[doganjo]

The weather has been so wet that I have only just got round to trying to catch up on cleaning out the chicken run.  I need to do this before I can find a solution to what is best to put on the ground to prevent build up again.  It started off as a decent grass run - have tried hardcore, builders sand, straw, and have some boards down so I can walk reasonably safely to the shed - which is easy to clean out with vinyl on the floor.

Anyone got any ideas, it is a nightmare and I'm terrified the SSPCA will come along and shut me in jail!  The chickens themselves are fine, but the smell must be bad for neighbours sometimes.
By the way the white/grey stuff in the shed is diatom - I am very liberal with that and mitekill - just in case 

[shetlandpaul]

looks very simular to ours. the pigs escaping and turhing most of the front has not helped nether have the geese.

[bamford6]

i would put some sub base dawn .make it more solid .as well as tacking out a foot off the wet ground

[doganjo]

i would put some sub base dawn .make it more solid .as well as tacking out a foot off the wet ground

Not sure what you mean Gary - is sub base not the same as hardcore or Type 1?  And what do you mean by "tacking out a foot off the wet ground"

[shetlandpaul]

lots of spade work. sniff my back hurts just thinking about it.

[knightquest]

Might be as cheap but certainly easier to put a corrugated plastic roof over the area 

Ian

[fifixx]

Couldn't you let them into the garden bit behind the gate all day - that will give the muddy bit a chance to dry out?  Maybe make them a temporary run out there for a few weeks.

[RUSTYME]

not sure from the pics of the size of the run , but the easiest way would be too lay paving slabs . You just need to clear the muck off and lay the slabs as and when you get them . No need to do it all in one go , just as you can either buy them or get them off of something like freecycle .
 Broken ones will do , just lay them like crazy paving . All you need do is clear the area you are going to lay the slabs on , then chuck down a load of sand and roughly level it , and then lay the slabs ...job done .
 There after you only need sweep with a stiff broom or even hose or pressure washer it down when needed. You may need either a drain off area or a sump to take excess water , both easy to do over time .
 I know it isn't ideal , and doesn't look nice and natural , but to look natural you need a huge area with only a few birds on it .
I have seen people use gravel etc , but it bloody stinks like hell after a time . Slabs are much easier to live with , and not hard to lay either . Some builders yards sell broken ones off really cheap (some don't ! ).
 I laid my shed floor and an area outside , with flat stones from the river that runs through my land ...works a treat and was free !!!!
   
 Hope it gives you some ideas Annie ...

cheers

Russ

[daddymatty82]

would pallets work? might just be a mad idea so please ignore if it is

[doganjo]

Couldn't you let them into the garden bit behind the gate all day - that will give the muddy bit a chance to dry out?  Maybe make them a temporary run out there for a few weeks.

They are out there most of the time, most days, hasn't made any difference so far.

[doganjo]

 Hope it gives you some ideas Annie ...

cheers

Russ

Looks a great idea, Russ, except - I am female, 66, unfit, on a pension, and broke!  The run is about 36 feet long and 12 feet wide with a one foot high dyke down the middle.

[bazzais]

I think bamford6 means taking a foot of the current surface out and laying Type 1 down at a descent depth.

But looking at your recent post - I think the idea of maybe some pallets might work.

Ta

Baz

[sheardale]

I have a couple of pallets in my hen house.  I use a wide toothed grass rake to clean it out and put the waste on my compost heap.  I have wood shavings on the floor.  Havent had a problem, famous last words. lol
Cheers Helen

[shetlandpaul]

you would need to dig out about 16 tons of soil plus the water then you would need to add a good 20 plus tons of stone. not a realistic task. you would be fitter but more skint. getting rid of the soil would be the expensive thing. land drains with a sump may be you best bet. but were the chucks are is going to be muddy because the are always on it.

[BlueDaisy]

I have a similar problem and thought that if I laid wood chips down in paths where I walk, and bordered the paths with whatever wood I had lying about to keep the chips in place for longer that might work at least for the winter.
So I was in B&Q at the weekend for chips - they didn't have any! But they did have rolls of 'substandard' turf going for a quid each. They looked fine and green to me. I just bought 3 as an even more temporary measure to lay in the worst areas. It seems to be working so far. But I warn you, they are heavy to lift - but easy to lay.
Also when I was there I noticed they had a large box full of broken slabs with a sign saying 'free - help yourself'!