Swampy run?

[lgelwell]

Hey all, I'm in Iowa where the weather has been (like the rest of the midwest and beyond) VERY hot. I looked all over town today for a place that sold the little plastic kiddie pools and everywhere was sold out. Today I just decided to leave the hose at a trickle in to one of the water pans. The result, as you can see (or not) from the pic is that the entire right side of the run is a wet swampy mess.



The left side of the run is dry and staying that way, and the dog houses they are currently sleeping in are dry as well. I just want to make sure this is OK. Everything I have read about the run said it should be dry, but my girls really seem to like it. They are wallowing in the mud like pigs and they are 1000x more perky today than they have been all week even though the heat index this very moment is 105 degrees. Will this hurt their feet, or make it too humid? Will they know to get out of the wet part before it hurts their feet?

Sorry if these are dumb questions, we're just trying to get through until Sunday when it will be a deliciously cool 89 degrees!

 

[chicmom]

Well, my only concern would be the mud sticking and hardening onto their feathers. We've got some extreme heat here in Ohio, and I have wet down my runs too, but I have sand in there, which dries and drains nicely. I've seen them laying down in the sand and wallowing in it as you've mentioned. (Like they're having a wet sand dirt bath. They really seem to like it.)

I would imagine, if they're perkier, your idea is helping them.

 

[lgelwell]

I think I am going to switch to sand as soon as we get the real coop built inside the run, but until then this will have to do. Thanks for the feedback, there really isn't that much mud, as I keep a fair amount of pine shavings on the ground for odor control and easy cleanup. Hopefully I will run across a kiddie pool here soon, I may have some swimming chickens )

 

[jpcode]

I don't think hot and wet is a problem, on hot days mine like to walk in the sprinkler then go role in dust. You don't want wet and cold that would promote mold. In 100+ heat things dry so quickly I don't think it is a problem.