boggy ground - is bark good idea?

[angelat]

hi all

welcome to dancing on mud!!! my poor girls are slip sliding away on their muddy area. i have had them 5 weeks now and they have eaten all grass away, and what with the rain, it now resembles mud bath. i let them free range as often as i can, which is quite often, but need to repair their area. has anyone else put bark down?? i was thinking of maybe putting a layer maybe 2/3 inches deep of bark. any ideas??? :

[kirsty b]

Depends how big the area is and if its cost effective. Are you talking a couple of bags from the GC or do you have a big area to cover?
For my girls run I would need a tonne, maybe a bit more and that is slightly out of my price range at the moment.
When it is very muddy at the mo, I lay down a thick layer of straw outside and that soaks up some of the moisture and helps with the odour too. If the forecast is for some sun and dry days, I pull it out, stick it on the compost and let the sun dry the ground out a bit too. I do plan on concreting half the run when I have the materials and enough dry days to do it, and isolating the other half so I can re-grass it.

[MaureenHall]

Hemcore has been suggested in the past but I can't get hold of any locally. I've been using Equibed, wood chips produced for horse bedding, it works really well and soaks up the puddles Mine were knee deep in mud on Saturday as I'd run out. They're fine now though thank goodness. The Equibed can also be used in the coop or nest box area

[di]

I also use masses of straw which seems to work great at both soaking up the wet & as Kirsty says eliminates some of the odour.(seems to be far more whiffy when wet!)
We've found a farm just around the corner that sell a bale for �2.50~so far cheaper than buying some of the specialist stuff.
I'd wonder how long before you'd need to replace the woodchips?(lots of trodden in chook poo!)Could work out quite pricey!

[Flummery]

They reckon (me doing the reading up here - no practical experience!) that chipped wood is better than bark as bark can harbour spore which can lead to respiratory infections. You can get them free if you have a local tree surgeoun but they are sold in horsey places - like those that Maureen uses.

[NSB]

I read in a website that you can put bark in the run they recommedn this in the winter so water and sludge etc can run through the bark. We've covered half our run in bark yesterday s its like a bog

[Hilary B]

If the ground is wet because it doesn't drain NOTHING will help. If it is wet because the soil is a 'sticky' type (but drainable otherwise) gravel will probably be more help, and you can put other stuff on top (bark or chippings or whatever). For a large run, gravel is especially a good idea, because it will work out cheaper, since it will reduce muddiness for longer than anything organic.

[Noodle]

I've got bark down and I turn it every week, it is already starting to break down and I will have to dig it our in the spring at the latest, but by then it will be looking like quite good compost! I have been putting the fallen leaves in piles in the run too, as they're not having as much time in the garden, it gives them something to do.

[Bephlam]

I use chipped wood in my run - it's really effective....although the girls kick it all out!!

I poo pick daily in it, which is really quite simple, I rake the ground and the poo sits on top, so it's easy to spot. I plan on changing it every 3 months (as per advice on PP), by which time it'll be perfect for the garden!!

I think mine cost me �4 for 20kg, from a local tree surgeon.

[Snadger]

I have quite a large run divided into two equal sized areas. Part of one area is covered and in this I was using wood chippings (bark is not good apparently, as Flum mentions, and anyway we get the wood chippings for nowt delivered to the allotments by a local tree surgeon (I'm the Secretary and I sorted it!............ ah la 'shy bairns get nowt'......)

The woodchippings were ok..........I used to use them for both runs but the one thats exposed to the elements still got soggy and anyway I like to turn the soil over quite regularily to aid drainage and give them worms and something to scratch at!
This external run has roosting bars, tree stumps and loads of areas for them to enjoy the outdoors but not get there feet wet! The floor is now covered with herb prunings, rosemary,mint,sage ,thyme etc .Scattered corn at bedtime is really appreciated.
The covered run as well as having woodchippings has a covering of barley straw on top for them to scratch in and this has lasted for ages! Straw is �1 a bale at a local farm and a couple of bales goes a long way. I still have a bale and a half left!

[Snadger]

I think mine cost me �4 for 20kg, from a local tree surgeon.

You was robbed!

We've had about 20 ton dumped at our allotments by a local tree sugeon for nowt!
It's classed as industrial waste when he goes to tip it so he has to pay the council �18 a load. We must have had about 20 loads up til now!