Poorly chicken

[Jeanrdow]

I'm floating in a hen pen of mud. Any suggestions. I used bark all summer but ended up with a rotting sludge mess which became very smelly. We have had so much rain here it's just mud everywhere where there isn't grass, obviously the hen enclosure part. They free range most of the day but I have to access their pen obviously. I know someone suggested wood chips but won't that just rot too?

[Tweety]

Is the run covered at all? If not, that's the first thing I would do. If you can't cover it, I found that the best solution was to dig out as much of the mud as possible, put down a thick layer of gravel to improve drainage, then a thick layer of wood chip on top of that. My girls have been very happy on it, and it has stayed relatively mud free for almost 2 years.

Wood chip does not rot like bark - I got mine online from Flytesofancy, and it was still going strong after 18 months. Regular sprinkling with Biodri, Stalosan or similar helps to keep it hygienic.

[Cheeky Chooky]

I got mine online from Flytesofancy, and it was still going strong after 18 months. Regular sprinkling with Biodri, Stalosan or similar helps to keep it hygienic.

That's what I've got in my WIR...hardwood wood chips. The review sounded really good and it's great to hear that you've had it for so long and it's still doing what they say it should!

[Jeanrdow]

Their run is covered but I've extended a large corner of the garden for them which used to be grasses over so is now bare earth. I couldn't dig all that away as it's too large but I could cover with gravel then wood chip. How do you clean the poo out. At present I'm s"Ooops, word censored!"ed the ground but obviously can't do that with chips and wood?

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Sounds like you have a similar setup to me - our freerange area is disgusting at the moment . The poo just sits on top of the impacted but somehow still muddy soil . In better weather I dig it over (it's not a huge area though) and put Stalosan and garden lime down but I think it's beyond that now .

 

I'm thinking of phoning a few tree surgeons to see if they have any woodchip they need to dump!

[reneepren]

I use pine needles in the run and as they break down it is porous and drains well, not muddy.

 

Renee

[Jeanrdow]

Think I might do the wood chip thing. It's worth a try.

[Henergy]

you sound just like me - their lovely large grassed area is now total mud !!!! And I can't find a local supplier of woodchip - the delivery charges are so prohibitive !!!

[Egluntyne]

Ask a tree surgeon. They are often glad of somewhere to get rid of it.