Question about RUN from all the rain

[cajunlizz]

RUN now has alot of mushy areas from all the rain . WHAT can I apply to dry it up that won't effect the chickens ???? We have been getting 2 to 3 rains a day , and getting hard to even walk inside ...


HELP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[chickiebaby]

If the problem isn't smell, but only crazy amounts of mud, then any old planks are your friend. I have some planks kind of stacked up against the side of the coop and I just throw em down as I go through the run and make sort of a path. Plus boots or garden clogs. Mud season, here, as the snow melts, is always substantial.

Smell is a diff story and others may have better advice than I; lime is all I have done.

best.

 

[Katy]

I spread some stall dry out and it seems to help with wet and smell.

 

[cajunlizz]

Quote:
GUESS WHAT ? Even before I read your response , I placed a plank down outside the door to the run , to be able to enter the run , then started spreading pine shavings . BAD part about that , CHICKENS are having a FEAST on that .
I do have lime that DH bought at the feedstore . WHEN he arrived here with that about a month ago I even called back feedstore and MADE him assure me this was safe for chickens . ITS NOT DE but it is lime . . You think I should add LIME ALSO ? NO SMELL , just getting a bit soggy and more rain in forecast

 

[Promiselandfarm]

We have wood shavings in our coops it keeps the smell down and when it rains the mud down. Put it in thick and then they turn it and you turn it and then put it in the garden. And then replace the shavings with new. It also helps keep the flies down somewhat. If you do put it in the garden make sure not to put it close to plants but like the walk areas of the rows. Helps keep the weeds down if you till it in...

 

[dixygirl]

For the same cost you could get 5 rolls of sod and put them in a row like a 15-20 foot runner. I find them for $1.99 /roll It would give you a nice green path to walk on and he chicks some fresh food to munch on. Cover the rest with a few bags of paver base coarse sand grit in a pretty color like red, white, or brown and voila... no more mud and a finished, landscaped look to boot.

 

[sBrickmanHouse]

Our springs and summers here in the Midatlantic are nowhere near as humid and wet as yours are down there, but we do have our share of chicken run GOO when it's wet.

Any time we might have a hint of problems with mud, water, or slime, we throw down copious amounts of sand in our run.

It does take a lot more sand than we would ordinarily expect, but it really does a good job keeping the footing sound and not mucky and slippery.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

We had a muddy area in our run right next to the coop this spring. It's not usually a problem for us, but we had over 100" of snow last winter and the melt water was pretty substantial. We topped it off with sand and it worked great.