Hoop Hut Deep Litter & Ventilation Question

[whatsthequestion]

1. I have a hoop hut for some of my chickens and am using deep litter method. We have lots of rain here and I started with a substrate of pelletized bedding to help control moisture then covered that with pine shavings. The pelletized bedding has absorbed the moisture and most have broken apart and turned into sawdust. The last time the temperature was below freezing for a few days the moisture in the pine semi froze so I had a 4" to 5" layer of partially frozen bedding under the pine. There has not been enough time to get good composting going yet. Now I'm concerned I'm going to have too much moisture in the floor of the coop. If it stays partially frozen is it going to keep the coop too cold? Thoughts? Suggestions?

2.The hoop hut is appx 7' 4" tall, 8' long, and 7' foot wide. It is double tarp covered. I put a heavy tarp on first then had to tent a second over it to try and stop the excess rain runoff from seeping in the coop. I have covered the front with semi clear plastic as well as the door now that winter has arrived. I left a 2' long x 4" high wire covered vent open above the door. There will be a a small open chicken door for them to come and go through that will be open during the day. Is this enough ventilation?

 

[416bigbore]

Hello, Are your chickens not roosting up off the floor? If it were me I would get that wet frozen bedding out of there soon as possible and put down dry straw or something like that.

You could also put a small fan in there if you have the room for it to help move the air so it will help with drying things out. It just need to be on low. Best of luck.

 

[whatsthequestion]

Hello, Are your chickens not roosting up off the floor? If it were me I would get that wet frozen bedding out of there soon as possible and put down dry straw or something like that.

You could also put a small fan in there if you have the room for it to help move the air so it will help with drying things out. It just need to be on low. Best of luck.

They are roosting off of the floor. I think I'm going to dig the damp sawdust out today and just try pine shavings.

 

[deidreg]

Can you get natural mulch? My run has about six inches of mulch for deep litter. The mulch is chunky enough to aerate easily, so it doesn't hold too much moisture. My town delivers mulch (from trees they've cut down) for free.

 

[aart]

We have lots of rain here and I started with a substrate of pelletized bedding to help control moisture then covered that with pine shavings.

If you have water running into hoop hut, no bedding will 'control' it.
One of the most importation aspects of locating a coop is to do so in a place that has good drainage.

Is this enough ventilation?

Probably not if there is that much moisture in the bedding.....especially when it thaws.


Pics of your 'hoop hut' and the surrounding area would help here.

Also knowing....
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[whatsthequestion]

It is a well drained area. My husband says we've had so much rain the ground is saturated. I live in Southern WV so we can have some zero weather. Mostly in the mid 30s. I dug in it and not all of the pellets have expanded. The top 4 inches feels pretty dry. You can see the open area above the door and sides.

 

[deidreg]

Can you open up the top of the back wall to match the ventilation in the front? Cross ventilation will help, I think. It's an impressive hoop!

 

[whatsthequestion]

Can you open up the top of the back wall to match the ventilation in the front? Cross ventilation will help, I think. It's an impressive hoop!

Thanks! It's my first time building one. Lol. I think I could perhaps cut a vent in the upper back. I think some heavy duct tape around the edges of the cut should prevent it from ripping further.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Might need even more ventilation than that. With the blue tarp over the sides, is the 2nd tarp under it really necessary? I would think the blue one should provide the weather protection needed. Or if not, maybe cut some of that underlying tarp back so there's some ventilation on both sides, as well as front and back as deidreg suggested.

 

[whatsthequestion]

Might need even more ventilation than that. With the blue tarp over the sides, is the 2nd tarp under it really necessary? I would think the blue one should provide the weather protection needed. Or if not, maybe cut some of that underlying tarp back so there's some ventilation on both sides, as well as front and back as deidreg suggested.

We added the 2nd because we've had such torrential rains it was running off the tarp into the coop sides and flooding it. We reset a the bedding to dry it out. I am going to try to see if I can seal the edges to prevent the water issue then remove the blue one. Thanks!