Best bedding for wet muddy run

[aart]

... when baby wipes are coming out of the ground... you're in trouble

Well, yes, indeed you are....not sure any septic system can handle baby wipes anyway.
Rough lesson there.

 

[TeenageRooster's Dad]

Well, yes, indeed you are....not sure any septic system can handle baby wipes anyway.
Rough lesson there.

True that... those are a pest... last summer my septic pump guy said he's never seen anything that clogged in 30 years... and it wasn't just the wipes... he suggested I change my diet too... took it as a badge of honor...

 

[aart]

True that... those are a pest... last summer my septic pump guy said he's never seen anything that clogged in 30 years... and it wasn't just the wipes...

You have to be very careful what you put into a septic tank to keep it balanced and 'working'.
Not just via the toilet, but the kitchen too....no food waste, keep grease minimal....put that stuff in the landfill along with the baby wipes.
Too many chemical cleaners can kill the tank balance too, kills the organisms that digest the organic solid waste.
....unless you want to keep paying the pump out guy, and pay to replace your drain field $$$$$!

 

[TeenageRooster's Dad]

You have to be very careful what you put into a septic tank to keep it balanced and 'working'.
Not just via the toilet, but the kitchen too....no food waste, keep grease minimal....put that stuff in the landfill along with the baby wipes.
Too many chemical cleaners can kill the tank balance too, kills the organisms that digest the organic solid waste.
....unless you want to keep paying the pump out guy, and pay to replace your drain field $$$$$!

Yea very good point... I do compost a lot... or dump the kitchen compost bucket by the garden, usually gone by morning, those damn ground squirrels will eat anything.

I need to get the wife one of those Japanese toilets with the butt spray.. she's the baby wipe culprit... TBH, I barely wipe hurts my back ... j/k

 

[Henry&Friends]

I had a similar issue, the water would puddle and sit in my basement coop. I dug a hole inside & outside a wall in the coop, stuck a PVC pipe in the hole, went outside and dug a trench leading away from the house, then did the same inside. It worked, but I’m not sure how effective it is long term.

Update: the pipe needs maintenance, especially on wet, muddy days, to keep mud from burying/ clogging it. Other than that, it seems to still do its job.

 

[The Farmers' Daughter]

I too have very hard clay. When the snow melts I end up with a swamp. I'm planning on building a moat around the runs. I'm hoping that water will run off from both sides and keep the whole area dryer. Then I'm going to add ducks. Win, win.

 

[fmernyer]

I have a question about 'building up the run'. If I add gravel - the hardware cloth will keep in in the run. But if I add dirt on top of that - what will keep that in the run? And if I build up the sides so the dirt doesn't just run off...then won't that cause the same drainage issues?

 

[Kathy Sistare]

We use wood chips that have NOT been treated with anything. We lucked out when tree trimming was going on in our neighborhood, and asked the guys if they could dump a pile in our yard, and they did. Free, is good if you can get them!

 

[Haleyrbloom]

I use dirt and rice hulls in my run.
I LOVE it. Easy to clean and the rice hulls stay on top of the poop.

If it gets wet, it dries pretty quickly. Doesn’t get moldy, or gross.

The girls love searching through it, too.

 

[aart]

I have a question about 'building up the run'. If I add gravel - the hardware cloth will keep in in the run. But if I add dirt on top of that - what will keep that in the run? And if I build up the sides so the dirt doesn't just run off...then won't that cause the same drainage issues?

It depends on what your drainage issues are.
Every situation is unique.
Might be good to start a new thread with description and pics of your run site.