Moldy coop ceiling

[Saroco]

I came into the coop the other day, and the ceiling was covered with mold! How do I prevent this from happening again? I already cleaned it up with bleach water while the girls were free-ranging. Was that the best idea? I left the doors and windows open to air out for 30 minutes or so before I let them back in. Bleach won't hut them will it?

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
The best Mold killer is vinegar. Non toxic too. I just spray it straight in the shower. Has a double advantage because it dissolves lime or calcium deposits. I also used it in the aviarys to clean perches.

But you need to address why you are getting mold in the first place. Is your coop moist? you may need to add some ventilation even if its cold out. Just a couple of thoughts.

 

[dsqard]

Nope it won't hurt them on the ceiling and it is the best way to kill the mold. It sounds like you have a humidity problem in your coop. Can you increase your ventilation? I would also see if there is a way to seal the wood in your ceiling.

 

[allcrackedup]

more vents

 

[debid]

Bleach removes the stains but it doesn't kill the mold on porous surfaces like wood. At best, it's a temporary fix -- the mold will come back unless you correct the conditions that made the coop mold-friendly (excessive moisture, inadequate ventilation...)

ETA: Bleach does kill mold on non-porous surfaces like a fiberglass shower enclosure but not on wood. In fact, it can make the problem worse because of the water being applied with it.

 

[Saroco]

I did open a vent on the side of my coop, but my mom is worried it will kill my chickens because of the cold. (It snowed last night... Do you think they will be alright?) I am sure that the moisture from the girl's feet didn't help this situation much.

Uh oh! Well if the mold comes back, I'll use vinegar!

 

[gsim]

Quote:
Heat kills chickens 100:1 over cold every time. I have year-round ventilation, around 6 sq ft that NEVER gets closed. It is all from the soffit and upwards, to the two gable vents and one turbine vent on the roof. In warmer weather, I open any or all of the 4 windows to provide even more ventilation. I started with 24 chooks so that works our to one square foot per every 4 chooks. Again, this is full-time never-closed ventilation.

You have a ventilation problem for sure. Check out 'My BYC Page' for ideas. (The V-shaped thing was a tempy fence and is now gone.)

Gerry

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Have your Mom read this, then go open windows or cut holes in the coop:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION

 

[patandchickens]

While you are reading my ventilation page, also get your mom to take a look at my "cold coop" page, link in .sig below.

Indeed you have WAY insufficient ventilation, and are lucky not to have had frostbite. My only caveat would be that you need to be careful about making the coop colder or potentially drafty when you are near 100% humidity... so the very best thing would be to also CHANGE ALL YOUR COOP BEDDING at this time, which will help temporarily dry things out a good bit. Then you can add ventilation and normalize the coop.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Saroco]

Right.... no more shutting the vent.