Anxious new chicken parent, coop was flooded!

[hilda45]

Hello, I live in Massachusetts and last week we got hit with a snow storm than with rain and coop got flooded 13 inches I moved the chickens to the egg laying section temp went to freezing. Now, there's ice in coop mixed with hay I moved everything around to air. How should I tackle this issue?? Chickens are stressed out there in the dark !!

 

[scrambled please]

Hello, I live in Massachusetts and last week we got hit with a snow storm than with rain and coop got flooded 13 inches I moved the chickens to the egg laying section temp went to freezing. Now, there's ice in coop mixed with hay I moved everything around to air. How should I tackle this issue?? Chickens are stressed out there in the dark !!

Not an expert on this but can you use sand and salt? Or a bunch of hay to get them up. Just shooting in the dark a picture would help.

 

[Brahmachicken240]

Welcome to byc

 

[JedJackson]

For now, probably your best bet is to put a lot of straw or wood shavings above the ice, like several inches worth, so the birds can get around. Once the weather turns warmer, you are going to need to think about fixing the drainage problem somehow. Drainage tiles or ditches could help, or maybe raise the coop and run up by 30 inches or so.

I can't think of much else that will help, other than finding temporary housing, like dog crates in the garage.

Sorry you are having this stressful problem. And welcome to BYC. Hopefully in the future this website will be more fun for you.

 

[007Sean]

Howdy and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

Thanks for joining our community!

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Welcome to our FUNomenal community! Best wishes to you and your flock!

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.
Unfortunately there isn't much more you can do except cover the ice with a thick layer of straw or something like that.
Clearly moving the coop to high ground is priority one when everything thaws out.

 

[N F C]

Living in the high desert, flooding isn't something I'm familiar with but topping the ice as suggested by the other greeters makes sense for now.

You could also check in with other members in your state to see if they have recommendations:
Massachusetts

Best of luck to you, thanks for joining us!

 

[The_Miraculous_Pigmy_Owl]

Sorry 'bout your coop! But Hope you have fun here!

 

[fldiver97]

Deep layer of shavings or straw, maybe a couple of pallets so the chickens can keep out of mud/ice. I use more PDZ in winter to keep moisture in the coop down but like others suggested-you may need to relocate in spring or put drainage in or raise the coop and level of the run. I found having a roof over the run and putting clear sheeting over the hardware cloth in the run during winter works great to keep snow and wind down. Welcome