Wanted Please - Harrogate / York / Leeds area

[Nicho]

I have a decent size run for my chicks but the recent heavy rain has turned their run into something akin to a swimming pool.

 

The run is open and I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions of something that might stop so many puddles forming.

 

Our ground is clay soil so I think the water is not seeping in. I am thinking about bark chipping - would this help stop the water?

 

Any thoughts would be welcomed.

[Redwing]

bark chippings will go slimy

 

Wood chippings would be far better, a good thick layer will help but it may be costly, a local tree surgeon may deliver you a truckload cheap or free though as they have to pay to dump them normally

[Lavenders_Blue]

I have exactly the same problem with my ground - heavy clay. It just gets so waterlogged and according to every book I hvae read the worst thing you can do is walk on clay ground when it's wet, but it's a bit difficult when there's 4 hens tramping around in it all day!

 

I provide a covered run for my girls which keeps some of the ground dry. A good thick layer of wood (not bark) chippings will help too. But to be honest the best thing you can do is to try and improve the soil structure. If you put wood chips down, dig them into the ground after a couple of months. Loads of well rotted stable manure dug into clay soil will also help. It will take time, but the soil and drainage will improve over time!

 

p.s. Your chickens will love the woodchips as it gives them something to scratch in when the ground gets wet and compacted. They will also love 'helping' you dig stable manure into your ground!

[the bradley bunch]

we had a similar problem with the heavy rain and clay soil.

 

bark chipping is a big no no with poultry as i understand the mould it produces is poisonous/harmful to the birds. so our first idea was to use natural wood chippings, similar in appearance to bark but without the potenitally harmful mould - this however turned out to be not a good idea. because of our poor drainage issue the chippings became soggy and messy, and it was just horrible cleaning up droppings and food mess from the run. within a week we had to remove and clean out all of the wood chippings in the run because it was so unmanagable a waste of time and money.

 

but don't worry, there is hope!

we now use pea gravel, which is full of advantages and we've yet to find any disadvantages. you can buy this or similar for around a couple of quid for a smallish bag from you local B&Q type shop, or in bulk from your local agregates supplier for anything from £20-£60 per ton; depending on the type/colour of stones you want. the only thing that's important is the size of stone - i'd suggest getting no larger than 20mm (if it's any larger the hens won't be able to scratch around in it because it will be too heavy, and i imagine it would also be uncomfortable for them to stand on).

for good drainage i'd recommened putting down a layer of at least 3 inches on the floor of the run.

 

we use a big garden seive to scoop up and rinse through the stones every week with the hose pipe (to clean off any poop or food that's dried on). you may not need to do it this often - ours are urban hens so we want to keep the neighbours happy by keeping our run as fresh as possible!

a brilliant idea is to use light coloured stones, this way you can see which ones are dirty and just rinse off the ones that need it (saving alot of time!).

 

good luck, and i'll be watching this thread incase somebody else gives us a better idea!

[the bradley bunch]

you can buy this or similar for around a couple of quid for a smallish bag from you local B&Q type shop, or in bulk from your local agregates supplier for anything from £20-£60 per ton; depending on the type/colour of stones you want.

 

me again!

just had a look and if you follow the link below, you'll be able to browse the types of gravel/stones available. then you can just phone up your local builders merchant (yellow page or google agregates suppliers) and ask them what they've got and for a quote - we've got a smallish run for 3 birds and we used half a ton so this might roughly guide how much you need.

the costs should range between £20 - £60 per ton, with something like Cotswolds being at the top end, and your basic Pea Gravel at the bottom. phone around and haggle abit for the best price! and check if the stones come 'bagged' up because this will obviously make a massive difference to how easily you can move it to your run!

anyway, the sites below for you to have a look at what's available:

http://grafikaserver2.com:81/longrakespar/list.php?pageNum_recProducts=0&totalRows_recProducts=39&cat=1

[Luvachicken]

My girls have had bark chippings for the past year and seem to be OK. I didn't know they weren't supposed to have them

Should I get rid of them (the chippings not the girls) and relace them with the gravel ?

The thought of washing them sounds like a good idea but do the bits of gravel fly round the garden like the bark seems to ?

[Redwing]

My girls have had bark chippings for the past year and seem to be OK. I didn't know they weren't supposed to have them

Should I get rid of them (the chippings not the girls) and relace them with the gravel ?

 

If it works for you then leave it - what works in one garden may not work in another

[Luvachicken]

I must admit the chippings do look a bit messy and not so pretty as gravel. Perhaps I'll have a word with the OH. And he'll say "more money !!! € 500 an egg so far..."

[patsylabrador]

We also dug in loads of gravel and some sand. It was enough to slightly raise the level of their run above surrounding ground. It worked well although when it's very wet they look as though they're surrounded by a moat. Damsels in distress!