The run is a swamp!

[MysteryChicken]

^I'm not a fan of sand. It only helps drainage till water hits a level that is not sand, and it only drains well until the chickens droppings have caked it up - which in a static run, doesn't take long.

There are those who find sand successful. I'm not one of them, and have not yet discerned what it is about their situation that makes sand work for them.

and for what its worth, my soil is clay-y sands and sandy clay in the area of my run. The sandy loams (which are great for drainage) are unfortunately on the other side of the hill from my coup. I use a series of berms for runoff control (there is an acre of hill above my coup), and dug a shallow depression in my run to help collect rain falling on it, which forms a shallow pond that feeds a broad ditch, which is then directed outside the run and down the hill. I use spent straw from the house and raked leaf litter to add to the ground cover, but it breaks down as fast as i pile it in (I really should rake up leaf litter for addition to the run more frequently - its easily 500 sq ft, so a few bags of leaves really don't make much difference.)

Our dirt is a mix of dirt, & sand. It gets everywhere, makes the run a mud bath, & mats up my birds feathers badly. Had to cut golf ball sized mud balls of one of my pullet's belly a few days ago.

If I can turn the whole chickens yards into a sand run I won't have to deal with that problem.

Plus my coop with my project Orpingtons gets so muddy inside, & out, the floor of the henhouse is covered in 4 inches of mud, if not abit more then that. Gonna be cleaning that coop Monday though.

My Bantams rarely have a muddy run unless a huge severe thunderstorm rolls in.

 

[cmom]

Wood chips work best. I did till my muddy pens and put some boards down. It did help with the muddy mess but I like the idea of the wood chips. The birds were tracking the mud into the coop so then I had to clean out the coops that had been cleaned out recently. Now I don't have so much of a problem. Good luck...

 

[Aapomp831]

I have the same problem with 2 of my chicken's runs. My dad wants to plant perennial grass in the runs next spring to see if it will lessen the issue.

The chickens will destroy the grass befor it even gets a chance to grow....

 

[Eva2020]

Great ideas thank you!

 

[MysteryChicken]

The chickens will destroy the grass befor it even gets a chance to grow....

Yes, I know, but it's my dad's idea.

We were gonna coop the birds up in their henhouse to allow the grass to grow for awhile before letting them out in the run again.

 

[3KillerBs]

We were gonna coop the birds up in their henhouse to allow the grass to grow for awhile before letting them out in the run again.

A better idea would be to have 2 runs, letting grass and other vegetation grow up for a while in one side then switching access to put the birds in there while the other side regrows.

Regardless, if ground water is running into or through the run the only solution is to FIX THE DRAINAGE PROBLEM. Nothing else is more than a temporary patch.

 

[MysteryChicken]

A better idea would be to have 2 runs, letting grass and other vegetation grow up for a while in one side then switching access to put the birds in there while the other side regrows.

Regardless, if ground water is running into or through the run the only solution is to FIX THE DRAINAGE PROBLEM. Nothing else is more than a temporary patch.

We can't make a second run in the largest coop. There's no gate to access the run. I have to crawl through the chicken door to get into the run.
The coop was my dad's design, & we all hate it due to there not being a gate to walk into the run. My dad thinks it's funny that me, & my sister has to crawl through the poop, & mud to collect an egg from a new layer, or to wrangle a bird for butchering.

 

[aart]

To the OP @Eva2020 and the @MysteryChicken

Regardless, if ground water is running into or through the run the only solution is to FIX THE DRAINAGE PROBLEM. Nothing else is more than a temporary patch.

Ditto Dat!!
No bedding will fix bad drainage.

 

[Eva2020]

my yard is completely flat, so it's only muddy since we've had a lot of rain going into the run from the sky. no run off in our small yard, or it's not significant.

 

[aart]

my yard is completely flat, so it's only muddy since we've had a lot of rain going into the run from the sky. no run off in our small yard, or it's not significant.

Can you put a roof on the run?
Or you may have to build up some ground under the coop/run to keep it higher than the surrounding area.
Unless the puddles drain way quickly, then just a few inches of good bedding(coarse wood chippings) should help.