Moved to PNW from NorCal - how can I keep my birds happy and dry?

[Indigo a la mode]

Hi all,

A month ago I moved from hot, dry Sacramento to the Portland area. I, a Seattle native, am delighted at the weather change. My five chickens, not so much. This is the first time in their lives that they've had reliably wet, cooler temps. The first two weeks we were here, my focus was actually keeping them warm enough - nighttime temps were unseasonably down to the teens. But now we're in a classic PNW winter where it pretty much rains.

My setup: A 4'x8' coop, an 8'x8' covered run with perch, and a fenced-in yard that's probably 30'x30' or so. Also a wire cage, probably 3'x6', that they like to perch and preen on.

My question for other wet-weather owners:
- Any tips for keeping the inside of the coop dry and tight while maintaining ventilation? It's gotten a bit gross in there in a way that never happened in Sacramento, and I'm going through a lot of bedding.
- Are their little feet okay always being on wet ground? Should I build some sort of apparatus beyond the perch and wire cage that they can spend time on up out of the grass?
- What kind of stimulation/entertainment do you give them when it's raining hard and they have to stay inside?
- Any diet changes you'd recommend? I have started giving them grit (finding rocks in the dirt was not a problem in Sac)

Thanks for the wisdom!

 

[fin-dachickmasta]

Put a little "sandbox" in there. You can add corn to their diet to add extra body fat to use for warmth.

 

[Ridgerunner]

nighttime temps were unseasonably down to the teens. But now we're in a classic PNW winter where it pretty much rains.

If your chickens are over 6 weeks old they don't need to be kept warm in those temperatures. They have a down coat and feathers for that. They do need dry though.

My setup: A 4'x8' coop, an 8'x8' covered run with perch, and a fenced-in yard that's probably 30'x30' or so. Also a wire cage, probably 3'x6', that they like to perch and preen on.
- Any tips for keeping the inside of the coop dry and tight while maintaining ventilation? It's gotten a bit gross in there in a way that never happened in Sacramento, and I'm going through a lot of bedding.

A photo of the coop might help, especially showing ventilation. Is it elevated or on the ground? How tall is it? Not so much how high off the ground but how much vertical room do you have inside to work with?

If it is elevated? Try to keep water out. That could be rain, wind blowing rain in, or does the waterer spill or leak? Don't let poop build up. Especially if it is humid poop just doesn't want to dry out. A droppings board or some way to collect poop could be really beneficial. I envision your rain as more of a constant mist instead of heavy rain. In some ways I think you are worse off than the Gulf Coast.

If your coop is on the ground all the above plus more. Is your coop (and run) where water drains away from the area or does water collect there? Drainage where you set it up is really important. If it is in a low spot where water collects you have a problem. If water drains away it's usually not real bad or at least a lot easier to deal with. Is your soil a clay that holds water or a sand that drains. Lots of variables here. I'll include a link that talks about a lot of this. My coop is on the ground. I put a berm and swale on the uphill side and added a few inches of dirt inside to raise the level. It stays dry.

Pat’s Big Ol' Mud Page (fixing muddy runs):

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-to-fix-a-muddy-run-chicken-coop.47807/

- Are their little feet okay always being on wet ground? Should I build some sort of apparatus beyond the perch and wire cage that they can spend time on up out of the grass

Good question. Their feet staying constantly wet like they have to stand in mud is bad, it can cause foot problems. It will cause you problems if your feet stay constantly wet too. And you walking around in mud is a pain for you. But if they can get up out of the mud so their feet can dry out it's not a big problem. If you have grass it's probably not bad.

You can put shipping panels, timbers, or such on the ground for them to stand on if it is that bad. I don't think yours is that bad compared lot a lot on here.

- What kind of stimulation/entertainment do you give them when it's raining hard and they have to stay inside?

I don't, other than sufficient room. I leave the pop door open and let them decide where they want to be. I figure giving them as much room as I can is the best entertainment and stimulation you can give them.

- Any diet changes you'd recommend? I have started giving them grit (finding rocks in the dirt was not a problem in Sac)

They do need grit. I'm not sure what your soil is like relative to that. It's usually not a problem in a 30' x 30' run but it won't hurt them and grit is cheap. As long as the diet is sufficient to start with I don't change anything due to either cold or wet. Your temperatures aren't really cold as far as chickens go. The way I read your post these are beloved pets, you want the best for them. There is nothing wrong with giving them some treats in moderation, too much is not good. In moderation it won't hurt them and will probably make you feel better, which has good value.

 

[Indigo a la mode]

Put a little "sandbox" in there. You can add corn to their diet to add extra body fat to use for warmth.

-slaps forehead- of course! Dust bathing! Talk about another major part of chickens' lives that was not something I had to worry about manually providing in Sac, haha. Thank you for the suggestion, I'll build one this weekend so they can get properly clean.

 

[Farmgirl1878]

We are in the bottom of a 300’ creek holler where the sun comes up at about 1000 and sets at about 1500 this time of the year. It’s always humid, it’s always hotter or colder than the rest of the area, and it never really dries out. Because of that, we have sand in the coop and run and the run is fully covered. Once the temps get below 45°-ish, I wrap the run with 6mil clear plastic to keep the wind and rain out. The sand stays dry so their feet stay dry. Plus, the whole area is one giant bathtub!