Run stinks! 🐷

[Foxinthehenhouse]

My run is dirt but after 8 days of rain its a mud hole and smells like I’m keeping hogs out there!
I tried putting straw down but in no time it was a mess so I just raked it all out. What can I sprinkle on the mud to cut the smell? Lime?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Choosing an actual litter system would be more beneficial than trying to mask the odor. If your soil has good drainage but it gets muddy when wet, a deep litter type system might be a good choice for you. It'll stabilize the ground as it starts breaking down, provide a drier surface to walk on, and composts poop down along with the other materials to help eliminate odor.

 

[Foxinthehenhouse]

You probably have to deal with this a lot. I tried straw and wood chips but with the rain it just disappeared.

 

[rosemarythyme]

You probably have to deal with this a lot. I tried straw and wood chips but with the rain it just disappeared.

How much did you put in?

Building up deep litter does take some time, especially if there's an existing mud issue (mud seems to swallow up whatever you put in!) so it's tempting to just dump a ton of material in. But better to layer thinly over time (you can start by doing weekly layers) and eventually it will start piling up higher over the mud and muck and start drying it out.

 

[Foxinthehenhouse]

Thank you, I’ll try it!

 

[iwltfum]

Also try thicker wood chips and you want them about a foot deep or more or else, like rosemarythyme said, the mud will just swallow them up.
Edit to add: Bigger pieces of wood will soak up more water and retain that water for longer and will take longer to break down.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Also try thicker wood chips and you want them about a foot deep or more or else, like rosemarythyme said, the mud will just swallow them up.
Edit to add: Bigger pieces of wood will soak up more water and retain that water for longer and will take longer to break down.

Yes, ideal main component for deep litter to manage mud/dampness is fairly chunky aged wood chips. I have everything from little sawdust sized pieces to whole small branches and chunks of bark. The different wood sizes lets rain/water fall through and provides aeration to the layers beneath so you get aerobic composting action.

In photo below, these chicks are on run litter after a heavy night of rain. Grass behind them has obvious puddles, but the run is puddle free and surface dry.

 

[Foxinthehenhouse]

Thanks to all of you for your good information!

 

[aart]

I tried straw and wood chips but with the rain it just disappeared.

Wood chips or shavings?
Is there standing water or 'a river running thru it'?

 

[Foxinthehenhouse]

Just mud, twelve days of rain!
Yesterday I put heavy chunky mulch down. I don’t know what I was thinking, I had a big pile of mulch sitting in my driveway. So, through the rain I carted nine loads to my coop. I put lime down first. What a difference!
Thanks so much for the advice. If the rain ever stops they will get my new coop finished and I’ll be moving everyone there.