Stupid Weather

[ridgefire]

My coop is flooded. And there is nothing I can do about it. We had over 50 inches of snow and its been over 50 out a couple of day and then it rained all day and night. Everything is flooded. I checked the birds and there is over an inch of water through out the entire coop. I dont know what to do. I cant change the pitch its a concrete floor plus the entire area is flooded. The snow is melting too fast with the rain for it too run off.

Atleast its back to cool weather again hoping it will give it time for the water to run off.

 

[eggchel]

Several of my coops have flooded this year. Fortunately, though, it wasnt terribly cold. You can put in some bricks with plywood pieces on top to create a platform to keep them out of the water until the coop drains.



chel

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Shoot, i'm sorry. i just moved my showgirl pen as it was up against our house and we have no gutters on that side so all that water was washing straight down into their pen turning it into a swimming pool. No fun scooting a 5' x 10' chain link pen attached to a chick-n-barn over several feet. But it had to be done.

But enough about my measly problems, sounds like you have a big problem there. Can you lay down pallets for the chickens to walk on? You can many times find them for free on craigslist or at various companies that use them, maybe Home Depot?

Spring can't come fast enough!

 

[RockyToggRanch]

STUPID STUPID weather! I agree. We've had somewhere around 14' of snow this season. A lot is still on the ground. With the 2 days of rain and melting my barn and stalls flooded too. It's on a hill, so it drains away, but it's a muddy mess right now. And there are muddy chicken foot prints everywhere. Even on the horses. But they are finding dry places to sit at least. It got cold again yesterday and gave us 6 more inches of snow. So at least it's not all melting at once. I'll be putting in a perimeter drain in the spring as well as a brick aisle with a perferated pipe below it.

I hope your area drains quickly for you. Maybe you could just run a couple of 2x4's from wall to wall and make a plywood platform for them to get up onto.

 

[Patch's Chickens]

My run is flooded. Just put in pallets and planks - my ladies are kind of wary / freaked out. In a triliion years though I never would have thought of this - another fabulous BYC idea. We are supposed to get another 4" rain in the next 24 hrs. Only half our run is covered, off to HD to get more roofing to cover the rest.

 

[ridgefire]

I added more shavings to keep them up out of the water. They dont really go outside yet, still too much snow in the run. I have to wear rubber boots out to the barn its so bad. I have never seen it this bad before.

 

[LynneP]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=7693
https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=7693-LynnePs_Run

I'm so sorry to hear how bad it's been for several of you. Over 20 years ago we had a spring thaw like that and for many days water flowed into the front door of the barn and out the back. It was horrible and we had 2 horses at the time. When we built the coop into that barn we had already improved the drainage, but we saw the Circle Pond Farm website before designing our coop, and noted that they had a platform outside each pop door. They have clay soil so it's possible they have had the same kind of problem. Not only do our birds adore the outside platform, but we added 2 indoor ones in addition to the roost, and we find they spend as much time on them as on the floor. We were lucky to find this idea before building, and with the enhanced drainage I pray we never have the problem again. We had begun to call the barn A River Runs Through It. Hubby even drilled some extra drains in the concrete floor. Though we never had to use them, they are a comfort. You can get drains/covers made for showers that are rodent-proof too, to help with regular wooden coops.

Working in conditions like that is miserable for you as well as your birds. I wish everyone a speedy solution.

 

[Torch404]

Just a thought you could lay down pallets if you've got enough room. That should give them some dry land to work with.

 

[ridgefire]

Bah I hate Northern Michigan, now its so cold out the water in the coop floor is frozen. I dont know whats worse water running through the coop or an ice rink in the coop