Plexiglass walls in run?

[aart]

But if there's heavy rain for one day or days in a row, then I end up with mud and pooling of water inside parts of the coop.

During a heavy rain is a good time to go out and start digging diversion trenches,
then you can see where the eater is flowing.

 

[khind]

LAST ones: Sun Pics, West side! (NO trees are growing on that west side! No shade!)
Pics 14, 15. And yes I need that much coverage because I have a metal grandpa's feeder that gets hit right by the sun depending upon the time of day. And yes, they normally need to have some kind of heavy brick leaning on them if we're going to have a windy day.

 

[khind]

Where does the rain come in? Well it comes in through some of the open spaces that weren't covered, but then it also comes in along what you might call the baseboards of both coops. And so I think gutters will help with that, and diverting the water, like people have said, will help.
I know that I don't have to eliminate all water in there, and that's just fine with me. I wouldn't go through these extreme measures except that we get bizarre rains, heavy rains. So I just would like a system that doesn't involve my hauling out all kinds of boards and and asking somebody else to do the same if I'm away. (Although it actually is a very good workout. I haven't had to lift weights in quite a while ... Lol). Not to mention adding all that lumber outside all the time. That just invites termites - we have them all around in the woods.

 

[Flockincrazy]

I would not only worry about heat that would scare me their not gonna get enough oxygen i don't think that would be the best material

 

[khind]

What I'm working on as well to address this problem is adding more dirt right around (& inside) both runs to build up the areas where there has been erosion or run off and where the chickens have dug to dust bathe. I mean, they might dig it right back out, but there has to be enough for them to work with in the 1st place.
Another idea is after filling that up, is maybe adding some really large patio pavers to make a neater outer floor right around the coop. If nothing else, if they walk in with muddy feet they'll at least have some pavement to lose some mud before they step into the coop. And the same for me.

 

[3KillerBs]

If nothing else, if they walk in with muddy feet they'll at least have some pavement to lose some mud before they step into the coop. And the same for me.

This is one of the areas where deep litter shines. It still sticks to your feet somewhat, but it isn't heavy, clumpy mess like mud -- especially good for chickens with feathered feet.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I know that I don't have to eliminate all water in there, and that's just fine with me. I wouldn't go through these extreme measures except that we get bizarre rains, heavy rains. So I just would like a system that doesn't involve my hauling out all kinds of boards and and asking somebody else to do the same if I'm away.

Wow yeah that's a LOT to go through each time it rains.

Forgot if this ever came up, but you ever consider moving the entire set up to a spot that's either higher up or better draining or has naturally better coverage against rain?

Really isn't a magic system to deal with rain, other than having/adding as much good drainage as you can at the location, and then going from there.

 

[khind]

This is one of the areas where deep litter shines. It still sticks to your feet somewhat, but it isn't heavy, clumpy mess like mud -- especially good for chickens with feathered feet.

Awesome

 

[khind]

Thank you all for taking the time to think through this with me!! I feel like I have a better idea definitely of how to handle this now, and I feel better about the whole thing. I got some great suggestions I can work with. Incidentally, my neighbor who keeps chickens also told me today that he'd been having similar problems and one of the things that he did was build up a couple terraces. Kind of like speed bumps on the dirt. Tall enough to make a difference in how much water flows downward, but not so tall that he can't take his riding mower right over it.

 

[3KillerBs]

Thank you all for taking the time to think through this with me!! I feel like I have a better idea definitely of how to handle this now, and I feel better about the whole thing. I got some great suggestions I can work with. Incidentally, my neighbor who keeps chickens also told me today that he'd been having similar problems and one of the things that he did was build up a couple terraces. Kind of like speed bumps on the dirt. Tall enough to make a difference in how much water flows downward, but not so tall that he can't take his riding mower right over it.

My late brother-in-Law, a Civil Engineer, and my daughter, a CAD Technician for an engineering firm, could spend a lot of time talking about proper grading around building sites.