water barrier

[werecatrising]

My chicken area is at a slight incline. I am looking for something to try and keep the water from running down with. Does any body know what the long, tubular, straw type things are called?

 

[patandchickens]

What you want is to regrade so there is a swale (shallowish wide ditch) a little ways uphill of whatever you don't want the water running down into (coop?). You can put a slight berm on the downhill side if you need more protection. The swale needs to curve or tilt in one direction or the other so the water is being rerouted somewhere harmless.

Or, if you mean you want to decrease erosion, the easiest thing is to terrace the area, if not formally (and probably *not* formally, as retaining walls over a foot or so high need a good bit of engineering to ensure they don't collapse outward over time) then at least by trenching in some pieces of pressure-treated lumber or some good big thick treetrunks or that sort of thing, multiple ones, crossing at almost right angles to the slope.

Also, a ditch or swale ABOVE (uphill from) the area will help with both of the above purposes, and is definitely worthwhile.

Spring or early summer is really the best time to be doing grading or ditchdigging, as the exposed earth will revegetate sooner and thus erode less, but you can do it this time of year too as long as you are not making hideously steep slopes which you probably aren't.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat