New Member - Chicken Coop Flooded - Could use advice

[KristiLing]

Hi everyone!

We woke up this morning to a flooded backyard and chicken coop. I'd like to prevent this from happening again. We scooped out some of the water and put down fresh shavings to help keep their feet dry, but the corner is still flooded because the ground there is a bit dug out there from the girls scratching.

What is a good solution for this to prevent this in the future? Should I add more dirt to level it out? Is it okay to add sand to the bottom of the coop or is that not good for chickens?

Also, the girls were standing in 1" deep water this morning for a while - they're on bedding now. Is there anything I should keep an eye out for after they get wet feet? I know this is not a good thing.

Thanks for any advice! I've attached a photo.

Cheers,
Kristi

 

[gander007]

Alright Kristy,

great to have you joining the BYC flock

Sounds like you might want to raise the floor of your coop by putting down some sand and that way the water wan drain and your chicken will also have something to play in .....

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! X2 you'll want to raise the floor of your coop/run, sand is really really popular for that, here a nice thread on using it https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/444759/got-sand-you-should

 

[TwoCrows]

Yes, you need to raise the coop somehow and keep it dry. And definitely check out the thread Kelsie included on sand. I am a huge fan of sand. Keeps the birds feet dry, sand is soft, stays dry, keeps the flies away, easy to clean and many times it has natural gizzard stones in it. I use it in the coops, runs and even the nest boxes!

Good luck with your flock and enjoy BYC!

 

[drumstick diva]

Be sure the water doesn't contaminate your feed. If feed gets moldy it can kill chickens.

 

[sourland]

Welcome to BYC, and good luck in resolving the flooding problem.

 

[KristiLing]

Thanks everyone! Sand seems like a great idea. I'll give it a try! Very much appreciated! We dried up the coop and all is well with the girls.