Rain, rain won't go away.

[BarneyNCyndi]

Hello,

We live north of Seattle and we are in our rainy season. What can I do to prevent mold? For the past two weeks when I clean our coop I have found furry pooh. We move our coop every week and clean it every week. We put a layer of sawdust then straw on top. This week, we are just using the sawdust because, I was thinking the straw may have the mold spores. We had a dry afternoon today so, I scrubbed the walls and floor with a bleach and kennel cleaner to sanitize the inside of our coop. Thankfully, we put plastic sheet used in shower stalls on our walls and floor. It has limited the amount of exposed wood in our coop. We have several windows and vents on both sides.

It is so damp lately that, for the first time I found mold growing in the girls feeder. We put vinegar I the water but we have been finding slime in day. We are even having problems with our dogs water dish which is inside the house.

I have read how moldy food is bad for the girls but I just don't know how to prevent it? The girls have a clear and tinted plastic roofing on their run so, they are protected from the continuous rain. The free range during the day and go back to the run when it gets windy or wet. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Cyndi

 

[aart]

Mold/mildew spores are everywhere, they can be hard to avoid/eliminate.

Do you change out your waterer daily?
I used to use 2 waterers, rotating daily with a good swish with a bottle brush and allowed to air dry.

Do you bulk feed(putting out enough for days at a time) or just put out enough for 24 hours each day?
Keep your feed bags in closed containers?
Is it possible that the feed came in moldy and the wet environment enabled its growth?

 

[AmericanMom]

Living in Oregon I can understand your fears...
Here is what I do to try and combat the growth of mold.. Only put out enough feed for part of the day, my flock gets fed in the morning and before they go to roost in the eve, rarely is there much left the next day. I only buy enough feed to get them through one week, Wipe out garbage bin (where feed is kept) every second emptying along with feeder.. Change galvanized waterer daily, fresh water with a quick wipe down. Don't use hay!! I have respitory issues and have found hay to be the worst culprit for the spread of mold. I have started using pine shavings, I scoop out the poop each morning from under the roost and the nesting boxes (I have a few die hards) and completely clean the nesting boxes out once a week and replace with fresh shavings. Our walls are wood and we don't seem to have the problem with the mold there but did remove the wood floor and added a couple yards of dirt to bring up the level in the inside of the coop..


Of course in the summer months it isn't so bad and we use that opportunity to pressure wash the inside and outside of the coop

 

[BarneyNCyndi]

Thank you, I am glad that we just replenished our wood shavings. I thought about using one of those no air packets in the feed bin. I know Winco sells them in their bulk food section.

 

[AmericanMom]

Thank you, I am glad that we just replenished our wood shavings. I thought about using one of those no air packets in the feed bin. I know Winco sells them in their bulk food section.

I know about the wood shavings, lol.. Hubby was tirelessly plaining wood for me on Saturday so I could go out this morning with a fresh bin. Of course its raining here this morning but all indications (and forecast) say its going to start clearing this week and we may see 66 by Sunday!

I have heard a lot about using sand in the coop and we thought we might try that this summer.

 

[BarneyNCyndi]

My coop is waist high and mobile. I think the sand would be too much plus the smell of pee might stay in the dirt. However, our girls love extra sand in the spa bath.