what next ?

[Sissy]

New run and its a 4inch deep mess everytime we get the rain .
the coop and run are bulit on Railroad ties . so I
have to step into it.
its on a slight hill. .would putting plantings into it help to take up the water?
concreting the whole thing is expensive.
any ideas..

 

[2txmedics]

sand helps...my area floods when it rains....oh my god talk about swimming for my chickens when I first got them...sopping wet in the rain water, catching chickens that are scared, was not fun...I bought a truck load of sand...spread it out, helps alot...solves some of the problem....

not to mention they love dust baths...and daily I go in and get the hoe turn the dirt over real good, and they go after bugs like crazy...

 

[Sissy]

2tx, ... what kind of sand,do you get
its 5x12 long. and a total mess.
and would the sand stay put during the heavy rains we get.


I am at my wits end ,as I just had it built last month
.( Dh hurt his back at the start of it)
we are surrounded by acres
and a hill in the back 40
its a real Nigrara falls when it rains.LoL

 

[YeOleBroodie]

Quote:
I don't know your setup but is there some way you can make a small trench leading the water away from your run? You know like a small ditch.

Also look into putting some sort of cover over the top of the run. Again I don't know what you have for run sides, but if its sturdy, would it hold some boards over it to hold up plastic?
Seeing its 5 ' wide you could place an 8 ' board (2x2, 2x4s) over top to hold up the plastic/tarps or whatever you have, creating an overhang on it to prevent it from coming into the run...?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Here's a link to Pat's site on fixing a muddy run.

Muddy Run
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-fix-a-muddy-run

If it is where water from outside is running into it, a quick help is to either trench or build a berm to divert the water away from it. Whatever you have to do to keep water out of it.

Covering the run would help. Don't know if that is a viable option for you. Also gutters and downspouts or a sloping roof on your coop that directs water away from the run.

Sand is great. Water soaks right through it, so if you can get it a little higher than the surroundings, water will drain out quickly. One problem is that it will wash away if you have a sloping run. You need to find a way to contain it but will still let the water drain through. Possibly a rock wall, or, as I did on the downside of my driveway, a long rock pile. It is not pretty enough to be called a rock wall. Another problem is that sand can and will sink right down into the mud. A layer of pea gravel under the sand really helps that but it is probably a dry weather project to do that.

 

[Sissy]

I do have a metal roof on the top to match the house .
and all the side are wired.with 2x4s its really sturdy.
Making a ditch and devertring it to the side of the drive way sounds
like a great idea. I have to do something its like a swimming pool from the rain 3 days ago . I also put some 2x4s on the ground for the birds to get off the soggy mess.


Ridgerunner

Thanks for link.