rain got in my coop=damp floor now!

[mom2my2boyz]

I'm new to chickens (we just got our hens last week)

and I'm wondering it I should be concerned about this: The last couple days we've had LOTS of rain - and straight-line winds which blew the rain right into what I thought was our weather-proof coop! Now most of the pine-shavings floor is damp and a couple of the nesting boxes are, too.

Should I be concerned about this? And if so, what do I do??? Add more shavings? Take out all the damp shavings first or not? Just air it out (once we get a nice day)? Anyone have some advice for me? I'd really appreciate it...

 

[Liana]

Do what you can to get it dry in there - mold is a big concern with chickens. I'd change out any damp shavings and nest box material, at a minimum.

 

[sgtmom52]

I personally would take out the shavings, let the coop dry completely and then add new shavings. Shavings are cheap enough and I would not want to take a chance with mold growing in the coop.

 

[patandchickens]

Yup. Remove the wet shavings. Use them as garden mulch or whatever. (In principle, if you get a long stretch of dry weather you can spread them out thinly on a tarp and get them TOTALLY dry and reuse them, but realistically I'd just repurpose them). Use a fan to dry out the inside of the coop, if necessary -- if it's painted, this shouldn't take too long as the wood will not have got soaked -- then put in new dry shavings and you will be good to go

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Farmington]

I found out as I was in my coop hanging walls during a rain storm that the windows I had let a lot of rain blow in during storms. I fixed the problem with a piece of plywood on hinges to prop open on the large window, and I made a little awning for the small window out of scrap t1-11

Here's the large window, with the "cover" propped open

Here's the small window with the awning (the window on the right)

Any wet chips you have in there should be removed, the area should be dried, and chips replaced. Wetness brings mold. Mold bad.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Add Sweet PDZ and or DE. Both are excellent at helping things dry out. We have flood irrigation, so every 2 weeks my coops are flooded (literally) with 6-14 inches of water. I have 1 coop that is on blocks above the water and three more that are on blocks, but not quite tall enough to keep out all water. A fan in one of the on-the-ground coops helps tremendously, and as I said, sweet PDZ and/or DE. The type of litter makes a difference in drying time, too. Rice hulls dry much more rapidly than shavings, sand stays damp longest, but standing water seems to soak in faster.