Planning , and stumped about mud

[missmychicks]

We are in Seattle, and the coop/run will go on the South side of our new house. I cannot find a good plan for keeping the run from becoming a muddy mess in our notoriously wet weather. Currently the ground is grass, but once they tear that up what can I use to keep the ladies wet (besides covering the run)?

 

[Chickeeaholic]

Sand or wood mulch help. I have my run divided into both. I also put a French drain around mine because we have been getting so much rain and flooding. If it’s a problem for you, you can just dig a little trench around the run.

 

[missmychicks]

Can you refer me to a good resource about installing a french drain? Also, are you in WA? Any tips on keeping chickens in our "unique " climate?

 

[Chickeeaholic]

Can you refer me to a good resource about installing a french drain? Also, are you in WA? Any tips on keeping chickens in our "unique " climate?

Sorry I’m not in WA, I’m in WV but I’m at the bottom of a hill and have a lot of water to deal with.

We have had so much rain fall the past years all of the trees are sliding off the hills. It’s sad to be loosing our oaks. So many dead trees are laying everywhere and I think it’s all the rain. I’ve never seen so much rain as we have had in the last 5 years.

The best place is YouTube for tutorials on how to. It can be as simple as digging a ditch. I dug a ditch about 1.5’ deep though, put in the drain pipe with the holes to let water in. It has one side that does not have holes. It faces the bottom. Then I filled the ditch with large grave. It drains towards a downhill slope away from the run. It works great and since I put it in I haven’t had any flooding in the run or coop.

 

[Ted Brown]

A French drain is simply a hole or ditch filled with coarse rock that allows water to drain without obstruction. You need to assess the volume of water you need to drain away in order to make the hole/ditch large enough. Google is your friend.

 

[missmychicks]

Sorry I’m not in WA, I’m in WV but I’m at the bottom of a hill and have a lot of water to deal with.

We have had so much rain fall the past years all of the trees are sliding off the hills. It’s sad to be loosing our oaks. So many dead trees are laying everywhere and I think it’s all the rain. I’ve never seen so much rain as we have had in the last 5 years.

The best place is YouTube for tutorials on how to. It can be as simple as digging a ditch. I dug a ditch about 1.5’ deep though, put in the drain pipe with the holes to let water in. It has one side that does not have holes. It faces the bottom. Then I filled the ditch with large grave. It drains towards a downhill slope away from the run. It works great and since I put it in I haven’t had any flooding in the run or coop.

Thanks so much! Hope things dry out- for us both!

 

[SourRoses]

If you don't have the elevation necessary to really drain the water off (potentially turning the french drain into a moat) consider building up the site with coarse gravel. You can put landscape cloth on top of that and then your run litter such as coarse wood chips, or sand if it's not going to get too wet.
It sounds like a lot of effort, but that's Builder Standard for permanently solving the problem.

You're smart to think about this before you begin, because a boggy chicken area is one of the worst problems to have (odor, flies, filthy birds/eggs, deterioration of the structure, and humidity in cold temps leading to frostbite).

 

[missmychicks]

If you don't have the elevation necessary to really drain the water off (potentially turning the french drain into a moat) consider building up the site with coarse gravel. You can put landscape cloth on top of that and then your run litter such as coarse wood chips, or sand if it's not going to get too wet.
It sounds like a lot of effort, but that's Builder Standard for permanently solving the problem.

You're smart to think about this before you begin, because a boggy chicken area is one of the worst problems to have (odor, flies, filthy birds/eggs, deterioration of the structure, and humidity in cold temps leading to frostbite).

This might be the ticket- it's on a slight hill, but not sure a French drain wold work. Thank you!!!

 

[drangle]

id dig a trench to divert most of the water from going into the run and use a thick layer of wood chips in the run itself. like a foot deep or so.

 

[3KillerBs]

Good for you thinking about this problem BEFORE you build the coop.

My first suggestion is going to be uncomfortable, but it's worthwhile.

Get a good big handful of landscape flags, maybe in different colors, and then the next time it's raining REALLY HARD, put on your rain gear, go out in it, and mark the places where water runs through the landscape, where it pools, and where, hopefully, you have a high-and-dry spot.

If at all possible, build on that high and dry spot.

Additional measures you can take include:

• Installing French drain -- either the traditional gravel-filled ditch @Ted Brown mentioned or the modern plastic pipe sort,
• Digging diversion ditches to lead water around the coop,
• Creating grass swales to lead water around the coop,
• Building up the land to create that high-and-dry island in the topography.
• Have your land professionally graded to manage the water runoff. This can be a surprisingly affordable option -- as we discovered when the installation of our septic system left piles of spoil that screwed up our drainage. A knowledgable "man with a bobcat" improved the entire property's water flow with just a couple hour's work. Probably not worth it for just a chicken coop, but if you've got other water issues on the property it's a good investment.

I personally would only use the gravel and landscape cloth technique that @SourRoses mentioned under a building where the chickens would have no access. Chickens are champion diggers, landscape fabric deteriorates, and chicken poop + gravel + water = stench.

In the run, a deep layer of coarse wood chips is probably your best solution, in combination with the water management options listed above.

Here's an excellent article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-fix-a-muddy-run-chicken-coop.47807/