Ok, Oregon friends, I need help!

[CrazedCowgirl]

First time chicken mom and As all Oregonian's know, we have mud. Lots and lots of mud. I currently have 2 adult hens in a 10"x10" run with a smaller 3"x4" coop. Even though I just have the two girls in the run now, I'll be adding 6 new chicks (with their full size coop) here in a couple weeks and as much as I would love to think they'll be ok in the mud around the coop, I doubt they'll think so.

Here's my question for everyone. What do you use as a medium in your run? Sand, bark chips, shavings, or something else?

I'd like to stay away from straw since I've never really liked it. In my opinion, it's only good for bedding foaling stalls and dog kennels since it doesn't absorb any moisture.

Please let me know what you've used or currently use and how it's worked for you! Thanks!

 

[CascadiaRiver]

I am in Washington, but we have the same issues! We've had our coop/run for 3 years and we add dirt and dry crumbled leaves. We also free range and the dirt doesn't get too muddy around there with our 17 birds <3

 

[Golden2]

Wish I could help , but i'm going to be in the same muddy boat with where my run has to be and the amount of rain we get...

in for answers

 

[CrazedCowgirl]

I think I might have it figured out! I got my babies moved outside and introduced to my older girls. While watching them run around and play with their waterer (I use a 5 gal bucket with Chicken nipples on the bottom)and making a muddy mess, I decided to throw a few handfuls of pea gravel under there and see if it helped. It did!

I know from experience that gravel of any kind can get rather hot in the Summer, I grabbed a few bags of landscaping/construction sand at Home Depot and dumped those on top of the gravel.

So I think I'll wait until they get done eating the grass down and scratch up the roots and then I'll spend the day laying down peal gravel all over their pen and topping it with construction sand. Hopefully the rain won't wash it all away.

 

[Clio320i]

Hi CrazedCowgirl

My folks have always just let their girls run about in the muck in their uncovered run. But they have a large run (maybe 15' x 15' for a smallish number of birds (3-4). I have less available space at my house, so when building our coop/run we covered the run with a corrugated metal roof to avoid as much of the mud problem as possible. This is untested: chicks are only 16 days old today. I have been figuring on no bedding, just dirt, in the run, but I like your idea of pea gravel + sand. I'll come back and post once I have some real experience with this setup.

 

[CrazedCowgirl]

Hi CrazedCowgirl

My folks have always just let their girls run about in the muck in their uncovered run. But they have a large run (maybe 15' x 15' for a smallish number of birds (3-4). I have less available space at my house, so when building our coop/run we covered the run with a corrugated metal roof to avoid as much of the mud problem as possible. This is untested: chicks are only 16 days old today. I have been figuring on no bedding, just dirt, in the run, but I like your idea of pea gravel + sand. I'll come back and post once I have some real experience with this setup.

I was thinking about covering the southwest side of the run this coming winter but I'm not 100% sure I want to do that just yet. I like that my girls can get all the sun they want but still have the choice of either going into or under their coop to get some shade or stay out of the rain.

I might also expand it so I can have a run rotation so they can have fresh grass throughout the year. I might cover those since they won't be so tall. Maybe only 4' rather then the 6' tall run that they're in now.

I'd love to hear/see what you come up with for your run since I'll most likely re-do mine next summer. I'd already like to fix a few things and make it better for them.

 

[Clio320i]

At some point, I'm planning on compiling all our photos and starting a new thread for our coop. We're almost done with it!

 

[Clio320i]

I'd love to hear/see what you come up with for your run since I'll most likely re-do mine next summer. I'd already like to fix a few things and make it better for them.

I put up a coop page: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/an-oregon-backyard-coop-for-5