Lost three to the cold, what to do?

[Tanichca]

Quote:
Yes, yes, open on the sides, yes.

 

[welasharon]

You need to do what you can to dry the coop out and prevent any more rain from getting inside it. I use tarps on my open air pens. However you need to make sure you don't make them too air tight as that will cause condensation and cause problems just like rain. Perhaps you need to move them as suggested inside till you can fix the coop so rain can't get in.
sharon

 

[Duramaxgirl]

I don't know if this was already mentioned but could the be piling up at night and smothering? I've seen this happen before in cold temps here in Idaho. And we're lucky to get to 30 in the day time right now.

 

[poseygrace]

I agree about the wet plus cold being the problem. If you can figure out how to keep the damp cold off them, they will be fine, even in very cold weather.

 

[ScottyHOMEy]

Quote:
Be careful about insulating or sealing up your coop with sheeting or Tyvek. It really inhibits ventilation, causing moisture to build up in the coop. Here in the Great White North, the rule is free exchange of air without being drafty. Temperature is not a consideration.

As mentioned, a photo or more details about your coop might provide some obvious fix if, indeed, the cold was the problem.

My sympathies on the loss of your birds.

 

[bairo]

Dont intend to be rude..only blunt.

Burn down this (coop?) you have and start over it sounds like. There is a lot of great information on here in the design area and other places. Yes I see how many posts you have and am not intending to be condescending....but with that much experience on this site I am very surprised you did not know the chickens more than likely died from being soaked, cold, and drafted all at the same time.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:
Tanichca, I wonder if you have an eruption of coccidiosis going on. I recall from an earlier post that you had a mysterious death a couple days ago and one last week. The rapid onset of symptoms seems indicative. All of these seem to coincide perfectly with the only rain events we've had in many weeks (seems like months now). Certainly, they were the wettest days we've had since the summer monsoons. These conditions could foster the growth of coccidiosis. I agree with the others, I don't think it was due to the cold temps we've had at night. I hope you figure it out soon. Good luck!