Quick & EASY Fixes for your MUDDY Chicken Run (NEW Ideas!)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 พ.ย. 2022
- Henlo! I am The President of Chickenlandia and I want to welcome you to Chickenlandia, a magical place where my pet chickens (and a few ducks) live an awesome life. Thank you for watching this video about how to quickly fix your muddy, stinky chicken run. I hope you love it! #chickenlandia #welcometochickenlandia #backyardchickens
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I use wood chips from tree service businesses. They give the chickens something soft to walk on and they displace the water that puddles.
When the dry season comes, it keeps some moisture in the ground and breaks down over time to create a compost for the chickens to find earthworms in when they scratch.
Thats a great idea!
@@GardenHappy I've been waiting 6 months for chip drop 😮💨
We fell a couple of large trees last year and I added freshly shredded mulch in the run… a few weeks later, almost our entire flock developed bumble-foot. 🥺 Now we just use leaves, pine pellets, play sand, or fluffy marshmallow clouds. Kidding about that last one. Maybe. 😅 All that to say, just make sure it doesn’t feel splintery before it goes in! Hard lesson learned over here. 🙃🙏🏻
@@cris_2536 Oh No I am so sorry to hear that! But appreciate you sharing so other may know.
I've gotta say, I absolutely love your spirit and your laugh brings me joy! You are a blessing to this chicken momma!
A fellow PNW gal here ❤ . The water bowls were frozen this morning 🤦♀️. We got snow last Sunday too. I have been working on a new run and coop set up that has areas that my girls can get out of the rain and mud. They also finally discovered the covered dust bath area I made for them. I'm so excited for them to be in this new space. Thanks for all you do President 😉 for helping us with our flocks 🥰!
You're so welcome!
This was right on time. We had storms for several days and my chicken yard is disgusting. Thank you!
I was struggling with wet coop grossness too, trying to figure out a cost efficient way to solve the issue that did not involve pallets, as the mice, rats etc would burrow underneath & I did not want to spend $$ on sand &/or pine pellets. Turns out the answer was right under my nose. After Christmas our town grinds the Christmas trees and leaves the pile for free pickins. Guess who brought home a dozen black garbage bags worth?? This girl!🙋 The chicks were thrilled & the run smelled so yummy; awesome!
did the mud return?
I'm in Puerto Rico 🇵🇷, so no snow, but we do get a lot of rain, here the main problem is Hurricanes, I lost a lot of my birds during Hurricane Maria. Right now I'm building a hurricane proof chicken coop, I call it the chicken bunker, it's a elevated coop being built out of steel reinforced block and concrete, it will be fully sustainable, producing power water and the run will be planted to produce some free chicken feed, I enjoyed your video
Look into cob and straw bale or even rammed earth natural building techniques. They are very substantial, easy to build, are natural materials, and incredibly strong both from winds but also projectiles through the walls.
@@amberemma6136 none of that will survive a cat 5, my coop was built out of steel reinforced block and concrete.
I had been hearing a lot about pine pellets and was on the fence about trying them. Then I saw your video where you tried them for the first time. I have a covered 10x10 run, but it gets wet from blowing rain/snow, I used about 3/4 of a bag and refreshed with the rest of the bag about 2 weeks later. I probably didn't need that much, but I'm very happy with it. I have started using inside my TS prefab coops. Initially I just added the dry pellets but when they poo, it splats on 2-3 pellets and on the floor. Now, I partially hydrate the pellets in a bucket. When they are close to how I want them, I spread them out in my wheelbarrow & put it in the sun to dry. Once dry, I add that mixture to the inside of the coop. It also makes spot cleaning MUCH easier than the pine shavings. If you make up too much, store in a bucket & keep in a dry location. Great great video!
Regarding wooden pallets, yes they are wonderful but don't forget check for those great big staples! Also nails.
And don't forget about chemicals like methyl bromide.
I was thinking of using them for flooring
Pro tip: check the stamp on your pallets. They almost always have one. MB for methyl bromide. HT for heat treated, etc.... this way you know what's safe
I just ❤️ you!!! Always put a smile on my face so thank you for that alone! Xx
I'm in the UK dealing with torrential rain and avian flu lock down! I am going to my local farm store tomorrow as I know they sell the pine cat litter and hopefully this will help to keep the chickens happier, thank you :)
So glad to learn about the pine pellets! Think I may even use them in the litter box for the opossum joeys I’m raising.
I so needed this this morning! Thank you 🙏🏽 👏🏽💕🐓
wow love the before and after photos, they really do expand! haha :) this will be very helpful this year!
I love all your videos! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. It is appreciated. ❤
You are so welcome!
This video came right on time. I am also in the pnw and have been looking into getting chickens next year. I grew up with chickens but I have never really been involved in the whole process, but since moving on our 5 acre property I have been really looking into getting chickens
I'm darned near in tears today. After 2 years of keeping hens, I still have problems when we have heavy rain (hard clay soil doesn't drain well, and I'm on a slight slope that collects drainage from the neighbors above my property). I put down cardboard from recycled packing boxes, and that helps absorb the large puddles while giving the girls dryer ground to walk on. Plus it composts nicely. If money were no object I'd hire a professional landscaper to bring in heavy equipment and grade it, add drainage etc. In the meantime I keep looking for better (affordable) options. ps I add shavings too but will look into pellets.
As someone also in the PNW, this is the first year I haven't had to deal with a muddy chicken run!! We've extended the area and actually put down some bales of straw because they love hoping on them! Right now they have free run of the barn (eventually they'll have a coop that's part of the barn but that's another project.) Thanks to your videos I've been thinking of what might stress my chickens out, how can I prevent it and also taking preventative measures for their health! During dry days, they are also let out into our 1/2 acre to roam around. They love digging through the dry leaves, searching for insects. I've seen an increase in egg production even though we are in november!
I am in a valley in the Rockys. We get a lot of snow. We built a 8ftx16ft covered run. We also boarded up the West and South sides of our run to keep it dry. With our first snow storm we realized we needed heavy duty plastic sheeting. 4mil thick at least, and clear! Bought it at Lowes. In Late Fall we use the plastic to cover the open sides that only have hardware cloth. It is a quick, easy job with two people and a construction stapler. We just leave the top 3 inches uncovered for ventilation.
This keeps the chickens and their straw dry and they are out of the wind. Easy to care for them, better for them and no stink! In early Spring I deep clean all the old straw out and put down new, and then remove the plastic sheeting.
If you don't have the same set up, you can do some kind of cover over at least part of your chicken area. Our first Winter with chickens and no cover over their run was miserable. And the thick wet, poop straw removal in the Spring was almost too much to stomach.
I just recently got chickens here in central FL, and the winter thank God isn't a huge concern for me because it doesn't drop past 35 regularly, it only hits those temperatures maybe 2-3 times a season. But the heat is yet another agent to fight all summer based on what I've read. I have pullets and they seem fine in the shade so far, but we'll see when they get bigger.
My point is, you'll deal with something always wherever you live 🤣 but thank you, we get lots of rain here!
THIS IS WHAT IM DOING NOW😁You lady inspired my brain &I am in the midst of moving ®rading. We have random flash floods so redirecting is so happening as well! Thank you for you always lady!!! BTW.....I used pellets for my rabbit who was potty trained...love them👍
That's awesome to hear!
Excellent video - as always. You are delightful !
Love your videos!! Thank you for making them 😊!!
Great information. We have had rain for 2 and still another 3 days of rain and ice and snow.
A good way to move toward a more permanent solution is to fill any puddles with dirt, starting with the center of the run and working toward the edges. Over time, you end up with a run that is a bit higher in the center and lower around the edges. You can also use a rake to create the slight "hill". It is like how roads are designed to be a bit higher in the middle and lower on the edges.
Love your personality you are so fun in this video!!
I love the bedding pellets I use them in the doorways of my coop 2 keep the rest of the coop dry great when you have ducks too
LOOOOOVE the pine pellets hack! GAME CHANGER!
Okay the pallets and the pine pellets are a wonderful idea thank you
I'm from Pennsylvania, no snow yet here so far so good, but getting to my chickens I have to walk down a little hill behind my house can be hard for me, I had a guy drop off a large pile of wood chips, my walk way is much better now, this really helps , by summer my whole back yard will be covered with wood chips , one nice thing about that I won't be cutting any grass 😀 thank you .
Thank you so much for the advice!
You have such a bubbly wonderful personality and you are a joy to watch!
I'm worried my chickens might eat those pellets cause what if I'm not feed them enough or the right things? They are on pellets and get scratch every day and I try to give them fruit & veggies sometimes! Do you have any videos on feeding them?
I thought my 21'x17' chicken run was big- your's is GINORMOUS! TY for the video!
Me too. We live in Buckley Wa today it’s beautiful but I too resemble the iguana in Alaska 😂 I just can’t with all of the rain.
Great video. We’ve been in a drought, but a single day of rain made my small pen reek. I use straw, and hay. I’ll try pine pellets.
New subscriber here sO HAPpy I found your channel! Yay!!! I garden in California and have chickens too! This video is very helpful as it just rained here!!! 😇😇😇👍👍👍
Ugh, I can relate, I live in Michigan and I HATE winter. As soon as the leaves start to change I begin to wonder why I don't live somewhere where it doesn't get COLD. It appears my chickens do better than me in the winter. THANKS for your WONDERFUL Information. I thought the pine was bad for the chickens. I use corn cob pellets that are for horse stalls, they don't give off the phenol that pine gives off, which is toxic.
Good advice as usual. Thanks!
1:06!! 🤣 You are adorable!
My chickens love to play in the water. They can't wait to turn the soft wet soil to look for bugs. I can't keep them out of it. We have turned their run into a play ground with several places to roost a swing, small balls to chase around and we hang cabbage and other veggies and fruit for treats
If you don't mind sharing, what kinds of balls are chicken safe ? I would love to get a few for my future flock
I am also in the PNW but on the drier side of the mountain range. I love your videos and you always make me smile! Thank you!
Great advice for keeping our lovely ladies and sometimes, gentle cocks.
Hi Madam president, I order soft wood pellets once a year and lay it on the top of my chicken yard. The ground stay wet but not soaking and the chickies seem to be fine with it. The ground is also so easy to turn over as well. The wood cat litter is gone crazy expensive now but will use it on under the hay in the chicken house. It all makes life easier in the wretched cold weather.
I remember 😂my first slip by soon roots .. did I forward half spit missed the roots actually grabbed one thankfully protected me from cracking my head open but I had mud n poop all over my moo moo lol
I needed this video! We just had a huge storm and everything is mushy and stinky!!! Could you please tell me where your enclosure in front of your shed is from? Thank you 😊
Great video!
Luckily, sandy yard drains quickly! 🏖
I'll try those pine pellets for the bottom of the roosting box, under the hay (hay is great for catching the 'blobs', but doesn't absorb the 💦).. 😁👍
Some great tips!!!
This is my first winter having chickens. How cold is 2 cold. I have a small operation so the coop i bought seems cheap. My coop is in a dog fence so I put vinyl up to block wind. It seems cold. I live in Iowa and can get pretty cold. I put heavy bedding down. I also woke up this morning going out to the coop and one of my chickens was murdered!! It had no head. Im not sure what or how that happened. Love your videos! Grateful I found you. Very helpful
I love chicken entertainment. 🎉🎉🎉😂😂
Hey there - thinking to switch to deep litter for the winter - you mentioned clay in another video - what kind of clay do you use?? Love your videos!!!!!
We got a load of woodchips dropped and spread it in our run best thing so far!
Standing water can be avoided by raising the Chicken run by laying over gravel . then top it with sand or fill dirt .
We go to the free site where the city has piles of different textures of mulch, did i say FREE, i get the larger type, it great in the run, slows mud issue which helps with oder, and gives them something to scratch at after i scatter some scratch grain.
How timely your video is! I am also in the PNW and have just endured the recent monsoon here. We just yesterday, went and bought a truck load of cedar chips. We scattered it throughout the chicken yard and right outside the yard. My chickens seem to be very content now. They were NOT happy having to walk around in the mud. I have ordered pine pellets to scatter along with the cedar chips.
“ Because of the overpowering scent, cedar shavings are not recommended for use as chicken beddings or litter, especially for chicks. Cedar shavings contain natural oils that are toxic to chickens and can cause respiratory issues.”
I can't speak for Dawn, but she didn't say that she put 'cedar shavings' down. She said cedar chips. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's probably more like a mulch. Entirely different. Especially when you consider that what is sold as cedar mulch is generally not cedar at all - it's juniper. At least where I live. So for anybody reading this, don't be scared to try 'cedar' mulch, as long as it's not that dyed nasty stuff.... but maybe steer clear of (actual) cedar shavings
I’ve used pine pellets and it works awesome but when I’m feeling super cheap I rake the crazy amount of pine needles we have and dump those in the muddy spots.
That's not cheap that's smart!
Im cheap too, so I use the leaves 🍃 🍁 🍂 you can chop them with a lawnmower if you need them more fine for future use !!
@@WelcometoChickenlandia lmao. We can call it that 😂
@@smokymountainangoras good idea. My chickens and ducks love digging in piles of leaves. It’s a great boredom buster too!
Woodchips!!!
I use medium, pine wood shavings medium wood shavings, horse bedding, and I purchased the bag at Orscheln
Hi, I recommend using a hemp bedding
I'm so glad for this video. I have a covered area in backyard with tarp for shade but there is dirt...also wth with flies. I've sprayed essential oils, omg I'm in tears.. they surround the food we put out.. maybe just feed twice day? Help
Do you like the nest boxes you have in the background? I have been thinking of getting some
Hi. I know this video was a few months ago but I'm hoping that you still check comments. I live in the PNW, NE of Seattle, so you know how the weather is here. I have a small chicken run about 6x12'. The girls get to free range however. I am going to get a bag of horse pellet bedding today, but it's pouring all day. Still going to lay some down! It's raining so much now, cat and dog style, and the pellets will break down very quickly. Do you have any problem about having to lay down the pellets frequently?
Sometimes I wish we still had just sprinkles daily. Anyway, your video is the most informative one I've seen as yesterday I did a lot of research on keeping my girls dry and happy. Thanks!
i’m in Hilo HI the rainiest city in the UsA .
over 13 feet of rain a
year.
we are
so wet and muddy
I was through Hilo in 2016, nice weather during April. It was before the latest volcano! Toured the caldera and only imagine it filling up or cutting through to the ocean😳😳😳
Thanks
Going through this in Vancouver, WA.
Come to Florida baby!!
Woodchips WOODCHIPS I raise backyard chickens for eggs and meat. I get woodchips have never had bumble foot or any other issues. WOODCHIPS
Thanks fur the recommendation. I'm almost done building my coop & I really wanna try wood chips in my run
Park rose perms culture chicken woodchips
Where do you buy untreated wood chips? I've looked at Amazon, lowes and home depot, and the have wood mulch, & some have chips, but they don't say they're untreated
@@toilaCarissacall landscaping or tree removal companies in your area
Its currently 38°, 10 a.m., rained for the first time since spring?, but darn cold!! 25 mph winds, my chickens wont go inside out of the weather, and I WISH YOU HAD APRONS!! The backs are getting more naked on 3 of 5.
I live in the rainforest. My chicken run is 85% under a canopy. Luckily the ground drains fast or I'd be underwater. My ground is volcanic rock . It rains so much, I find it best to give them mostly a roof to be under. I also pick up poop about three times a day
I love her
Do you keep the used pellets on the ground and just add more on top every time or do you remove them every so often?
Today I got a first egg no hard shell🤔😳. Not sure who dropped it in the yard from 2' up. Maybe Annie, the last to lay.
My yard has a mulched feel as it died from this drought. Great for walking on if you watch out for chicken poop!
Do you have a link or where did you get/what is it called the smaller covered black wired pin? It can be seen at 7:12.
The ground in my chicken run has lots of rocks, acorns, and some twigs because it's under an oak tree. I'm trying to rake it up. But what would be something good to put on the ground to cushion their feet? I think 2 of my chickens have bumblefoot.
Can I use pallets for flooring of the coop?
What do you think about using pea gravel in wet areas
Ooh that's a good question !
My crazy girls would eat those pine pellets 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️they are well fed, but they love to cause me stress🤣🤣🤣I have great success with pest moss and pine bark mulch in my outdoor run
Love ❤️ your glasses. Where are they from?
Thank you! I think these are Caviar brand. I got them locally but they are also online!
I was thinking of using the pellets in my duck house. Will they eat the pellets and are they harmful to the ducks?
We got a lot of rain and I've got the same issue I do have some straw on top of it but my girls got wet and I don't have anything dry for them I'm worried
Is the odor that bad ?? I’m about to invest in my first chicks in a month and need ideas for them ; is it normal for them to be out in the rain ? Can you put down hay from the tractor store to help them when outside in the area they will be in ? Any suggestions for this newbie from Ohio thanks Gbu
How often do you have to change the pellets?
Do I need to pick it up after rain is done? Or can you just leave it in
use down a layer ot small gravel in the muddy areas.
So after winter is over? Do u dig out it all up??
“Duck, go out and play in the rain and you like it, or else !!!” 😒🦆☔️ 😑🤦♀️💭🧘♀️☀️🏝
I was getting so frustrated but then when I listen back to it it's never as loud as it seems LOL!
👍
I'm curious how you manage to keep grass in the run. We haven't had grass since the girls arrived.
I used those pine horse stall pellets in my run last spring. It was great at first, but after a solid week of down pours and the stuff turned into the nastiest, stinkers sponge you could ever imagine. After it dried some I spent a month shoveling it out by the wheelbarrows full. The stuff expands and grows and takes on a life of it's own. 🤮 I would advise to stay away from that stuff. It may work fine in a barn stall but not in a chicken run where it gets rained on. Lesson learned
Can I use pine pellets for my chicken coop floor
Could you use lime?
Where did you get that striped, fun, colorful tarp?! My chickens need one!
I got it off Amazon but they don't sell them anymore! :-(
@@WelcometoChickenlandia darn! Well, I'm glad your chickens get to be hip with their tarp of many colors!
@@taraelvira8252 sew one up! They will love it
@@taraelvira8252 there's a video on you tube somewhere about taking a sheet and waterproofing it. Don't know where it is. If I find I will respond again!
@@taraelvira8252 look up make any fabric waterproof. I believe it will work! Ever get that silicon stuff on your clothes?!
I have a partially blind chicken who eats them. She's well fed and not confined. I cannot use them because she thinks it's food once it dries out and resembles sawdust.
Yes, the mud (pure clay actually) & chicken poop combo with the stench is so bad right now! 🤯
So stinky and slimy slippery!
Ugh I wish i would've waited, I just put down mulch in the run. I'll have do this next time.
How has the mulch worked out for you ?
What do you have to say about chicken who lay eggs with blood on the shell? What are we supposed to do with bloody shelled eggs??
Wait, isn't pine shavings toxic to chickens? Iso so, wouldn’t pine pellets be toxic too?
Some folks are worried about using pine but I have almost always used it in my coop and so far I haven't seen anything that has convinced me that it is dangerous. That being said, if you're concerned about pine or cedar (which is generally not recommended for inside the coop), using them outside where there is good ventilation should not be an issue. The issues some folks are concerned about come from inhalation within an enclosed area.
@@WelcometoChickenlandia ohhhh ok gotcha. Thank you 🙏
LOL to the loud ducks. Story of my life over here. Do you find it concerning to keep your chickens and ducks together? Our ducks and chickens share a run but not a coop. I just worry about all the mud the ducks make! This video was helpful though!
Why not just use sawdust then you don't have to wait for it to expand that's all those pellets are but wood chips would work great as well and probably be easier to come across
😥 just a little late. I put straw down. I will go get those pellets. I'm not racking up all that straw unless you tell me it's bad for my girls.
I'm allergic to pine 😔 is cedar ok?
I would not use cedar inside the coop but outside where there is good ventilation should be fine. Sorry about the pine allergy! I think my husband is allergic to it as well.
@@WelcometoChickenlandia so I could put it over the mud in their chicken run?
you might be able to get aspen shavings. Haven't seen it in pellet form though.
I use sand.
But what heppened to Kikki