[mojocafa]

How does everyone manage mud

[Bionic]

Stays indoor with a sheet over my head 

[Backinwellies]

... It manages me!  ..... slipping me up daily!

[Marches Farmer]

Gateways - put down scalpings when dry in summer.  Pigs are in concrete pens.  Poultry goes under cover in adapted old concrete pig pens, a redundant stable or shed on concrete with a twinwall polycarbonate mini pole barn arrangement to dry off the hens' feet before they go inside.  A couple of Winters ago we did house the pregnant ewes for six weeks after New Year, just letting them back out long enough to muck out and put up mothering up pens before lambing.  It was so wet the grass was submerged so there was no point leaving them out.

[Daleswoman]

Firstly we've got rid of 6 extra ponies that were grazing our land last winter, so can feed our two their hay in their shelter and so help prevent the fences and gates getting poached.

Secondly we were lucky enough to get a big load of woodchip from pruning some of our trees, and have put some of it down in the chicken run and some in gateways and at the entrance to the barn. So far it's doing a great job and holding up better than I expected.

We've got heavy clay here and it holds the water, so although we are on top of of a hill we just have to live with the mud most of the time.

[Me]

Takes no effort at all, just sort of happens

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Buy some really good gripped boots and walk carefully. I have to manage running down really slippery muddy slopes. The rest is practice, practice to walk in mud without slipping or falling over. Imagine it as walking on ice and you'll soon be a skilled mud walker.  the only way I would say to avoid too much mud is to keep the land free over winter, keep soil content the right balance, so its not too clayie and have well draining land. The problem with owning land and animals is that there will always be muddy, but it can be controlled so that the land doesn't get bogged down or poached.

[Backinwellies]

So to summarise .... builds sheds,  spend fortune draining land, and sell animals     .......... looks like I'll be continuing with slipping up in the mud 

[harmony]

Move to the city, get an inside job and plant flowers in your redundant wellies  As if!!!

[Cosmore]

Good wellies, chest high waterproof overtrousers, full length waterproof coat, waterproof hat. Put straw slices down in entranceways and outside arks. Plough on through, get everyone fed and watered, use hose to wash of mud from PPE (Personal Protective Equipment ), retreat indoors hanging up clothing to dry, sit down with a cup of coffee knackered! . Until the next time.................. .

[doganjo]

And don't have four daft dogs that can open doors and bring the mud inside 

[mojocafa]

Not only am I hating it but the goats are too

[juliem]

Know your pasture!Horrendous problem when I rented out for horses during the winter a couple of years ago. Horses/ponies will simply trash the land.They need to be stabled during the winter around here as land is very marshy and difficult to drain... but some horse owners try and keep them on the cheap and don't care about your land.  .Sheep are so much  lighter on their feet! Cost me thousands as had to restore ditch and have dutch drainage put in...
It took a year for this particular part of the field to recover..

[pgkevet]

yeah, It'd be nice to justfy the cost of new field drains all round for about 30 of my acres but I just live with the winter 'lakes' and boggy bits. A sleeper in the 4-in 1 bucket scrapes the drive and regular attention to the drain covers and wire grill by the stream over the barn apron to keep the sump clear - just as well we cleared it of leaves last week.....

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Know your pasture!Horrendous problem when I rented out for horses during the winter a couple of years ago. Horses/ponies will simply trash the land.They need to be stabled during the winter around here as land is very marshy and difficult to drain... but some horse owners try and keep them on the cheap and don't care about your land.  .Sheep are so much  lighter on their feet! Cost me thousands as had to restore ditch and have dutch drainage put in...
It took a year for this particular part of the field to recover..

I had a similar problem, I rented out some land to a neighbour, it was overwinter grazing, but they never moved the hay feeders around for their cows, so half of my field was churned up by their tractor and then poached by their cows, it took ages to recover and I couldn't put my sheep on until I had gotten it back to normal. It required machinery to do so (when the weather was better). Just shows how some people are really careless, I never rented any land to him again.