Use of Hay in run

[Wynette]

You really should not use hay with chickens...they can eat it and become crop bound. Several on here have had chickens that this happened to (including me). Staw is a better option than hay; they will peck at any seed heads on it, but will not ingest the shafts. It would need to be cleaned out & replaced every few days to be effective, though.

Some folks simply put a few wood pallets in their runs; this give the chickens a way to get up out of the mud, but still get some sunshine, while the mud is drying back to dirt.

 

[TxChicknRanchr]

Thats a good idea wynette. I never would have thought of using pallets.. And we have hundreds of them I can get from work.

I'll definately keep that in mind during the rainy months.

TCR

 

[ChickenToes]

When my duck run become horribly stinky and muddy last summer I put down a layer of bark and wood chips left over from cutting firewood. It worked really well.

 

[Cheryl]

So all this boils down to, let the mud dry out cause there really isn't a solution!!! Cause I was about to post the same question, we have a thaw going on in New England today...and the snow is melting!!! Now if it would totally be gone...

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Pallets are a great idea! i never would have thought of that either. i've been throwing down straw in my run to keep from slipping and breaking my neck. It does work, but has to be cleaned out and replaced at least once a week - a very back-breaking job.

i have a pallet sitting in our driveway right now, so i'm set.

 

[waynesgarden]

Free wood chips from a tree company or a utility company works as well as high priced straw. Lasts longer too. I wouldn't pay anything to put on the mud when there are free alternatives.

Wayne

 

[Pluto]

We put a bit of straw down in our run and then rake it out weekly and replaice it. It seems to soak up some of the water, and makes removing the poop easier. But we only have three hens in the run, it doesn' t get deep mud, just wet and slick.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

There is nothing wrong with good hay under your birds. It will
eventually just be trampled down into the mud.
I have it in my pens and just add more on top of it as it
gets trampled down. I will eventually have to pull it out,
but it should not be a problem.

 

[DowntownChickens]

I use straw in and out of the coop. I clean it out weekly and put the straw in the compost. It works really well for me. I only have 4 hens though and they have free range of the yard too.... but the coop area is under a huge fir tree and stays mostly dry, not too puddly.

 

[kristenm1975]

I have a fairly large run and get a LOT of rain, being in the Pacific NW. I haven't had a lot of cash to throw at it, so I've just been using straw from my feed store, $8 a bale, probably about once a month. By the end of the month, the straw is totally soggy and the mud is taking over again, but it keeps it down for a while. I haven't had any problem with it turning sour and stinky. I think we get so much rain that it just composts quickly and turns into soil. I have no idea really, but it sure does disappear.

The hens love it when I put in the bale and it's deep in their run. And of course, once I rest from having hauled the thing and spread it all over, I love to sit back with a beer and watch them jumping through the stuff.