How To Fix A Muddy Chicken Run

A muddy chicken run is the last thing you want for your chickens. It is a bad environment for them to live in because it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, it increases the chances of diseases and it is hazardous in various ways. Unfortunately, it cannot always be avoided, so any good chicken keeper needs to know how to fix a muddy chicken run.

A muddy chicken run needs to be fixed ASAP and can be fixed in several different ways depending on the situation. You can temporarily fix it by adding dry filling material like straw or you can move the chicken run to a better location or you can improve the water drainage to remove excess water.

There are a few things to consider before deciding how to fix your muddy chicken run. Have a look at some of the points below to make sure you know how to fix a muddy chicken run.

How to fix a muddy chicken run

Items discussed in this article that will help fix a muddy and wet chicken run

There are not many things as horrible as a muddy chicken run. It is something that can happen unexpectedly but also something that needs to be fixed as quickly as possible before things get too bad.

I’m sure you and your chickens don’t like the muddy sludge and smell but don’t worry, I’ll show you how to fix it!

The best way to approach a muddy chicken run is to avoid it from the start. Once the coop becomes muddy it is a nightmare to fix so avoidance is the best solution.

How to keep a chicken run from getting muddy – Quick Fix

The quickest and easiest fix for a muddy chicken run is to add filling material like straw, grass clippings, or wood chips to the floor of the run.

All of these materials are super absorbent and they will absorb a lot of the excess water in the coop making it dryer and less muddy.

A great way is to use compressed pine pellets (Amazon link) and spread them all over the coop floor. This is much better than using straw or wood chips in my opinion.

If there is too much water in the coop you might need to get the water out first. You can also add sand to the chicken coop, sand is a very well-drained material and the water will drain through the sand instead of puddling up.

How to keep a chicken run from getting muddy – Long Fix

Getting water out of the chicken coop can be done by digging a trench so that the water can run away out of the coop. You would want to make sure that the water runs off away from the coop into an area where it can be absorbed into the soil.

You will want to stop more water from entering the coop. This you can do by diverting incoming water and steering it away from the coop into a run-off area (as shown in this video, below)

This can be done using a drainage point (Amazon link) that is connected to some drainage pipes (Amazon link) that can be placed under the coop and diverted to a safer place.

Another way to stop incoming water is by using Heavy Duty tarp (Amazon link). Using this tarp is a great way to prevent rainwater from muddying the floor of the run. You can improve the coop roof with these tarps so that the water runs off the roof into a run-off area.

How To Keep Chicken Run From Getting Muddy

The best way to keep a chicken run from getting muddy is to build it in the right way and the right place. Build the run on an elevated area and build the floor at a slope so that the water will runoff. The next thing is to grade the area with dry and moisture-absorbing materials like straw and wood chips.

You will save yourself a lot of time and effort if you get the chicken coop built right the first time. Once you need to fix things or rebuild the coop, things can get very labor-intensive.

The location and design of the coop are very important to make sure water does not have a chance to build up. Then also the materials used is very important. Drainage is the name of the game. You want to stop any water from coming in, and when water does come in you want to make sure it drains away as quickly as possible. The materials you should be looking at is sand, wood chips, straw, pine needles, pallets and pine pallets.

Is mud bad for chickens

Mud is not necessarily bad for chickens, but the environmental consequences that a muddy environment brings is definitely bad for chickens. When chickens live in a muddy coop there are many problems that can pop up.

A muddy coop becomes a breeding ground for all kinds of dangerous bacteria and diseases that can bring big issues. A muddy coop also makes everything dirty including the chickens and their eggs. It also makes it dangerous for the chicken owner to move around in the coop because slipping and injury are very likely. Also, the smell will be unbearable and you might not even want to interact with your chickens anymore.

It is best to avoid a muddy environment. Chickens are most happy and healthy on dry, well-drained, soft bedding.

Best ground cover for chicken run

A good ground cover can make all the difference in keeping a good chicken coop. There are many options to choose from and you should consider all the options and choose the best ground cover that suits your needs and that is simple, economical and easy to clean.

Some of the most popular options are bedding materials, sand, solid floors and landscape mulches. You can also combine and mix these options to get the perfect coop conditions.

Concrete is an easy and cost-effective way to create ground cover. It can be built with good drainage and it can be easily cleaned.

Grass and natural vegetation are also great options. It has natural drainage and it allows chickens to scavenge for worms in the soil.

Wooden floors are also good options because it is cheap and easy to clean. It is not as durable as concrete but you can replace it every few years.

Wrap Up

We went over how to fix a muddy chicken run in this post. There is a quick temporary fix of throwing some straw down in the run to soak up the water. The more permanent fix may require installing a better drainage system. Good luck!