Scraping Mud/Paddock reno

[longlanefarm]

This is not my first year dealing with mud season. However, it is my first year with a tractor and FEL to help me manage the issue. I’m starting my second year at our current farm. When we were renovating the barn last year, we had a huge load of screenings/stone dust dumped and spread in the dry paddock. That is now long gone.

This winter, as the manure began to freeze and was then covered with snow, I gave up my normal twice a day clean up of the paddock. Dear lord it is bad now! My husband attempted to scrape the paddock this week as we have done in the past but it is SO muddy. It almost made it worse!

Second factor, there is a small hill/knoll in the middle of the paddock. Usually not an issue but so soft and muddy this year. I’d like to cover it with crushed stone as well but thinking it will not “stick.” Any one use one of the many anti erosion grids on a hill or slope successfully?

It is looking like I won’t be able to get stone in there until med-summer at this rate! Any tips/tricks for scraping the paddock with the FEL? My husband thinks a skid steerer would do a better job. I think it’s just the mud/manure combo.

[goodhors]

For just smoothing it off, dragging a tractor tire can work well. It is less complicated than smoothing with the FEL because tractor can’t stay level in mud. We had some old tires we found, that do a nice job. They just follow the ground surface, no digging in. We pull the tire with a chain, which is often all shiny when you get done. You are then allowed to reply when folks ask “What are you doing?” They always do, no matter how obvious it is! Ha ha “Just shining up my tow chain.” We have very sticky mud which the tire leaves all smooth. I alway feel like I am smoothing cake frosting doing this in paddocks. Does seem to help dry the mud faster if there is any breeze or wind.

I can’t advise in grids for the small hill. We do put down geotextile fabric and then put stones over that, in all our muddy places. Gates, doorways, paths. Otherwise the mud just eats the stone pretty quickly. Never see those stones again or enjoy any benefit from adding them! We are talking TRUCK LOADS in one small area, all gone into the mud in a year. That was before we learned about the geotextile fabric.

[Mosey_2003]

I would think about why this paddock gets so wet and sloppy. Is it at a low point? Does water run down into it? Might want to think about some french drains, and/or putting some bigger rock in to firm it up and then screenings packed onto the top, to make a true sacrifice paddock. Typically people here will start with a 3" clean stone, then 1", then road base.

[longlanefarm]

@Mosey_2003 yes, definitely an issue. Our farm is built in a small valley. Fields behind us with little vegetation to stop the run off. The excessive rains we had this year did not help. Normally, the rain does avoid this particular paddock, thankfully. We met with an excavator since I made this post and have plans to address drainage. Everything else will be a bandaid until then.

Also since I posted, we’ve been able to dry up a bit and get the tractor in for a second “scraping.” It helped BIG time!

@goodhors my concern with geotextile is it becoming exposed and having a horse rip it up or catch a leg etc. I don’t have horses who paw (currently) but I’ve heard of horror stories with geotextile. BUT I also don’t want to feed the mud monster loads and loads of stone every year. Trying to weigh my options…

[Mosey_2003]

Good deal!

[Welcomeranch]

Someone on another forum was just talking about using old carpeting instead of geo textile fabirc. Cheaper, (probably free) and more durable! I believe they installed it upside down…

[Obsidian_Fire]

@Welcomeranch

Someone on another forum was just talking about using old carpeting instead of geo textile fabirc. Cheaper, (probably free) and more durable! I believe they installed it upside down…

If you could find that link, that would be an interesting idea.

Anybody else? Thoughts on that?

[longlanefarm]

I have heard of that idea. The concern from others was that the carpet would rot and breakdown leaving a bigger mess? I don’t have personal experience with this however.