Orpington Love! When is too wet?

[chick clique HI]

Aloha,

I am a first time owner of 3 beautiful hens, that I've lovingly named Heni, Clara, and Scarlett. They're Buff Orpington's, and the sweetest little things. I'm sure I will post the craziest questions and the most random things, but I hope you'll bear with me.
So here goes............

The worst thing that we get here in paradise is rain (which really isn't that bad). I've opted for a covered dog kennel, the type that you purchase from Home Depot with the tarp type roof as their hen house. I've opted to put it directly on the dirt as opposed to making a floor and I put about 4 inches of wood shavings over it. However, when it rains, the ground in the their house gets wet, and can stay damp for days depending on when the rain lets up. It's a nesting ground for mosquitos and worry about this not being good for my girls. I've read that it's ok for them have a dirt floor, but wonder is this is preference, or if it really is ok?

The girls are about 6 months old now and have been laying eggs since January 4th. They seem very happy and love to cuddle.

Keep in mind, I'm a first time mama hen and may be sounding over sensitive in this post

. Any thoughts or information that can be shared would be great.

Mahalo Nui Ka kou!

 

[gander007]

Aloha

great to have you here with us

The temps are great for chickens there as the coldest it
gets there as I remember is just enough to get a person to
put on a jacket and that is only for a short time and I am sure
not much has changed in 30 sum years but you can put in
sand if it pleases you and your egg's would be a little cleaner
but these animals were wild for many years before someone
caught them and put them in a cage....
The worst thing you have to worry about is the mongoose
getting in their cage where you are and the mosquitos will do
more harm to you then them as I seen chickens in the worst
conditions in Panama and we only cleared up all the water
holes and traps for our safety not the neighbors .......
But by all means clean up the water puddles or drain them
off daily for your health ......

It's great to read from a new chicken farmer, and remember
we all started off somewhere and no question is radicles

gander007

 

[NWchickenherder]

Hi "chick clique HI"! I have 2 Orpingtons and 1 Austrolorp (basically another Orpington!) and live in the dreary rain of the Northwest. We know a lot about damp here and things take a very long time to dry out when it's only 40°F during these winter days.

First off, just a good old dirt floor is perfect. It's what we have and the hens love it. Also, if you can cover their entire run and coop area and keep it DRY DRY DRY. A dry dirt floor is great for keeping mites and lice at bay that might otherwise find a home on your chickens (and it will keep the mosquitoes from nesting there). An added bonus, at least for us, is that the very dry dirt floor we have also works as their dust bathing area, with keeps mites/lice off of the girls. This is why chickens instinctively give themselves "dust baths". For the corner where they like to take their dust baths I spray some some diatomaceous earth (DE) over it, which is a beneficial addition to their dust bath because it helps kill mites.

Also, I'm not sure what you have for a coop, but with the level of rain you're probably getting there I would suggest a coop that is raised off the ground to keep everything dry, keep the building material from soaking up water and preventing mold from developing in the coop.

Orpingtons are great! Very sweeet, docile, good layers and easy to keep. I hope this little bit of advise is useful!

 

[drumstick diva]

Lots of gravel and sand trucked in can make an excellent base - that drains well. The elevated area is another good idea though chickens are not as comfortable walking on wire.

 

[sumi]

Welcome to BYC

Glad you joined us!

 

[BantamLover21]

Glad you joined us!

 

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome to BYC!

We're glad to have you.

 

[TwoCrows]

You need sand!! Sand, sand and more sand!! I am a HUGE fan of sand. It stays dry, it keeps the flies AWAY, there is NO smells from the birds, the poops are easy to clean, just everything about it is great! You can use river sand, sand from gravel companies, sandbox sand. I dig mine out of the nearby arroyo's and dry river beds. Here is a link to the hows and whys of sand.....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/444759/got-sand-you-should

Enjoy all your poultry adventures!

 

[roostersandhens]

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC!