Run is a mud hole, advice please???

[mgw]

We have gotten so much rain in eastern WA. this spring our run is open top and it has just become a mudhole. also the hens scatter so much feed out of the feeder I think its starting to ferment it reeks. how can we help this problem without violating our bank account. P.S it is supposed to rain the first 10 days of june. any thoughts ideas or advice will be welcomed.

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Rake it out & spread some hay or straw, so the chickens won't have to tromp through the mud. Put their feed in a large tub so they can't spill it.

 

[Stumpy]

Perhaps you could find some second-hand brick and line the edges of the run with it and then fill in the rest with two or three inches of sand. Sand is really quite inexpensive when bought from a farmer's co-op, especially if you can haul it yourself.

 

[Imp]

Quote:
Hi mgw, It's wet here on the west side too.
Lots & lots of sand/gravel. Cover the run if possible too.

Imp

 

[patandchickens]

See the 'fixing a muddy run' link in my .sig below for discussion of your options

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[MotherJean]

I did a temporary fix with a 12' long 1" metal pipe placed at the top of the run lengthwise as a support (could have used rope, too), then I draped a tarp over that like a pup tent and used bungees to secure the corners of the tarp at the bottom corners of the run. It only gives the girls about 1/2 the run under cover, but it's enough to keep them from getting totally soaked and muddy. Total cost of pipe, 10x12 tarp, and bungees was under $20. As soon as the weather breaks, the whole run is getting a roof. The tarp will be kept in reserve for draping the sides to keep that sideways rain from coming in.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

add you a frame for the bottom, 2X4's 1X4's, pipe/pvc/brick/cement blocks whatever to the edges of the run, to hold the edges of a tarp or meshing of some sort or even an old carpet you can get your hands on (i thought of this from seeing an old stained carpet rolled up on side of road yesterday

) and add you some crushed gravel, or sand, from a farmer's co-op or just calling around to get the best prices. alot of places do crushed gravel mixture or low grade sand for 10-15$ a ton...

 

[elmo]

I bought a bunch of large plastic plant saucers that I put under the feed dishes to catch the feed that gets spilled and/or scratched out. I don't want to let it get moldy on the ground.

 

[mgw]

Raked &shoveled all the mud out put 2 in of pine shavings deverted water as much as possible the girls are much happier. They have already rearranged the shavings to their liking. have tarp &wood gonna temp something up. hope it dont end up looking like a hobo camp lol. totaly got mud all over the inside of garden shed more work sigh!!. making plans for permanent solution when things dry out. thankyou all who shared knowledge it is a big help for me.