PNW rainy climate and optimizing deep litter run construction

[RSTinWA]

I'm in the Seattle area, so our climate is temperate but very rainy most of the year. I have 6 ducks in our suburban backyard bordering a mountains to sound greenbelt. My coop and run are built on a terrace on the hillside in our wooded backyard.

I want to do the deep litter method using primarily straw, but thus far, the 10 x 10 run is way too soggy and does not dry out at all. I've had them in this run 2 months, and at this point I've got about 8 inches of sodden straw that smells sour and a bit ammonia. I do turn the straw daily, and add a thin layer to give them a fresh surface. But it feels like I need to change something.

Would putting a french drain through the center of the coop be a good idea?

Currently I have a tarp over the hardware cloth roof. Should I go with something more impermeable, like corrugated tin or fiberglass panels? There is never going to be a lot of direct sun on the run area even during dry weather; we have a lot of cedars shading the entire backyard. Is it necessary to have sunlight for drying out and breaking down the materials in deep litter?

What does successful deep litter look like in a very wet climate? And what do I do differently to achieve that?
Rachel

 

[3KillerBs]

Hello.

Unfortunately, you've hit on one of the problems with straw as a bedding -- it packs, mats, and forms anaerobic pockets when wet.

Chunky wood chips -- the kind you get from a tree trimming service -- are considered the gold standard for keeping a chicken run pleasant and odor-free, especially in a wet environment.

A lot of people in your part of the country put roofs over their runs to keep the wet and the mud under control. Have you been to your state thread? You can certainly get good advice about local conditions there.

 

[RSTinWA]

Off to find the state thread -- thanks for the tip.

I've heard some people say that the wood chips can lead to bumble foot in ducks, so it seemed like straw was less problematic, but honestly, at the moment, the straw is just horrible.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Go with deep litter with a base of wood chips - it's the natural choice here given all the trees, which makes sourcing them easy (and often free). To that you can add some straw, dried leaves, short grass clippings, garden trimmings, etc.

If existing soil drainage is an issue, you'll need to address drainage first, and then add the litter on top of that. Wood chips let water (and air) flow through, but the water needs somewhere to go so it doesn't just pool at the location.

I don't have a roofed run and have had flooding issues in the past, but even then my run drains faster than almost any other area in my yard due to the deep litter and the way it's stabilized the underlying soil.