# Jow do you deal with mud!!?



## victory (Mar 2, 2010)

I figures since I adore goats, I would post this here, even though I have rabbits and goats in the back fourty where I have the problem. So here's the problem. Our property sits on a water table..so in the fall/winter/spring, that water table fills up and our place looks like a big ol mud puddle. I have tried using shavings, and using 2x4's cut to make a sort of a board walk, and Ive tried using rounds of wood cut to about 4" thick to walk on. My main problem is around my rabbit hutches, I am currently building worm bins under so the mess just falls and the worms clean it up. There's probable a 25 foot square area where the hutches are and where my goat gate is...and it is a icky filthy mess!!

So I am in desperate search of a solution, permanent. I am thinking of just pouring concrete this summer, high enough so the water/mud doesn't get to it, and deep enough so it wont sink down..like the shavings did.
I need economic ideas..and something a girl can do on her own...
Pictures too if ya gottem!!
Thanks so much! I am excited to see your ideas!!:clap:


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## mpete (Mar 4, 2008)

Have you tried a sand/gravel pathway? High enough above the water table?


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## victory (Mar 2, 2010)

Nope, I will put that on my list of possibilities...thanks!!!


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

I have an area that I must walk through just inside the goat yard gate that gets the run off from the roof of a small building. I put a load of "wash rock" there. It's like large diameter gravel. I love it.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

I had a similar problem just in front of the barn entrance where the goats walked often, albeit not nearly as large an area as yours. I also had a similar situation in the middle of our drive, again not nearly as large as what yours probably is. I can tell you what has worked real well for us.

The barn entrance: First thing we did was pile a load of #57 rock on it and let the goats push it into the mud. Then we piled a load of sawdust, also letting the goats push it into the mud on top of the rocks. Then we piled 6" (yes 6 inches) of agricultural lime over the entire muddy area. That did it! In no time at all we had a very hard surface (no mud).

The driveway: I tried what I did with the barn entrance and it did "not" work! I then dug it out .. yes the entire thing I dug out down at least 18 inches. (This was about a 10' x 10' area.) Next, I purchased a sheeting (forget what it is called) from a local contractor that was 12' x 12' and strong enough to hold large rocks. I spread that in the dug out hole. Then I placed the largest rocks (and broken cinder blocks) I could find (some nearly 2 ft large) all over the entire dug-out area. Then I placed smaller rocks; then smaller rocks until the hole was filled. Next, I replaced all that soil (clay mixed wit sandstone) back in on top of all those rocks. Then I placed large cinder blocks all around it to keep strangers from driving over it as I am waiting now until I can afford some "crushed run" to put on top of that spot. 

It has rained cats and dogs since I've done the above; and all look good!

Edited: The "sheeting" I used was "heavy duty woven geotextile".


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## southerngurl (May 11, 2003)

I would think limestone would be the way to go.


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

motdaugrnds, what is #57 rock, like pea rock or bigger? I need to do something for the pathways to the barn & aroun d gates & such & this sounds like something I can do & hopefully not too exspensive. How did you buy so much agricultural lime? By 50 pound bags or does it come bigger amounts?

That also answers a question I had about the lime, was wanting to start cleaning the barn, dirt floor & wanted to spread the agricultural lime over the dirt & leave it to air out but my does' run free most days this time of year & was worried about it burning their hooves if they walked in it.


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## prairiedog (Jan 18, 2007)

Yep I would have a few truck loads of gravel brought in and build it up some in the bad areas


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## Manchamom (May 18, 2003)

Just to warn you. Our wonderful Oregon mud swallows up rock in a few years. We put down 2 feet of slag with 6 inches of 2" minus on top. In 12 years it's almost gone now and needs redone.


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## julieq (Oct 12, 2008)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> I have an area that I must walk through just inside the goat yard gate that gets the run off from the roof of a small building. I put a load of "wash rock" there. It's like large diameter gravel. I love it.


That's what I'd suggest also.


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

I also had thought of gravel or small rocks but isn't that hard to clean the berries out of?


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Backfourty, I always keep a large pile of agricultural lime near my garden for a variety of uses. I have a truck deliver as much as I want and dump it where I want it. The weather never bothers it. 

No, agricultural lime does not burn the feet of does. Every year I clean our barn down to the lime I had placed there the year before; let it air dry a few warm days (without goats getting in); then spread a new layer of lime (ag lime; not dolomite) where needed; then let the goats back in.

Chickens love it too as it keeps bugs off them!

The #57 rock is about an inch in diameter. It slides around; so needs to be stabilized with sawdust/wood shavings/etc. If I were you I would not use #57 rock on pathways or around gates because it does not stay put. I would use "crushed run" or "21-A" stone because it has sand in it and will harden like cement. Be aware, however, that if the area you're fixing is a sinking hole, you will need to add the geotextile fabric first!


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Clean the goat berries? Out of a huge goat yard? It's biodegradable. 

I clean the barn. I clean the sheds. I am NOT cleaning the yard or driveways.


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## Heritagefarm (Feb 21, 2010)

motdaugrnds said:


> Backfourty, I always keep a large pile of agricultural lime near my garden for a variety of uses. I have a truck deliver as much as I want and dump it where I want it. The weather never bothers it.
> 
> No, agricultural lime does not burn the feet of does. Every year I clean our barn down to the lime I had placed there the year before; let it air dry a few warm days (without goats getting in); then spread a new layer of lime (ag lime; not dolomite) where needed; then let the goats back in.
> 
> ...


So, you're saying that you harden your soil so it does not turn into mud? I suppose if you lowered the CEC enough, the water would just slide off and go somewhere else.


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## victory (Mar 2, 2010)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> Clean the goat berries? Out of a huge goat yard? It's biodegradable.
> 
> I clean the barn. I clean the sheds. I am NOT cleaning the yard or driveways.


:thumb:

Well you people are FULL of ideas!!
This is so GREAT!!!
I am thinking that I need to dig out the muck, down to the real dirt, probably:grin:
6-8 inches..then put the lime, gravel, and ...uh..uh... I need to write this down!

BTW Heritagefarm what exactly is 57 rock??


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

Alice In TX/MO said:


> Clean the goat berries? Out of a huge goat yard? It's biodegradable.
> 
> I clean the barn. I clean the sheds. I am NOT cleaning the yard or driveways.


Something must be wrong with me, now I find out I'm doing more work than I need to!!

Well don't tell hubby, but we clean the big goat yards too. He always thinks it doesn't need to be done. I even will walk around there wooded pasture areas where I know they spend lots of time or lay around & clean the poop there too.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Backfourty, you are hilarious! It's one thing to clean them out of the barn; quite another to clean them out of a wooded pasture. Let me tell you if I ever caught you in my pastures taking off my goat berries, I would string you up by your heels! ROFL


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

My mother-in-law, who passed away before I got goats, was famous for saying, "If a woman doesn't have enough to do, get her a goat."

Did she know you goat berry compulsive folks?:happy0035:


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## julieq (Oct 12, 2008)

Backfourty said:


> Something must be wrong with me, now I find out I'm doing more work than I need to!!
> 
> Well don't tell hubby, but we clean the big goat yards too. He always thinks it doesn't need to be done. I even will walk around there wooded pasture areas where I know they spend lots of time or lay around & clean the poop there too.


So, we're dying to know here...broom and dust pan, vacuum or do we just glove up and pick up the goat berries by hand?! :hysterical:


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

From the soggy North California- I use bark mulch with rubber mats over the top in pathways. A lot of the goat areas don't even have mulch- just the rubber mats laid in paths where the goats walk or where their feed bunkers are. They prefer to stay on the mats when it's too wet.
I don't have a water table problem- just too much rain on soil that has limited drainage. Sometimes the water runs over the mats in rivelets but since the goats don't churn up the mud, their feet stay pretty clean.


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

julieq said:


> So, we're dying to know here...broom and dust pan, vacuum or do we just glove up and pick up the goat berries by hand?! :hysterical:


You guys are so funny, really in the big goat pen's where the grass is gone & the dirt is hard like cement we do use push brooms, I walk around with a little hand held garden rake & dustpan & clean up berries, pushing the wheelbarrow along when I need to.

Here I"ve been doing this for 6 years, always thought I needed to keep all the poop away from the goats so they would stay nice & healthy! I do have pretty healthy goats I always thought!


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## Heritagefarm (Feb 21, 2010)

victory said:


> :thumb:
> 
> Well you people are FULL of ideas!!
> This is so GREAT!!!
> ...


LOL, I was talking about soil CEC, motdaugrnds was talking about 57 rock.  I don't know what 57 rock is, a google search seems to suggest it is a measurement of fineness.
ETA: Our goats are in large enough areas that the only muddy spots are the high-traffic ones. I partially solved one muddy spot by dumping a whole bale of straw down. However, it would take about 5 bales and more. Of course, that might not be a bad idea, since the high carbon will offset the more nutrient dense manure.


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

The #57 rock is about 1-2 inches that has been washed. This makes it perfect behind retainer walls and for trenches where you want water to run thru it; but makes it terrible for driveways/walkways where you want the ground to become solid.


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## victory (Mar 2, 2010)

julieq said:


> So, we're dying to know here...broom and dust pan, vacuum or do we just glove up and pick up the goat berries by hand?! :hysterical:


:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

You people are too funny!!
Gotta love it!!


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Can always depend on goat herders to give us a good laugh!


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