take a look-advice? flooded run-help!

[RonP]

I agree with others.
You need to elevate the run.

Put a border, 1x6 pressure treated or so.
Fill with wood chips.

Add more chips as they disappear.

 

[aart]

No where to trench it too.
Is it always that wet or just from the torrential rain fall we've just had?

Deep litter is the way to go.
I lined my run with 1/2: HC to hold the DL in.


Started with ramial wood chippings from the power company trimmers that were aged for 6 months at a buddies place.


Add some dry grass and leaves on occasion.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Wow your lot looks about as flat as can be (even flatter than mine), so the water can only sit in place. If drainage isn't usually an issue with the type of soil there then I think just adding a lot of litter will help build it up so the chickens have a dry mat to walk on.

 

[21hens-incharge]

A short term emergency adjustment to get them out of the mud you can lay a pallet in there. It will give them some place dry to stand while you work on a true fix.

 

[oregonkat]

Are you also getting run off from the field behind your wood fence? I would do like some others have said and get your metal run fence up on some concrete blocks with the holes on their sides so that water accumulation can get out and then fill the run area with a layer of pea gravel and the rest with wood chips and whatever else has been recommended. It seems like you coop is well up off the ground to withstand the higher level of the run. If you can install some kind of french drain on the side against the wood fence to take care of any further run off, it would be helpful. Also providing a roof of some kind for your run might help with rainfall. Good luck!

 

[Relleoms]

I just bought a bunch of bags of pine nuggets, and then covered that with shredded hardwood mulch (about 1.5 CY total for 100 SF). It solves the immediate concern relatively inexpensively, but you’ll also want to look for a more long-term solution. Good luck!

 

[MIchickenlady]

Honestly, I would deep litter it, and as swampy as it is now, you need stuff that will raise the level FAST. Any chance you can get a load of wood chips (NOT shavings, actually chunks of wood) or mulch in there? Then you can put the "nicer" bedding on top of that, but the wood will give it some bulk right off and raise them out of the muck, plus it will break down, but slowly, and pure mulch or wood chips doesn't really do anything gross when waterlogged, so it shouldn't get stinky or anything like that.
I would suggest 1/2 inch hardware cloth, or even landscaping fabric to hold the litter in without holding the water in.
It might also help to put some of those black plastic drainspout pipes (the ones with the holes in them every few inches) under the wood chips, so once the water works it's way to the lower levels of the litter it will go into the pipes and run out to the sides of the run and dump out on the grass (and the water will have some chicken poo in it, so your grass will grow like crazy after it rains)

Thank you for all these great ideas!! Calling about a load of chips today.

 

[oregonkat]

One thing to keep in mind is that rodents are going to love any kind of nice warm haven that you give them with the deep litter. Do you have metal hardware cloth under the run? If not, you might consider that before investing in the chips and then having to clear them away to rodent proof after the fact.