PattersonBYC
In the Brooder
First, let me say that we are beginners. We have only had chickens since January. I have 3 Rhode Island Reds, 3 Black Australorps, and 2 Leghorns, Mr. Mowhawk Rooster and Little Miss Daisy. As of now, Miss Daisy is my only layer, but the others should start in a few weeks. I also have 2 polish girls in the brooder. So anyway, we live in Southwest Florida and it is now rainy season. It is going to rain almost every single day until about September. I have a 4x4 coop my husband built (it's solid, weather treated, easy to clean, and built to withstand a hurricane) our run is attached and is currently about 8'x12' (we have plans to expand it soon). We didn't roof the run, we just put shade cloth and only covered over where the water bucket is. So it has been raining for about a week or so and my coop is now infested with flies, covered in muck, and stinks like ... well, you get it. We have (or had) sand in the run and I was putting down a thin layer of hay, but have stopped that now that the rain has started. We put out 2 captivator fly things and some sticky thing, but although the two captivator jugs appear to be working (3in of nasty flies and counting) there seem to be more flies now than ever! I clean the coop and the run once a week and we add more sand as needed, but everything is just turning into a wasteland! Are my chickens suffering? Can we wait until this weekend to put on a roof or am I going to go out there one morning to find all my chickens dead or dying? Ugh! So frustrated!