Thanks to the rain my run is now poop soup, Anyone else

[Sunny Side Up]

I use mulch. Got a big pile delivered free from the tree-trimming company that is contracted by the electric company to keep tree branches from growing into the wires. I put it in the coops and in the runs. The stuff in the coops gets more poopy, so I rake it out monthly and add it to the garden beds. The stuff in the runs gets scratched around & eventually decomposes on its own. It doesn't get funky or smelly, just biodegrades. I have one pen that gets especially soupy when it rains. I can add an extra load of mulch to thicken it.

 

[BantamMom13720]

You might try shredded pine mulch also. I have poop soup today since Hurricane Hanna passed our way, and tomorrow I'll put down mulch. It seems to absorb a lot of it AND counteract the odor problem. You can put a little bit of lime underneath it too which really helps with the odor.

The mulch also gives them something to pick through for bugs etc. and is a little less of a hassle than the sand and stone, and less expensive. After a while, you can rake it out and put it on a compost pile or around rose bushes etc. for the winter and it really helps to fertilize them.

Never waste your chicken poop! lol.

 

[Tad]

I use the deep mulch method, its the best I have found, and the tree grinder guys are always looking for a home for it, it really works awesome for kepping the chooks feet up outta the muck, and the pay back compost wise is excellent as well.

 

[rooster-red]

I think sand added to the run might be the best solution.

 

[BJ]

I use mulch in the run too. It is the best I've come up with...stays dry, easy to rake up and replace, and is great "scratching" material where bugs and worms can hide underneath.

 

[Heather J]

I had this problem in the winter after a snow in my goose/duck run because they would just walk on the snow as it fell and melt it with their feet. It became a nasty, mucky mess. I had to spread new layers of straw on it after every major snow storm (we don't get a significant amount of rain here, so I've not had a problem during the summer). It really made a big different. I need to scoop it all out this fall before the snow arrives and spread it on my garden. I go through much more bedding in their run during the winter than the chickens ever thought of using.

 

[ninjapoodles]

#4 fill sand (or gravel--some quarries call it sand, some call it gravel) is fabulous for us. Arkansas is really wet and waterlogged during fall and winter, and the gravel keeps us from being knee-deep in mud. It has the added benefit, with the chickens, that they can eat it as grit.

You have to put down a pretty thick layer if you're starting from scratch, but it is seriously worth it. We use it as the base for horse stalls, too. Put down a layer, soak it with water, repeat several times. Since it's not "dirt," it won't get muddy no matter how wet it gets.