowfall you jar me back into reality with that photo!

 

[Chez Poulet]

Ugh! I think I'm too late finding information about the mud problem in my aviary. It is enclosed about 24 x 18 and the coop is raised 2 feet leaving an 8 x 8 space underneath for a dry area with roosting perches so the girls can stay dry and dust bathe if they don't want to be inside the coop.

Now that I already have mud, I fear I'll have to deal with it the rest of the year and it is such a pain! I've put in paving stones from the aviary door to the people/pophole door, but now that is even getting covered in mud.

Any other ideas for a first time chicken keeper (successful so far) and person living her first year in this mucky part of the US? What about laying straw down often, or will that just turn the ground into adobe? Covering it in freshly mowed grass worked for a while as you can see in the pic.

 

[suburban farm girl]

In anticipation of rain & mud we were able to cover our run, but I don't think we considered water run off from other parts of the yard. Fortunately, because of this post, we still have time to take a look at that and maybe make some adustments.

Thank you !

 

[patandchickens]

If you're already muddy it may be too late for gravel or sand to be worthwhile, but you can use COARSE organic materials as a temporary measure (like til things dry out next year). Hogfuel, coarse wood or bark chips, that sort of thing -- straw is ok if it's all you can get, but something coarser and thicker would be better. The smaller/thinner the pieces of organic matter, the faster they start to decompose, and really you wanna get it all out of there BEFORE you get much decomposition because otherwise it just ADDS to the mud.

A good thickish layer of whatever you can get (that isn't too pointy on chickens' feet and doesn't contain anything toxic) will keep the birds up off the muck til you can remove it for a more lasting fix. If it starts to get ucky you can aways chuck in another layer on top of the first one.

Also gutters and long downspouts and trenching, if you haven't covered 100% of the bases that way, too.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Chez Poulet]

Quote:
Pat, you've been so helpful with my ammonia and mud issue!
Thanks!