what to use to cut down on mud

[bigdadychef]

any ideas for high traffic area around barn that wont bother cattles feet woundering what to use sand/ shredded wood/ any ideas would help thxs
big daddy from m :

Originally Posted by bigdadychef

any ideas for high traffic area around barn that wont bother cattles feet woundering what to use sand/ shredded wood/ any ideas would help thxs
big daddy from m :

Depends. Gravel will work well, it will drain well, and should dry quicker and is more likely to stay put than sand. Sand would drain well, but will blow in a wind. If it is really soupy, you can try putting flax straw down. That stuff is pretty tough. We have put it along our feed bunk in areas where the cattle are wearing away the ground, and it stays there. Takes care of soupy ground well. Feedlots use it in the spring when the ground gets really mucky. It gives a good bottom.

[Tiffin]

I didn't think you could use gravel as it will get stuck between their toes. We use bedding from barn (uneaten hay). It still can't get messy but helps somewhat. I want to set up some kind of drainage but haven't got to it yet. Our mud here in NY will start very soon. Yuk.

[JeffNY]

Ah yes mud, sure beats the cold, frozen, snow! I find life easier in the mud, vs the snow. Better footing, and I can also keep a hose out, not have a freeze. Things get easier with mud, even though it can be a drag. What we need is some dry wind for a week after the snow goes, dry it up some. But not get toooo dry. Spring is funny, can have it wet, then 10 days later, it can be dry as a bone.


Jeff

[susieM]

Rocks. Lots of rocks. Then stones, then pebbles, then gravel.

[Ronney]

Mud is a problem here over the winter and we use lime rock on all areas of heavy traffic useage including the drive. It is relatively cheap and sets like concrete once it is compacted down.

The area around the cowshed had been done by previous owners who had filled the yard with what we call quarry rock - huge bits of lime rock - for the base and then topped it with 60ml grade lime rock. A bit of rain, the continual tramping of cows, me and and Mule over it and it is now like concrete to the extent that I can sweep it. We top it up every couple of years as it does pulverise and disappear. The same goes for the drive.

The gateways were another problem. The previous owners only ran sheep which didn't have to be moved on a daily basis. Once I arrived with my milking cows, it didn't take long to turn the gateways into a quagmire that by the end of winter was so deep the cows udders were dragging through it. Come summer, we dragged out the topsoil with the grader blade, dumped quarry rock into it, topped it up with 60ml and put the top soil over that making sure that the whole width was higher than the surrounding ground to allow for water run-off. It has worked very well with no hoof injuries and clean udders.

Cheers,
Ronnie

[henfruit]

mud season started last week thenit went back to winter.new england in nh is great we have five seasons!

[caroline00]

we havent found any answers. The cows are just so heavy. we ended up extending our fencing up a hill and they spend more time up there which leaves us less mud all around.

[TwoAcresAndAGoat]

I kept adding truck loads of sand to the mud (in my goat lot) until the ground readlly drains. Soil here is clay. The only non muddy place during the rainy season is the goat's loafing yard which is angled down away from their run in shelter. I used Lots and Lots of sand.

I have also heard of people using "crush and run" stuff used for a driveway base.

[Up North]

It really depends on what you are willing to invest to fix the problem.
If available, a cheap fix is to dump a load of corncobs(after kernals are removed) into the mudhole. Sets up like rock and the cobs are too large to get stuck in cow's feet.
As Ronnie has suggested, crushed Limestone works well, this is what commercial dairy farms use on cow lanes to grazing areas.
SusieM has the right plan to permanently eliminate muddy areas.
A layer of 6 inch breaker rock with 3/4" broken rock on top will fix most any mudhole.

[lscheopner]

Several years ago, when we had rain, all the paths were muddy. The dogs were constantly dragging mud in the house. My husband dumped a bag of oil dry on the path and it quickly dried up. Not sure how workable it would be in a large area but does work.

[genebo]

I got tired of the mud in and around my barn, so I put in french drains.

I dug a trench and laid in 4" perforated drain, covered it with some landscape cloth, then filled with screening (granite dust). It's been dry as a bone ever since.

I took the drain down almost to the ditch and covered the end as well. What water gets into the drain seeps out into the ditch and the end is closed. Mice can't get in.

The drain tubes are really cheap at Home Depot. I bought 400' of landscape cloth from Sam's Club for less than $30. The only real expense was my labor, digging the trenches.

Genebo
Paradise Farm
Church Road, VA