Smoke and Chickens. Should I move my hens inside?

[Texas Transplant]

Thanks for the link! I'll check it out.

I just gave that post an update a little bit ago, fyi. Chickens have notoriously weak respiratory systems, they need to come inside the garage or house....or as some folks have recommended, hang up wet sheets over their run and the venting in the coop. Good Luck ! I'm in Central Oregon and the AQI is 480 right now

 

[Starburst]

@Starburst how are things today?

Thankfully, the air quality is no longer Dangerous, only Very Unhealthy. On the other hand, one of my chickens is making a sound that she does not normally make. Kind of raspy. The smoke has cleared up a little as well. Supposedly, it's clear skies :

 

[Starburst]

Oh, actually, it's gone back up to Dangerous.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'm in Central Oregon and the AQI is 480 right now

OR has it so bad right now. My AQI is just under 200 as of an hour ago.

 

[Starburst]

I just gave that post an update a little bit ago, fyi. Chickens have notoriously weak respiratory systems, they need to come inside the garage or house....or as some folks have recommended, hang up wet sheets over their run and the venting in the coop. Good Luck ! I'm in Central Oregon and the AQI is 480 right now

Oh no! That's awful. I’m so sorry.

 

[Texas Transplant]

OR has it so bad right now. My AQI is just under 200 as of an hour ago.

200 is bad too! I just don't know how my man does it?! He's a wildland firefighter/EMT with the Forest Service. I'm older than him but, I think I'll be taking care of him as the years go by.

 

[black_cat]

From what I've heard if you have a small number of birds, a tent in the house/garage/basement with some bedding in it and a cardboard nesting box works great.

 

[rosemarythyme]

200 is bad too! I just don't know how my man does it?! He's a wildland firefighter/EMT with the Forest Service. I'm older than him but, I think I'll be taking care of him as the years go by.

It's bad but not nearly as crazy as other parts of the coast - and my area was mostly spared the smoke from earlier this week, so it's only been like this since yesterday.

Hope your fella is doing ok, I can't imagine what it must be like to be in thick of all of this! Thank him for the work he does!

 

[gimmie birdies]

480? Wow, even with all our fire activity over the years I don't think it was ever that bad here in EWA. right now I do see some smoke coming in though. Last few days were clean enough to play pickleball and sit outside. now it is starting to be too smoke-y

 

[RoosterWhisperer]

Hi, everyone! Where I am in Washington, the air quality is lingering between Very Unhealthy and Dangerous. It's very hard to see outside because of all of the smoke, and I can't go out there without getting asthma. My chickens are troopers and handling it fairly well, but I'm still concerned about their health. Do you have any tips for helping my chickens handle the smoke outdoors, or do you recommend I move them inside immediately? Or do you think they'll be fine as it is? Also, are there any red flags I should look for in my flock if they're not handling it well? And what I should do should their health decrease? Thank you so much for taking the time to reply!

You should maybe lock them in the henhouse, I'm worried about my chooks too, but they seemed to be fine