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- #21
I have the bedding layered...kiln dried pine shavings, straw, shavings, straw....not making much of a difference though....next time I go to town, I had planned on picking up more shavings...the last time was straw, this time is the shavings....I have bout a foot of bedding in there and the bottom of it is dry...it's just the top that has gotten wet, since this whole fiasco....Today temps are closer to freezing, or a bit above, and everything in the coop, that frosted up, when I opened it all up, the past two days, is now melting...sigh...the north, higher vent, seems to be taking out some of the moisture, but not enough...too much got in from the 110% outside humidity, then froze everywhere....this is just crazy...
The weather forecast for the next 3 days, is out of the south, with a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain...oh joy!!! Then, on Monday, we are back down to sub zero temps...we MIGHT top 0 degrees during the day???? I don't know whether to open up the windows, since it's hovering near the freezing mark, in hopes of getting more moisture out or not...we are at 89% humidity, but going back up to 100% shortly...I have been out, wiping down the water in the coop with towels...I'd hate to have it refreeze!!! I wish someone, who is facing this kind of situation would help out with what they do.
I Googled and Googled and all I could find on this, was for large, hatchery operations, and they use out exhausting fans in the big chicken houses...I don't think that's an option for an 8' by 8' coop???? I would lose too much heat...I would think??? IDK...in all the years I have raised chickens...I have never lived in an area where I had this problem....
I AM thinking of removing SOME of the bedding off the top and adding the shavings, but mostly because I have no room left to add more...a foot deep is bout all the coop can hold without it overflowing out the door...as I said in a previous post, the girls do a great job of turning the bedding daily!
It's VERY foggy ( clouds really ) here now also....but nothing is melting outside....My gut says open up the coop again...but I don't want it to flash freeze again....I don't know what to do...will be a bit before I can get the rice and socks...but I will put them up on the ceiling...all over the place as soon as I can....I can reuse them if I nuke them dry, I think?
One more thing I thought might help, is a paving block on top of the cement block??? Plus it would raise the water fount up a bit more, and maybe keep it a bit cleaner? I do have two, but they are froze solid to the ground, at the run door, I did try to break them loose but no go, so will have to buy one I guess.
Well, off to towel off the coop again!!!!
