Smoked chicken anyone? SoCal fires question . . .

fargosmom

Crowing
16 Years
Dec 27, 2008
673
78
321
Pasadena, CA
We live very near the big Station fire, and it's been pretty smoky here the last few nights (the afternoon breezes clear it out for awhile, but it's pretty thick in the morning). I've been worried about our hens but there's really no way to bring them into the house, and so far they seem to be acting, eating and laying in a normal fashion. We're hoping the air quality will improve by the end of the week - is there any particular thing I should be doing to keep the girls from getting sick? I don't hear any sneezing or coughing so far, but I'm a natural worrier.
BTW, I paid a lot of attention to Pat's big ventilation page when we built our coop, which unfortunately means it's impossible to seal up in the event of bad air quality outside! Doh!
 
Sorry to hear about the fires... between my time in So. Cal & Central Florida I've dealt with my fair share of flying ashes & embers.

I don't really know about your setup... you might try anything you would use for your own house.. hang damp towels over windows/wire & ventilation...maybe use filtrete filters or something like it over the windows.. to allow air but reduce particulate.... make sure they are WELL watered to prevent dehydration & drying of the mucos membranes and just keep a watchful eye on things. give them extra moist goodies.. etc

good luck.. hope the skies clear soon
 
Thanks - so far they seem ok. They get their bowl of ice water in the afternoon just because it's so darn hot, and I've been giving them melon once or twice a day, and a little yogurt, and they've got plenty of shade. Unfortunately I can't use filters or covers to close off the air flow, since I built the coop for maximum ventilation (it's a three-sided box, elevated, with no practical way to close it up). I was so worried about heat and fresh air I didn't think about needing to be able to close it up - lesson learned.
 

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