[Vickie & Richard]

Our girls are kept in their runs, and we have a couple off positions for them, one has bark floor and the other grass.  But with all the rain we have had, both areas soon become very muddy.  We are thinking about changing the base to gravel, to try and make thing nicer for the girls.  If your girls are housed in the run, wot do you use as a base??

[Aunt Sally]

I use bark but I have a plastic roof which keeps it dry.

[ordinarygull]

Hi

Half our run has a roof, but the girls have been paddling around in the other half the last few weeks - we tend to put straw down when it gets really muddy as I worry about them getting foot rot!
Would be interested in any other alternatives, although I reckon further roofing is on the cards if the rain keeps up!

OG

[Planner]

Half my run is roofed, I have put down a number of bags of chipped wood, B&Q less than £6 for 120 litres. They have churned it up but it still keeps their feet reasonably clean. Also with their scratching around, it does bury in and bind to their droppings so keeping the run look relatively clean.

[richyrich7]

I use straw or chippings from the chainsaw, sawdust,bark chippings, even the odd bag of sand to help with drainage.

I think gravel would be quite harsh on the feet if they where on it all the time, also would it get rather pooie and messy?

  IMHO 'd try to put a cover over the run if you can.

[chickenlady]

Our small run that is attached to the coop is on slabs which I put wood chips on and change weekly (this run is covered) this small run leads onto the big run which is a mix of soil, gravel and bark chips (oh! and chook poo! obviously ) We dig it all over once a month and we have had no smells yet! it doesn't get too wet either because the run is under 2 big trees.

[stamford]

We also use the B&Q play bark for one half of the run and then the other half is grass, well whats left of it but still in so-so condition ! All of the run is covered with felt so we dont get any mud baths at all    We've also put some old wood flooring down where we walk to collect the eggs as the grassy area has started to wear, but will lay down a slab path next year

[Mr Chookles]

I built our run in the border intermingled with the Lylandi trunks that run down that side of the garden,a bit awkward cutting the run roof around the trunks but worth it as I think the Lylandi suck up all the water as it doesnt get that muddy considering the weather we have had lately  :shock:  :shock: half the run is covered (where the feeder and water is) and I think the girls love that part of the run when it rains but i do plan on making it twice as big as it is now and covering the whole of the top of the first half

[Zak the Rabbit]

Ive solved this problem in our run - my girls have rubber mats!

My local feed supplier was selling 15mm thick rubber 'scraper' mats, these have big holes in them, and are like a cheap version of the rubber ground protecting mats used in playgrounds. The grass can still grow through but it stabilises the ground. The playground ones are 25mm thick and to BS standards, but much dearer.

I got two of these at £20 each, they are 80x120cm, the run is 120cm wide! theyve had them two weeks now and the girls seem happy with them.