wet ground

[Chickenkate17]

The run area is covered, but we've gotten so much rain in the last few days that the ground is pretty wet anyways. The girls aren't wet, and they seem to be enjoying picking out worms Should I be concerned about the girls getting muddy or catching cold?

 

[GoAngels]

Quote:
Same thing here. I don't think it has ever rained here this much for so long in my lifetime. I even used an extra tarp to keep out the rains, but the ground is so saturated that it goes under the run and all of the pine shavings are soaked. I'd like to hear what others have to say as well.

 

[funnybirds]

Have the same thing going on up here. Too much rain and standing water puddles all over the back yard. And we are expecting even more, for days to come.
I cleaned out some bedding material and added more but its a band aid on a bigger issue.
Any answers out there? Anyone?

 

[GAchick]

Build an ARK!!

 

[Lesa]

If the birds are out in it, they probably aren't bothered by it... Will they get wet and dirty? Sure, but they won't mind. I don't like to see mine out in the rain, when I know it is going to be a cold night- but that is not an issue for you guys. What about some hay to kind of sop up some of the mess? As long as they can get into a dry area in the coop, I wouldn't worry.

 

[gryeyes]

Mine are outside all day, ranging freely. They do take cover under trees in the back yard, and sometimes on my back porch, when it's raining really hard. As it has been.... They look so bedraggled! And muddy. But they're fine. The coops are dry inside.

 

[funnybirds]

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I think we are pretty near each other so you know about how these rains can go...seems like they last FOREVER, and it started so early this year.
UGH. Mud season!

 

[gumbii]

Quote:
Same thing here. I don't think it has ever rained here this much for so long in my lifetime. I even used an extra tarp to keep out the rains, but the ground is so saturated that it goes under the run and all of the pine shavings are soaked. I'd like to hear what others have to say as well.

LOL...


you don't remember el niño...? it rained for like three months straight... i hated it because i would have to walk home from high school...




the past ten years or so, it hasn't been raining like this... this is probably the heaviest rain we've had, and it's only gonna rain for 7 days straight...!!! hahahaha... i'm sure other BYC members that live where it rains 4-6 months out of the year are laughing at us in cali right now... there are three threads about rain in coops and food already... my birds are wet... their eggs got wet, and their food is getting wet... i had to run out and buy some tarps, but they were not enough... it only rains for a day or two a couple times a year... didn't really think i would have to put gutters on the pens and everything... for some reason my silkies LOVE it... they're drenched... i put them in their pens, but they find there way out to the muddy run... and the hen is white... :cry: oh well...


the chickens are fine... a little wet feathers doesn't hurt them much as long as they aren't directly under the rain... keep them covered... it's also not freezing cold... that's the good thing... and i hear that thunderstorms are going to be rolling in soon... sigh...

 

[WoodlandWoman]

We get a lot of rain here. I keep the food in the coop, to keep it dry. As long as the chickens have a dry coop to go into, they should be fine.

A tarp over at least part of the run can keep a heavy deluge off the chickens, so they can still be in the run. If the mud isn't too bad, you could add some sand to the run. If it's really saturated or there are lots of puddles all the time, you may want to get a wood pallet and put it in there, to give the chickens something dry to get up on.

For a run that is having problems with normal weather, I would work on modifying it. If this is only a very rare occurrence, maybe you don't want to do a lot of work on improving drainage or regrading. There are lots of threads on muddy runs, if you search on that. They have a lot of good ideas for solutions.

 

[GoAngels]

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This is definitely not normal. Average rainfall in December is about 1.5 inches and we got over 10 inches in 5 days.