Winter Wet conditions - help

[Kelster65]

Hi all, I'm sure there are several posts about this, but I would appreciate your ideas. This is the first winter with my flock. I live in south central Kentucky and at times it gets very wet here. I can usually keep the coop dry but when we get hit with a monsoon, the entire yard becomes a wave pool. My coop is on a pad of concrete at the bottom of a slight slope (ugh!) And water gets in with heavy rain. so I can rebuild (um, no) but can't move it. The run is wrapped with greenhouse tarps to keep harsh wind off the birds. I've been using sand flooring in the coop which I LOVE, but once water hits it, it takes forever to dry (usually have to shovel it into the run). I have a French drain in front of the coop which works well until a hard rain comes. I will be installing channel drains in front of the coop but in the meantime I'm wondering about better flooring. I'm concerned about the potential of water and frozen conditions in the coop. The chickens roost in the rafters and have a safe way down, so not too concerned about legs. The ducks bed on raised platforms with bedding so they're not on the floor very long. I'm considering mats on the floor and against my better judgment, some shavings, peat moss and pellet mixture on top. Maybe that's overkill but I'm trying to keep them healthy, happy and warm. So.. I'm asking you seasoned peeps (see what I did there) what suggestions do you have? Thank you in advance.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

Do you have pics? I had my horse at a place where they had drainage issues. I watched them dump huge loads of all kinds of stuff and my intuition was that it would be nice for a day or two and then just make deeper muck. Yep. So until they brought in alot of top soil and gravel and re-graded the space, no magic material worked. You either need to move it, get a bob cat and change the slope or raise everything up. I suppose in a small space you could continuously add materials but it sounds like a constant chore. I hope after you post pics, there are easier solutions......

 

[azygous]

I would bet a talented and skilled builder could raise that coop up onto a raised platform with a wooden floor. The way I assess your problem is that rather than fight the topography and climate, it would be faster and easier and most efficient to raise the coop.

Rain is one issue, and rain shed from the roof doubles the amount of coop flooding. Have you determine whether you are on a flood plane? Or an ancient lake bed? Years ago, a member had the same issue you have and posted photos of where they lived. It was an ancient lake bottom, now a meadow. But when it rained, the water shed from the surrounding hills and flooded the site, causing weeks of standing water. No one could come up with a solution. I'm wondering if your topography is similar.

I would also include platforms in the run so the birds can all find dry perches until the water subsides.

 

[3KillerBs]

There's no fix for this sort of situation other than fixing the drainage. Coarse wood chips can be very helpful, but if water is pooling then they're not going to do enough.

You can try installing diversion ditches, grass swales, and/or French drain uphill of the coop to lead the water around the coop to lower ground, but very likely you'll need to have the area re-graded, potentially with the addition of fill, so that the coop sits on a raised area.

 

[azygous]

It would help to see photos of the terrain. As I mentioned another thread on this subject, they were at the lowest spot in an immense valley, and to dig drainage ditches would have involved ditches a few miles in length, and even then it was doubtful it would work.

In order for drainage ditches to work, there has to be lower ground to divert the runoff toward. A level site doesn't easily lend itself to this.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I agree photos of the yard and setup would help.

Really the only solution if flooding is an issue is to elevate the coop. Mine sits about 6" off the ground on concrete blocks and PT skids. My run is also slightly higher than surrounding yard due to a build up of deep litter.

I've had my yard flood twice since moving here, and our parcel is quite flat, so no way to add drainage, however we do have very good natural soil drainage, so between the elevated coop and the faster draining run, the chickens have managed to stay fairly dry even in flooded conditions.

This was last year's flooding. Note that it wasn't severe enough to have to lock up the birds. Run had mostly drained 48 hours later:

 

[KyCoop]

I'm also in central KY and have a coop and run on a slope. With the heavy clay and limestone rock shelf , natural drainage is non existent. Combine that with the sideways monsoons and the constant freeze and thaw winter and you got yourself a muddy mess.
Ditches, drains, dams , roofs and gutters are your only solution. There is nothing you can put down to fix it.
I added each of these things until I won the battle of the boot sucking mud.

 

[azygous]

Boot sucking mud! Have you ever suddenly found your boots stopped walking with you several steps back, and by the time you figure it out you've face planted in the mud? Good times.

 

[KyCoop]

YES. I opened the run door and my sock foot stepped in but my boot stayed out! That's when I said Ewww THIS is war!

 

[azygous]

Mud does seem to impart a certain independent will to our otherwise inanimate foot wear.