Sandychick Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 My garden has been flooded now for 2 days......and it's still raining monsoon style I'm really worried about the poor chickens. When I came home from work on Friday, the garden was like a river with water flowing down it. It washed all the Auboise out of the run and the chickens were stuck up on their perches. I just don't know what to do with them. I have dug a trench to divert most of the water away, but it is still about an inch deep through the run. Today I bought 4 decking tiles (50cm2) which I've put in the run so they can get out of the water. They look like they are standing on rafts! The whole garden is flooded and when I let them out they just sit up on the bench as it's the only place to keep out of the water. Their eglu is still dry inside so they should be ok at night. Is this likely to make them ill, spending time standing in water and being muddy and wet all the time?? I am so worried about them, but there is nowhere dry to put them. Has anyone elses chickens been in a flood? It will be weeks before their area dries out and thats if it ever stops raining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yolky Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 Perhaps you could try wood chips in the run, this might help with the drainage? Or perhaps put the whole thing on slabs (if you look in your local free ads or on free cycle you can often find slabs free or at least v cheap) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandychick Posted September 6, 2008 Author Share Posted September 6, 2008 Perhaps you could try wood chips in the run, this might help with the drainage? Or perhaps put the whole thing on slabs (if you look in your local free ads or on free cycle you can often find slabs free or at least v cheap) The woodchips would float away and slabs would still be under water. These gardens have never flooded before as far as anyone can remember, but to prevent it would need some serious landscaping. I would have to raise the whole eglu and run area which would be a mega project! Certainly won't be happening 'till the tide goes out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyReckless Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 . Has anyone elses chickens been in a flood? It will be weeks before their area dries out and thats if it ever stops raining. If mine are anything to go by, they'll be just fine. Our garden is on solid clay - dig a spadeful out and you could make pots from it! More than a day or two of rain and the garden floods. It has been underwater for the most part this summer and last. Our hens have been fine - soggy, at times pretty fed up, but healthy and generally contented. I'm sure yours will be fine too, with their eglu keeping them nice and dry when it all gets a bit much for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debbie26pet Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 how about gravel? ive had to gravel mine today, the water here got a bit to close to my chickens yesterday, it was a mess they were paddling and upto now all is ok and i have happy chickens. our gardens alway puddled with rain but not sure how much they can take, ours has a problem with clay but we wont be beaten. hope this rain stops soon and the weather men get it wrong it to be here for 10 days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubyReckless Posted September 6, 2008 Share Posted September 6, 2008 Last autumn we decided to tackle the problem. We went both down and up - dug out 8 inches down to remove some clay and filled the hole with sand and gravel to improve drainage. Then we built a frame base for the run out of scaffolding boards, lined it with weed blanket and filled it 6 inches deep with wood chips sourced from the council parks dept. It keeps the girls' feet nice and dry when they are in the run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandychick Posted September 7, 2008 Author Share Posted September 7, 2008 It's stopped raining The water has mostly drained from the garden and I can see ground again! It is a mess though, mud and silt has washed everywhere. RubyReckless, I think I may have to do some excavations like you have. Not looking forward to it though....have to dig through a maze of tree roots A perminant drainage ditch will probably be my next move, then raise the run area somehow. I have bad clay soil here too, awful stuff when it rains loads. I've never actually been under a few inches of water before though! I'm not sure if gravel would work? My patio is gravel and I had to put my wellies on to wade through it from the kitchen door! Is gravel difficult to clean once the chickens have pooed all over it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cluckbok Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Avairies for you sell tables to raise the eglus up off the floor, wouldn't that be just the job? Depends on whether or not you have the eglu run or have built your own. If you've built your own would just be a matter of assembling the table which looks pretty easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandychick Posted September 7, 2008 Author Share Posted September 7, 2008 I have the eglu run at the moment. I would love a nice big walk in run one day though I've already got it all planned, and of course some more chickens to go in there Probably a couple of years off yet, but it will definately be flood proof when it's done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted September 7, 2008 Share Posted September 7, 2008 Same here ...... clay soil. Persistant drizzle is fine and last winter was OK. But the worst is constant heavy rain and my back garden turns into a pond. Kills all my bulbs. Anyway, temporary measure, I put some rubber door mats with holes on the ground and Auboise on top. I just put 2 of them at the end of the run. It only raises the ground half an inch but is enough for the chooks to stand on when the weather is bad and they also have a perch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emma Tarpey Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 How about you put a series of perches in the run over the water so they can get about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jools+6 Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 gravel is easy to clean just hose it down but if you are flooding i dont think its the answer raising the flooring is probably the real answer there must be a cheap way of doing it the way things are going weather wise there better be or we'll all have to get ducks !!!! have you got a covered run ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandychick Posted September 8, 2008 Author Share Posted September 8, 2008 I was thinking ducks would have been a better idea I think the chickens will be growing webbed feet soon anyway The run is covered which has worked really well until now, but its the ground water which caused the problem. It is looking much better today but still far too wet to put Auboise down again. The decking tiles worked really well when it was flooded so at least I have those if it happens again. Shame I didn't get any photos but it was raining too much to get the camera out! They looked like they were marooned on little wooden islands! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 what about shoving some wood through the bars, like perches & putting the decking plates on them to raise the whole thing up off the water. they won't mind being on wood & if dry from above large cat litter trays to sratch around in (with you auboise in., you could put 2 o3 3 in the Eglu run. Mine are in the kitchen lots in the rain, fortunately we have not been that flooded yet! good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandychick Posted September 8, 2008 Author Share Posted September 8, 2008 what about shoving some wood through the bars, like perches & putting the decking plates on them to raise the whole thing up off the water. Hmmmmm, that could work well. I will remember that if they get flooded again. I gave them a trug full of dry compost etc today for a dust bath. Felt quite guilty as I had completely forgotten that they would be missing their usually dry soil under the conifer trees. They loved it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandyhas3chucks Posted September 8, 2008 Share Posted September 8, 2008 dry soil? mine don't care wet or dry...(not your mud bath though I am sure. We have to have all our plans ready for all weathers don't we? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
