Trying to combat the mud

We have had so much rain recently that the run is becoming a quagmire despite part of it being covered. The plastic covering over the corner of the garden part of the run gives the girls an area where they are dry from above and keeps the big perch dry but the water still drains underneath and the ground is still wet. Despite this it is drier than the other half of the run where without cover it is just mud.

Last time I put down wood chip I made the mistake of digging it over regularly because I felt the girls had no where to scratch for worms and bugs. This meant it was soon dug in and rendered useless.

This time I have a cunning plan! I will leave the triangular covered part beyond the perch as it is and continue to dig it over regularly for the girls to scratch in but put a thicker layer of wood chip over the rest and as it compacts I will resist the urge to dig and see if this helps to keep down the mud.

The girls loved the layer of wood chip especially when I threw out a few dried meal worms.

Wood chip to scratch in

This is fun

I really hope this improves things. The triangle to the left of the picture has no wood chip and I have just forked it over. When I used to bring the “scary” fork into the run the girls used to scatter. Now they know the fork means the possibility of worms and follow it around. I now have to be super careful not to let them get too near the prongs. They chased each other round after a few fat worms which was hilarious to watch.

One other thing I must mention. Someone on the “Down the Lane” forum said that an instinct made her check her chickens legs as they had leg rings on and with it being so muddy she was concerned. Rightly so because she found the beginning of a mud sore and removed the ring and treated the sore. This made me immediately go and check Pepper as she has a leg ring. I picked her up and inspected her leg. It was absolutely fine but I decided to remove the ring anyway just to be on the safe side.

Originally I put the leg ring on Pepper as her and Dotty are both dominiques and although Dotty is a month younger I thought when they were both fully grown that I may not be able to tell them apart. Six months later I realize that they are such different characters that I am quite sure I will always be able to tell them apart. Anyway my husband says it’s simple, he says the chicken on your shoulder is Dotty! Dotty jumps to my shoulder at any possible opportunity!