Pen got very wet. What to do now?

[zazouse]

Get some dried leaves and pile it in there, the chickens will turn it into dry dirt in a day or 2.

When ever it is going to rain, i go into my wooded area and rake up tons of leaves and put the in the areas the chickens feed /lay and roost in, the eggs stay clean,the chickens stay clean, and they have a ball mixing it all up, which in turn will dry out your run, and it will look and smell nice with no chemicals.

 

[chicks4kids]

Quote:
Of course!! This is an excellent idea!! And right on hand for most people...In the fall we rake leaves and bag them up for winter fun for the girls (and boys) when they don't want to go outside of their coop. Good thinking!!

However, if you go with the DE route, usually you have to order it, and in no small quantity either. I looked everywhere and noone had it. Don't get me wrong, they had TONS of non-food grade DE and most places were more than willing to sell it! I ended up eBaying it --50 lbs. for $50. But now I have a lifetime supply!

Good luck!

 

[braggsrus]

Missi,
I'm from Monroe. North, La. Where is Pride?

No, the pen doesn't get wet usually as it's covered and protected from the rain. I just accidently flooded it with the water sprinkler turned the wrong way when I was watering my garden...

I have one pallet that I am about to go put down until I can get some sand. Then later today, I will get the sand and do some foraging around the yard for some dry leaves.

Thank you all for the great advice. Can't say that I would have come up with these ideas myself.
Now, I am not looking forward to going out there in that disgusting mess......I'll need gloves, boots and a mask.

 

[PeepsInc]

I collect free wood chips off the side of the road. The kind they make with brush chippers. Line the run with them. They work great to keep the birds dry, & they compost really well. Best of all, there FREE!

 

[ldaziens]

The pallet sounds brilliant --- I would just put the pallet down and then put your leaves / sand / etc. right on top of the pallet. The pallet will help leave some air space, and I think you want that yucky mud to get some air circulation.

WEEDCLOTH might be good to lay down under the sand - to keep it from sinking down into the mud as much. -- NOT plastic, but the kind that allows air and water through. If you could find burlap cloth sand bags, that would be great for holding a layer of sand on the bottom.

The Diatomaceous Earth -- food grade only -- would be good for helping with the stink and flies, I think. I LOVE DE, so I have a 50 lb. bag of it, which I had to order; but the feed stores in Picayune, MS carried smaller quantities of the food grade -- just more expensive that way. You can search DE here or google it to see what all people use it for.

As far as the fan - I keep a box fan out in our barn - hanging from the ceiling -- it has very small holes in the grill, so no animal can get a head or limb into it; and I have an outlet on the ceiling, so I can keep the electrical cords up out of the way. If you could keep the fan OUTSIDE the pen, that might be safest, but just make sure you don't let the electricity mix with the wet mud.

 

[braggsrus]

Thanks for all the great ideas. I bought 2 bags of sand and put them down. They are doing great for the areas that aren't so muddy. In my haste to fix the mess. I forgot to put the pallet down, wish I would have, it would have provided some ventilation to allow the mud to dry out. I did go get 3 large wheelbarrows full of leaves and put them on the muddiest areas. When I walk in there, I still sink about 4 inches down but, the chickens aren't as weighty so it atleast keeps them dry. I cleaned out the nesting boxes and put fresh wood chips, the kind you use for bedding in the boxes.

Now, the main problem is the stench and the huge amount of flies. It's nauseating.

Does anyone have any advice for what to do about that? We've never had a stinky pen b/4. I'm hoping that in a few days, when the dirt is dry again the flies will disperse. Until then, I will pray the neighbors don't get a whiff of it.

 

[zazouse]

Do you have power to your coop?

If you do put a fan out there and set it level to the ground, set it on the highest setting let it blow, this will help in drying out the coop more also.

 

[braggsrus]

Yes,
I do have power to it. It's just that I am gone most of the day and am not sure about leaving the fan going while I'm gone. But, I might just have to do it.
Thanks again.