Wet Coop

[3KillerBs]

Is the ventilation always covered by that tarp?

Is there any ventilation on the opposite side to allow a cross breeze?

 

[rosemarythyme]

So all the available ventilation appears to be tarped over (so moisture is staying trapped inside) and very small roof overhangs aren't enough to prevent rain/snowfall from running down the walls and possibly seeping in and around the base of the coop.

I would try getting a bigger tarp, and then tarping from the deck above and then over the coop, so the ventilation in back is completely left open, and the pop door opening is also protected by the tarp, like so:


Probably won't fix everything but it'll open up existing ventilation and provide coverage for the pop door.

 

[LauraMae]

Is the ventilation always covered by that tarp?

Is there any ventilation on the opposite side to allow a cross breeze?

There's a small gap in the front to allow a bit of a cross breeze, yes. But its currently all covered because I'm waiting on the roof panels. The top of the shavings is always dry, its always underneath that its wet.

 

[LauraMae]

So all the available ventilation appears to be tarped over (so moisture is staying trapped inside) and very small roof overhangs aren't enough to prevent rain/snowfall from running down the walls and possibly seeping in and around the base of the coop.

I would try getting a bigger tarp, and then tarping from the deck above and then over the coop, so the ventilation in back is completely left open, and the pop door opening is also protected by the tarp, like so:
View attachment 2474312

Probably won't fix everything but it'll open up existing ventilation and provide coverage for the pop door.

Ok I'll try that. If the top of the shavings were always wet I'd assume its coming in from the vents but its always underneath thats wet. But it makes sense that its running down the sides and seeping in the bottom.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Ok I'll try that. If the top of the shavings were always wet I'd assume its coming in from the vents but its always underneath thats wet. But it makes sense that its running down the sides and seeping in the bottom.

Since the coop is elevated yet you describe it being wet from bottom up, I think that water running down the walls is a likely culprit.

If it's seeping in from water running down the sides, might need to get additional tarps or plastic sheeting and run them down the 3 sides (not the one facing the deck, as the overhead tarp should take care of that) to the ground, attached at top and then tented out and away from the walls to redirect water outwards.

 

[3KillerBs]

There's a small gap in the front to allow a bit of a cross breeze, yes. But its currently all covered because I'm waiting on the roof panels. The top of the shavings is always dry, its always underneath that its wet.

Can you re-spread the tarp and fasten it so that it creates an overhang well beyond the sides of the coop?

Having the ventilation covered by the tarp is adding to the problem because the water gets in but doesn't evaporate back out.

In fact, if you got a bigger tarp and spread it out so that it was fastened to the deck rails above and to some boards temporarily mounted to the coop below you'd create rain shelter for the entire coop that still permitted airflow.

I put this up against sun rather than rain and used a free-standing picnic fly because I had nothing to tie off a tarp to, but this general idea: