What can I do to make my run and coop less muddy?!?!

[Smartie_Pants]

I have both chickens and ducks, but decided to post this here because I'm sure its something duck owners deal with more often than chicken owners. Here is a pic of my setup:


As you can see, there is grass everywhere, except them pen! Every time it rains the dirt turns into mud and you sink up past your ankles! In the summer, little tufts try to grow but don't turn into much. What can I do?

 

[Lobzi]

I put a very large piece of visqueen over the wire top on my pen then I laid plywood on that to keep the wind from blowing off the visqeen and it has worked pretty well to provide a dry place for my babies.

 

[Smartie_Pants]

Sorry, double post! But thats for the advice!

 

[MandyH]

4-6 inches of sand

 

[Don]

Dont see any pics of the mud farm, but depending on size ... get the kids put away for a bit and dump some bags of quick crete in there ... mix it up and smooth it out. That'll thicken it up.

 

[Chick_a_dee]

IM NOT SURE if chickens can have thyme. But ground cover creeping thyme is VERY hardy as it is used for walkways. Otherwise... like sand, or mulch.

 

[snowydiamonds]

I like sand, easy to rake, provides dust baths, and grit. Green things don't survive cause the birds are all nibbling on it

 

[AngelzFyre]

We use crusher stone in our runs and also in our stalls under the shavings.
For some reason whoever had this place and built the first stalls put them right where the water runs through. Nothing we tried before the crusher stone worked for keeping the muck out. We put about 7 inches in, it drains well and in the summer I get some sod at the nursery in town and put it down in there for them to eat the grass and of course they tear up the whole thing in a short while but it doesn't get muddy in there anymore. We use the 85/10 crusher but there are other grades to suit your preference. It also rakes easily and they don't seem to displace it as much as the mulch and sand we tried before that.

 

[Smartie_Pants]

Quote:
That's a pic from the summer. I don't have a current one of the pen, but you can see the area just outside the pen in this pic. The whole pen is like that. :

 

[redhen]

a layer of pea gravel landscaping stone....and another thick layer of sand..the sand wont really get to muddy..and the rocks underneath help with drainage..