Is it the coop or the run? If the run, is it roofed?
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It would help a good bit and also, not turning it would help....water tends to gravitate towards the bottom, so turning it to the top makes the whole mix more wet. Having materials at the bottom that will wick moisture helps also, as it will absorb the excess moisture and leave the top more dry.We are still getting rain on our already saturated yard. Until now the coop was staying dry. Now, its staying wet no matter how much bedding i add or how much I turn it over. I'm starting to worry it will mold. Would lime help with the moisture? I'm thinking mix it in the damp bedding and toss pine shavings over the top.
Or if you could recommend another plan...
Thanks for the info, I will pick some up at Lowes.Just regular garden or agricultural lime...what they call "sweet lime". I get mine at Lowe's and it's super cheap...I can get 40 lbs for $3 and some change. It goes a long way. Some old timers use lime in their bedding and in their runs to give their chickens more calcium and phosphorus in that way. As the chickens ingest things found in the bedding and soils, they pick up the lime as well.
Be careful when spreading your lime, as it's very fine and can get in the respiratory tract of both you and the chickens...not fun.
There is a sweet lime~or garden/agricultural lime~ and a caustic lime~or hydrated lime, that is used in construction. Make sure you get the basic agricultural lime and not the caustic stuff....not to be used around animals and you certainly don't want to be breathing that stuff or even get it in your eyes or on your skin...burns like the dickens!
I have never used lime so I dont know if that would help. You say the coop is staying wet? How is the water coming in if I may ask.
Marie
Is it the coop or the run? If the run, is it roofed?
It would help a good bit and also, not turning it would help....water tends to gravitate towards the bottom, so turning it to the top makes the whole mix more wet. Having materials at the bottom that will wick moisture helps also, as it will absorb the excess moisture and leave the top more dry.
For now I'd apply some lime on the top and cover that with a mix of bedding that lets air into the mix...I'd avoid using all pine shavings, as they tend to take forever to break down and they hold moisture in clumps, which does form mold caps. If you are using all of one kind/type of bedding it tends to pack down and not allow air into the DL, so mixing different types and sizes of particles really helps to keep a dryer mix. A little shavings, a little straw, a little leaves, bark, twigs, etc really help to break up the surface and allow air into the mix and encourages better composting. Right now, while it's so damp, you might avoid adding any greens like grass clippings or hay...they have their own moisture and will just add to the problem.
For covering areas of high fecal concentration, you could just lightly cover those from bedding taken from a more dry area of the coop or just flip them lightly into the bedding right where they are. No deep stirring or flipping can really keep moisture in the lower levels as much as possible. Then, when the top is too moist, just add a layer of dry but don't mix it in...just layer it in like making lasagna, trapping the moisture under the dry layer.
Another thing that helps is ventilation....HUGE, open areas of wall that allow good flow through of air that will help dry your DL during these wet days. Ventilation at the floor level is especially important during the summer months and can help pull fresh air into the coop, while the stale, humid air exits out the ventilation areas at the upper levels.