Soggy bedding in wire-floor coop? Rain?

[houseofhagemans]

We have our 1 month old chicks outside in a huge brooder/coop with a wire floor topped with about 10 inches of pine shavings (and yes, before you ask, it has a roof and a heat lamp). It was a great setup until this past week when we had rain every single day. Their bedding is getting kind of soggy, presumably due to the seepage upward from the ground . . . What would be your first line of action here? They're all starting to sneeze, and I'm wondering if they have a cold due to the wet bedding or if that's an unrelated issue. These are our first chickens and we are constantly unsure of ourselves.

We did turn the bedding over today to try and air it out. The dampness is causing a general odor issue as well.. Do we need to just take it all out and replace with something else? Lay down a tarp under the new bedding? What would be a better bedding choice other than pine shavings in this circumstance? I was considering pine needles but am option to other suggestions.

 

[nuthatched]

Hi there,
Can they go in the big coop or is this what you have so far? Is the wire above the ground and how far?
Can the coop be raised higher?
You might want to make a solid floor with weather proofing, and only a few inches of flakes.

 

[AnnPann]

i’d remove it all and replace if it’s wet. is the floor solid enough that you could put it up on pavers or bricks? just so it’s not in contact with the ground for future rain, but low enough the chicks could come and go? maybe a tarp or piece of plywood to keep the shavings from falling through?

 

[ChickNanny13]

Chickens have very sensitive respiratory system ... The "smell" probably causing the sneezing but as all have said the wet bedding need to be removed and replaced. A picture of your set up will help us understand why the floor/bottom is getting wet. Again as advised, IF possible raise the enclosure off the ground IF it's laying on the ground.

IF it's sitting on the ground, you need better drainage. You could temporarily remove all the bedding and put a heavy plastic (tarp will allow seepage) before placing bedding.

I've had that issue of pouring rain, water wicking from under ground causing a lake to form. I'd remove all the wet bedding to dry out in the patio but it wasn't solving the problem. The area the CH is located is high ground but we're below the back neighbor. So I sand bagged the back section of the CH, got better but it wasn't taking care of the wicking until ... I learned of HorsePellet Bedding.

I'd dig about 6" down in the area the water was wicking & fill it, covering with the dug up dirt/shavings. The bedding absorbs and breaks down to saw dust which the chickens move around. Did this prior to an expected downpour, within the past year it's been good & haven't have wicking but I still keep a bag for when it gets wetter than I like, love it.

 

[sdm111]

Pine shavings are terrible for their respiratory system and I don't care what anybody else says. If you can get wheat straw. It's not nearly as dusty and wicks water away instead of absorbing it like shavings. Also having a wire floor is bad for their feet when they scratch if it's on the ground. Up off the ground with no bedding is fine.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Any pictures of the set up?

I've found that mounding litter under the brooder (like a few inches) so that it sits on higher ground minimizes any water intrusion issue. Hard to see, but the bricks on the side are as high as the bottom of the brooder, for reference.

Also note that I do not use shavings. My deep litter (or in your case, you'd need to get wood chips specifically for this purpose) allows water to drain through while keeping the surface dry. You can see how wet the ground looks in the above photo, but inside the coop it's about 95% dry.