muddy run

[Jax]

So how do you keep your runs dry (ish)? Mine is a complete mud pit and soaking wet. We are in the process of building a roof in between the rain, do you reckon a roof will be enough? Hubby is convinced we need to erect waterproof sides but he does have a tendancy to overthink things, not only that I would expect they will get too hot in the summer. So how do you prevent your girls from wading through the mud everytime it rains?

[roitelet]

Dig it over once in while, it helps with the drainage. The hens walking on it makes a pan that stops the drainage. They also love some turned earth. Where we have to walk I don't dig but put down wood chip from the chainsaw or straw so we don't have to walk on rough ground.

[chris]

A roof does help, but the rain seems to come in horizontally in Wales - mine still gets wet. It's a concrete floor though, so not bad.

the garden however -well that's another story!

[Hilary B]

Drainage is probably oore important than keeping the rain off. Make sure the ground level INSIDE the run is a little higher than OUTSIDE (in at least one direction, and if there IS higher ground outside the other side, put a ditch in between).
If you have clayey soil dig in quite a lot of coarse sand /fine gravel, just mixed into the top few inches. There is nothing will completely keep water from getting there (even if it is only spillage from the drinker) so concentrate on letting it get away.

[Jax]

Thanks for the great advice so I shall go and have a dig around. Try and slope the level out of the coop if that makes sense and try and see how that works

[petal]

yes, i take garden fork and wiggle around- we also get deliveries ofd wood chip from local tree surgeon to top pens up with- which helps. Temporary measures - like this week- are a bale of straw!!!

[mrswadders]

we've had this problem as only half of our run was covered. We came up with the ingenious idea of using our old gazebo over the run - works a treat and the girls are much happier! We spent a good few hours on saturday digging over the run and putting in new straw - happpy hens!

[jimred]

I have a covered run that my girls come into if the rain gets to bad, i have clear perspex sheet around the coop and some mini guttering, it keeps the run dry so they can dust bath all year round.

the younger ones normally stand in the garden getting soaked!

[petal]

its a good idea to dig a sink hole, fill with rubble then cover up- I am about to do this in the duck pen- its a quagmire in there- regardless of wood chip....

[RichmondHens]

Ducks don't mind the mud though do they. It's however not good for chickens to be in it. I would suggest as a quick fix just to provide lots of perching stuff for them - logs, branches etc just so that they can get off the ground. But if you have a fixed run and moving them to drier land is not an option then a covered run is a must. You could put a clear wall up on the side where the prevailing weather comes from and as long as the other sides are open then it should not get too hot.

[Jax]

Thanks guys, I have been digging when I can but between rain showers and my back Im only getting abit done. They have logs and perches up, half the roof is up awaiting wood for the other half and we have bought clear sheeting and are going to cover half the run and leave the other half open as a balance, if that makes sense. Its not easy digging with chickens under your feet though, they get very excited!

[BarleySugar]

When OH put our run up, he supported both ends of the clear corrugated plastic sheeting, but not in the middle. With all this heavy rain the sheets are bowing a bit in the middle, and the water collects, then overflows into the middle of the run. I keep nipping out and gently lifting the sheets to guide the water to the end, and into the guttering. It took several attempts before I worked out how NOT to get a cold shower . The girls can go under the coop where it is still dry, but the front woodchip is wet. We put paving underneath the woodchip, so it isn't getting the mud through and the water is draining with the cracks between.

[Snadger]

I thought I would do the chooks a good turn by plonking down a pallet in their run so they didn't have to stand in mud.............

BAAAAD MOVE..............

Pallet went down.......shat went up........ALL OVER ME!!!!!!!Grrrrrrrr

I stank, car stank and dog wouldn't leave me alone when I got home (he thought I smelled lubberly)

Anyway, chooks seem happier on high ground!

[chris]

Glad it's not just me that has experienced that 'mistake'

My wife's car still smells on a hot day hehe

[smallfrog]

More drainage questions.
I'm building a new run so want to add drainage. Have dug a hole at the lowest point and then a trench out of the run to a bit of unused lottie. Left it for a bit and its drained a fair bit of water off. Do i just leave a hole for it to run into or dig hole fill with rubble and back fill. Feel a bit bad filling with rubble as i spent ages getting bricks and other rubble off the lotti in the 1st place. Dont want to turn it into a well as i have small children. Could do a long ditch trench to lead onto waste ground behind my lotti.
Is this all going a bit over the top?
My soil where the run is is heavy clay and a large tree sucks up the water. Hence why the chickens are going there.
Also if a fox is digging in,is it going for a quick dig under and up or will he be thinking great escape and coming a little way. I have a breeze block path along one side of the run and hoped this would be enough. The rest will have wire buried into the ground around the boundry and then a wire/wood fence and top.