Rain in the Run

[ellend]

I have heard of DLM but that only works in the large coops like yours I think. I have 3 smaller coops (2 4x4 and 1 4x10). They are chicken sized and not walk in size. So, I think they need to be cleaned out every week, and spot cleaned more often than that. I'm definitely thinking of going to one large coop like yours. Meantime, I'm pretty happy to hear I can use hay. There would be some great benefits to it.

Hay gets moldy pretty quickly; I don't believe it is safe.

 

[ellend]

The crazy thing is, that the roof is covered on the side that puddles!! The sides are not covered, only in winter to block from the harsh cold winds. I'm guessing that it just sloped that bad, that ALL the water collects there. And I learned my lesson using straw, never again! The sun is shining today, (more rain expected for the next 5 days) and my husband is going to add more sand. Hoping it helps!

I also have a very muddy run. I use sand inside their houses, but sand outside, exposed to rain, seems to be a dicey idea. The poop mixes in with it, and it gets really nasty. Too heavy to dig out, and disposal is an impossible issue for me. My coop is in a 6x20 spot between 2 houses (yep; not according to regulations...) and I must make certain there is no smell or mess, in deference to neighbors and to our own senses (and the birds' welfare, of course.) Still thinking here; appreciate all the experiences shared by others.

 

[ChickNanny13]

We get RAIN ... So much of it at times the ground gets saturated. One end of my CH the water starts to wick. In the past I'd rake up the soggy shavings, add more. In the meantime drying the wet stuff on a tarp in the patio but that got to be a problem when the water would come into the patio. So then I put it up on a "table" 3 x 8 with a fan. The chickens, of course, dug in the area that the water collects = muddy feet.

Long story short ... I thought of trying the Horse Pellets that a friend uses for her brooder ... It's pine compressed to pellets, absorbs the water & breaks down to particle. It's working I rake the shavings off to the side in the evening, pour a bunch of the pellets in the area and cover it with shavings. Sprinkle scratch at another section of the CH so they're distracted until roosting. It's been working so far

After a big rain I rake aside whatever's there & add more in the evening, covering with what I've raked aside and toss scratch to keep them occupied. We have had some downpours but not continuous (days), that will be interesting but it's easier that trying to dry out the shavings. The broken up pellets turning to saw dust gets mixed in with the shavings, adding more padding to the clay dirt we have.

 

[yodelinginca]

I have a similar (though not as extreme a volume of water) issue with trying to figure out how to keep our muddy run clean- can't scoop poop if it's blended into the mud, so it's just sitting there and stinking thins up. Looking forward to other ideas. My husband's thinking of a thick mulch, but my concern is that our hens will just dig the mulch into the mud and then it'll add to the fermenting matter. We are planning to completely roof our run, but haven't been able to yet...

 

[aart]

I have a similar (though not as extreme a volume of water) issue with trying to figure out how to keep our muddy run clean- can't scoop poop if it's blended into the mud, so it's just sitting there and stinking thins up. Looking forward to other ideas. My husband's thinking of a thick mulch, but my concern is that our hens will just dig the mulch into the mud and then it'll add to the fermenting matter. We are planning to completely roof our run, but haven't been able to yet...

Answered in your thread here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/help-winter-run-maintenance-pu.1342159/