chickens and mud

[englishsid]

Hi,

This may seem like a silly question...

With all the rain our chicken run has become, basically a bog! Apart from the mess of going in and changing water and food is there any risk to the hens?

I did put some straw down, which helped for a day or so...

Would it be better to dug out the mud and put some hardcore down with bark?

They seem happy enough, just a bit dirty. But I wanted to be 100% sure.

-Dave

[red]

its better if they cant drink from puddles (which will have poop in etc) as a way of getting nasties.. so -if you can make it a puddle free zone thats preferable. not easy when it rains constantly...

[Thomzo]

They can also get problems with their feet if they are paddling about in poopy mud all the time.

I put all my hedge trimmings in my run. The twigs create lots of layers that they can climb over or on to get away from the mud when they want to. They also attract lots of insects which keep the chooks entertained. Eventually the twigs sink into the mud but by then the hedge needs trimming again.

Cheers
Zoe

[Ron and Jean]

Does it matter what sort of hedge trimmings you put in. We have privit, ivy and escallonia. Are they ok to put in the coop?
Thanks