Run Flooded

[Hambone]

What is everone using to put down on the ground in thier run? It has rained for a solid week here and my run could be compared to a hog pen or a swamp. Water and mud, you can't even see my chickens feet. I wish I could put something down to obsorb some of the muddy water. What are you using? I can't image how bad it will be in winter.

 

[SarahFair]

The only thing I can think is dig an escape hole or let it drain if its in a river like mine gets..

 

[CackleFan]

I put couple inches of sand in the run. It works well. You can get sand from those people who sell landscaping supplies.

 

[LittleMamaBigPapa]

Can I please hi-jack, or piggy back?? I couldn't find a post about muddy chickens. I came home and freaked out thinking someone swapped my white bantams for barred rocks! They seriously look like zebras!!!!! They are all muddy - from all the RAIN, RAIN, RAIN in the run. The rooster mounting all 4 of the girls with his muddy feet is NOT helping. I want so much to bring them inside and bathe them but it is only 40 degrees and Nebraska can dip to freezing almost faster that I can change into some warm sweats.

Do I leave my chickens all dirty???

 

[lavacaw]

A few years back, I had standing water in the run seeping into the coop. I broke and scattered a bale of hay and then piled a bag of wood shavings on top of that inside the coop. Raked all the spilled hay from the cows round bale and threw in the front of the run. It helped until the water went down. When things dried out pretty well, I raked it all up and threw it in the compost pile and started fresh. Do you have access to hay or straw? Might be worth trying.

 

[LittleMamaBigPapa]

I know I can get some hay. Good thought. I threw shavings out there earlier, but that is pretty much soaked up now.

Now.....what to do with those dirty chickens????

 

[Chickenmaven]

You leave them dirty,


you Highjacker.

 

[LittleMamaBigPapa]

Quote:
I know, I know Chicken maven.......how rude of me

 

[chookchick]

A suggestion from another BYCer--throw down some pallets, at least they will have somewhere dry to stand! Then get your hands on some woodchip, which you should be able to get for free, and put it on thick in at least one area. Then read patandchickens "Fixing a muddy run" page in the learning center. Once they get out of the mud and get dry they can clean themselves up.

Here's the link:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-fix-a-muddy-run

 

[patandchickens]

what chookchick said <vbg>

As far as the chickens themselves being muddy, as long as they have somewhere warm and dry to go I would not worry, barring *maybe* really bizarre weather like where it goes from 50 F to -30 F in ten hours, sort of thing.

Because remember, chickens are *internally heated*, they dry from the inside (fluffy bases of feathers) on out and the outside of the feathers will still be warmer than the ambient air. So it would have to get a *lot* below freezing for mud to freeze on their feathers.

Once it dries, it falls off and they preen the rest off

Good luck, have fun,

Pat