Good news and bad news - Update from Oregon Wildfires

May 16, 2020
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The good news is that the wind died down! Much longer with the wind heading towards us, and we would've been forced to evacuate without our precious birds.

The bad news is the ash show hasn't stopped, and there's no sign that it's going to let up.
Overnight, ash has piled up in small piles wherever the wind has blown it, and unfortunately our birds are still stuck outside.

Our poor birds have been hit with the worst of things. Inhaling the smoke and ash all day and night- we've done our absolute best to keep the ash out of their food and water, especially by changing the water every hour, on the hour.

What we need to know- now that evacuation is a worry of the past- is there anything we can do to prevent our birds from getting sick? I cant seem to find anything on what could happen if birds are exposed to unhealthy air quality or if a bird ingests ash with their food or water, and I need to know if there's anything I can do to make things better for them. They've just come to laying age- we've gotten 1 egg, about a week ago now- and we're worried this poor air quality and this ash snow could cause our birds to become sick- or could affect their egg laying.

Has anyone ever handled birds in similar conditions? Should I even be worried? The unhealthy air quality is supposed to stick around (Marked in our area as 'extremely unhealthy' and warned that anyone with pre existing breathing issues should avoid going outside at all costs).
And even as someone with healthy lungs, if I go outside without a mask or bandana on my face, inhaling the ash is quite painful-especially when a piece gets stuck in your throat. The situation here is improving, but it's still not good in the slightest.
Is there anything I should be worried about with my birds? They've made no signs of being sick or unhealthy- just grumpy because we cant let them graze in an ash-filled yard.
 
My uncle has been impacted by the CA fires, and I can't remember if it was on here or Facebook, but someone recommended hanging damp sheets on the upwind side of the coop to act as an air filter. The sheets cover lots of area and are easy to spray off / re-wet as needed. Best wishes!
 
Another bit of good news coming after yesterday's firey scare!

We got our second egg after just about a week. It appears our laying hen- who we're pretty sure is Tiny- is feeling well enough to continue laying.

And thank you all for the information and suggestions, we'll be sure to do what we can to try and keep the ash out of the coop while our birds are still healthy
 

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