# Mud!



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

OMG the mud around the gate and barn area is just GROSS. It's not going to get any better any time soon either  We'll have rain up until probably Tues, with heavy rain expected over the weekend. 

We have rocks for the goats to walk on around the side of the barn, but that isn't helping the rest of the area.
last year I put down old bedding, but it's too difficult to clean up.

I have no idea what I could even use to help get the mud under control.
I thought about trying to order some small gravel, but I think they'd probably poo on it and it would just start turning to mud too!
I thought about buying 3-4 bags of wood chips, but I'm sure that wouldn't do any good either. But at least in the front of the barn where we have pallets blocking it off for a small area for a couple of the girls...and in front of the gate.

What do you all do to help with the mud? I know I've asked this at least once a year LOL But this time it's worse than before.

We really don't have the $$ to do anything significant right now, barn addition comes first.


----------



## freedomstarfarm (Mar 25, 2011)

I feel your pain! We have had a lot of mud lately also. We were thinking of bringing in a few loads of sand to hopefully help a little.


----------



## mjs500doo (Nov 24, 2012)

When it is super muddy out we make small "corrals" using old cattle gates. It's not pretty, but it allows us to bed that area only (easier cleanup), and allows the other ground to settle out and harden over time.


----------



## jbreithaupt (Jun 24, 2012)

We use wooden pallets to form walk ways for us and dry areas for the goats. You can find them free at grocery stores and department stores that get large shipment. Look for ones that have one solid side so not to get any hurt footsies!!


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

jbreithaupt said:


> We use wooden pallets to form walk ways for us and dry areas for the goats. You can find them free at grocery stores and department stores that get large shipment. Look for ones that have one solid side so not to get any hurt footsies!!


We use pallets for everything LOL I'm not sure I have any that are safe for walking on though <these have wider spacing>, I may end up picking more up though, but I'll see what I have tomorrow.

I'm really REALLY dreading the next several days having to go out. Not only to worry about mud, but now I need to keep an eye on feet and make sure nobody gets sore feet from it


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

We have tires with ply wood on top in our pens that tend to get soupy after a good rain...so the goats don't sleep in the mud...but for walking on, Pallets with ply board nail to it and roof shingles to keep them from slipping...: ) Just hose them down when they get too muddy..( good for goat moms and dads too when feeding time comes...we don't like walking in that muck either)


----------



## dixiequeen (Nov 16, 2012)

So wish we had mud, its not rained here in forever it seem's we are in the deep south.It is so dry here all summer we worry about the well. We are blessed to still have the goats & chickens. Life is good we get what we need.Do wish it would rain here soon.In S.C.


----------



## Texas.girl (Dec 20, 2011)

Mud? What is mud? Rain? Think I kind of remember what that is but it has been such a long time I am not sure anymore. If you were a little closer I would let you have a few of the 10 trillion rocks lying all over this property. I have rocks of every size and dimension. Rocks do come in handy but I have more then I will ever use. So if you are in the mood to go on a long road trip, let me know and bring your pickup truck.


----------



## Maggie (Nov 5, 2010)

We put down screenings/filings around our barns, once it gets packed down it is just about rock hard and is easy to rake up poo on it. If you can get a riding lawn mower/ 4 wheeler or something like that in the pen and drive over it you can pack it down faster. Its pretty cheap to get, around $4 a ton at the quarry for the lower grade stuff that might have a few bigger chunks in it. I realize it will be more expensive to have someone deliver it. We usually put some down every fall, but haven't gotten to it yet. You are right about the small gravel, I had put some of that in front of the doors too thinking it would drain even better, but they just pooed on it and I can't rake it up so is gross and muddy too. 
I would not put wood shavings on it, it will just make a bigger mess for you to clean up and the shavings hold too much moisture.


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks! Yeah that's what I figured for the wood chips  My vehicle wouldn't be able to handle pulling a trailer w/rocks. I might call the farm supply store to see what they have/recommend. I'm trying to think of what the horse farms are using around their gates, well some of them anyway, I know the one I worked at didn't do anything lol

Texas Girl - I wish I could send some of this rain your way! We are on the south edge of a big blob of rain on the radar. 
I have to take my nephew to an appt. this morning, so I'm getting ready to go out and hay everyone, and dreading it! Somehow my waterproof boots aren't waterproof on the inside part by the toes! I may end up throwing down a couple of pallets while I am out there! It's so nasty out the goats arent' going to come out of the barn so at least I don't have to worry about them walking in it today. Just means a big mess to rake out of the barn! Even if I bought a new wheel barrow, I wouldn't be able to get through the mud with it!


----------



## Maggie (Nov 5, 2010)

We use the screenings for the horses too. I wonder if sand might work? Its not going to pack down, but would raise the area and keep in drier if it was thick enough. You could get it bagged, so might be easier to get than the screenings if no one will deliver. Can't really thick of anything else, besides maybe just throw some planks down as bridges.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Yep, use pallets or boards,or whatever you can think of for them to walk on, it is really muddy here too, so I hear ya.


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll see if the feed/farm supply store has sandbags available, as I am kind of hoping we can get cattle panels for the project shelter/hay shelter so we can get that done as soon as the weather lets up.

Right now it's raining and just absolutely nasty out, nobody is going to leave the barn so no worries right now, although it's going to be a bear trying to clean the barn out. Even if my wheel barrow wasn't broke, there is no way it's getting through the mud.

The girls were standing in the doorway yelling at me when I got home a few minutes ago from an appt. I kept telling them there isn't anything I can do I don't have control over the weather lol


----------



## Ninja Goats (Sep 6, 2011)

We have a supper muddy spot too. Putting up a gutter on that side of the barn helped A LOT. We also put down a load of rock, but I think the gutter did the most good.


----------



## Shellshocker66 (Mar 19, 2012)

It's horrible around my gate right now where they prance back and forth waiting for the food bucket to come. I thankfully have a lot of gravel/rocks on the property and an old dry creek bed on the hill behind me. I've been throwing the close stuff around the gate to dry it up and keep me from falling on my butt and give them some traction. But need to spend a couple days dragging rock down there.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Rain is such a pain, but I know we need it. Sometimes it is so frustrating for the goats ans us that have to walk through it. We just have to let mother nature do her thing. She sure is messy about the muddy ground though. Geezzzzz :doh:


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I agree Pam. 

This feels like day 10 of rain lol It's rained everyday since I first posted, we had some really heavy showers overnight and this morning.
I think we've had over 4" of rain so far.
The area around the gate inside the pen is a lake, the mud is a nightmare.
But at least the goats are inside, and I can usually get them out to walk around for a while each day during the rain breaks. I don't like them laying around or standing around so much, esp. since 4 of them are pregnant and due next month. 

I was going to make a pallet walkway through the 'lake' but that would make it hard to open/close the gates. 
On top of that, my boots aren't so waterproof anymore, they are each getting a slight leak near the inside of the toes! So I am hoping to go get some rubber boots tonight or tomorrow.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Oh wow, you are getting hit quite hard, we did for a while, we are finally drying out for now, I feel sorry for you having to put up with it for so long.


----------



## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

It has been raining a lot here too... and if it's not raining it's real gloomy and foggy..  The mud is really getting to me! it doesn't not rain long enough for anything to dry out!! I am going to go out and trim feet today so we don't have to deal with hoof rot...


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I have been trimming my goats as well, that is a great idea, with the mud and dampness.


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Finally the rain ended! The mud isn't as soupy as it was, but it's still really bad.

OUr goats aren't really due for trimming yet, but will probably check everyone this evening or tomorrow morning and make sure everyone is doing okay. We only have one doe that is prone to it esp. in one foot. I tried to keep them inside and out of the mud the entire time it was raining, kicked them out a few times to clean and get the moving around.

Looks like we'll have a few days to dry out. I'm so ready for it too.
Wish the gloomy weather would go too though, it's so depressing. Makes me soooo sleepy too!


----------



## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

We are just drying out and guess what?!? There is rain in the forcast for tomorrow.
We just came back from a week at Disneyland. Whereas, the animals were well fed and watered in our absence; the mud is unbearable. The girls look at me like I am out of my mind when I tell them to head to the holding pen. They tip-toe around on any high place they can find. The younger ones just stay in the barn unless I drag them out so I can fill the mangers in peace.
I have to remind myself that this rain is extremely important to California.
Just before we left the local news team was actually down at our corner because of the surface flooding. I was tempted to go talk to the guy and see if I could get my soaked goats on the news.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Oh no  more rain.


----------



## J.O.Y. Farm (Jan 10, 2012)

rain finally stopped here!! The mud has dried some, but not as much as I would have liked by now LOL! No one had hoof rot so that is really awesome!! :stars:


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

We are drying out a little here too, it was all frozen solid this morning, and wasn't the thick 'sinking in' mud like the past several days when it was raining.
Of course they are talking about more rain this weekend 

I ended up getting rubber boots to go over my shoes yesterday, the mud was just too overwhelming. Now I really get to look ridiculous LOL <I wear size 10, so you can imagine how big these things are lol>.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I hear ya


----------



## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Drying out a bit for now. But by Sunday; more rain. Funny, the girls just go nuts with the first few drops and head for the barn. The bucks, on the other hand, will stand out in the rain and slop around in the mud. Silly goats.


----------



## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

We are just getting dried out, but it's only the beginning of winter. Rubber boots are on the shopping list mine disappeared. Too bad we can't have little muck boots for all the goats, and in pretty colors at that. Yeah right they'd just chew them off.


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I am getting ready to head to bed, but wanted to ask...
Anyone have any other ideas on mud control? Something that wouldn't cost a fortune that we could do ourselves?

This mud is just horrible...









Those pallets are temporary so we can keep goats out while we're working <adding onto the barn>, and to keep meannie herd queen out at night <she has a small area on the backside of the barn to sleep>, otherwise she kicks everyone out of the barn.

This is what we are building...just need to get siding and get it on.









The mud is mostly from us walking back and forth. We live in a low lying area, and there really isn't anywhere for the water to drain too since the ground is so wet.
Scraping it will just create a bigger crater.

My brother mentioned we should look into aglime, and pack it into the ground, anyone ever heard of it or used it? I don't know anything about this kind of stuff, but I know the mud is worse than it's ever been, and a nightmare to look at. I don't want the goats walking in it, but they pretty much have to at certain points 
Behind the barn it's not bad, I have a walkway that I made with firewood. BUT it can be slippery <goats get around on it fine>. We also don't go back there very often so that walkway is fine.

Don't have access to the big rocks, we found those around the property.

I'm at a loss on this one.


----------



## goathiker (Apr 14, 2011)

You could make hard pan next summer. Till the area up a couple inches deep and recontour it so that it will drain. Spread cement mix about 1 inch thick (the kind you normally put gravel in), lightly rake it into the dirt keeping the coverage even. Gently water it down and roll it smooth with a roller or a heavy log. Let cure for a couple weeks. Walah glued together dirt.


----------



## TwistedKat (Dec 28, 2012)

Turns out when I'm not tending goats I work on hiking trails. 

Living in the northwest we deal with muck regularly. The goal is to either direct the water somewhere else, if that isn't possible to elevate the path higher. To elevate your path you can build a "Turn pike". Remove all the "organic material" (anything with cellulose like wood and leaves) and layer mineral from largest to smallest ie, grapefruit sized rock then apple sized and down to gravel on top. Simply placing gravel on mud won't help you. You can use large stepping stones or pallets for a temporary fix but as soon as it rains again, there mud will be.

Not sure if I figured out how to attach a file. If it didn't work I'll figure it out and try again.

Hope that helps. I know its annoying!
Cheers!
Kat


----------



## TwistedKat (Dec 28, 2012)

This is an example of one turn pike.










What they look like finished on trail but the concept can be applied in any muddy spot.


----------



## luvmyherd (Apr 9, 2011)

Thanx! I will show that to my husband.
It has gone from bad to worse to worser!!! Rain all through Christmas and some every day since. 
Some parts are drying out now but the area in front of the barn door is so bad that if I stand still; 
I sink and my boots come off. I was thinking about pouring concrete this summer.


----------



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Thanks so much for the suggestions! I'm going to show them to my husband tomorrow


----------

