Wet Coop

[3KillerBs]

Sorry I am new to posting pics. I have them all posted below

Can you get some exterior shots showing the entire thing?

Do you happen to have a picnic fly? I put them over my coops for shade rather than rain protection, but that could be better than a tarp because it allows airflow underneath to help the coop dry out.

You could make a fly by tying a tarp off to trees or posts with closeline.

 

[Banana01]

Just to reiterate what was said already, ideally you could put a heat source inside of it all day and let it dry without causing a fire. I would tear it apart (anything that isnt nailed down), let everything dry, then put it back together the plastics, cardboards etc. As long as they are sleeping on top of dry material, it doesnt look bad. Ventilation is critical above where they are sleeping. Plastic on the inside is dangerous because it traps moisture unless you are certain there is adequate ventilation.

For my chickens in the cold and moist nights, i throw a blanket over a box they sleep in. But it only gets to 40 but the moisture makes it worse.

 

[Banana01]

Use a plastic tarp and cover the entire roof.

When you use bare wood it really needs to be painted or stained to resist any moisture.

You can also use corrugated plastic panels for the roof and outside walls.

When I need to remove the dampness of the coop I place a brooder light in the coop to help dry it out. Preferably with no chickens in there.

Paint and stain is great idea but needs to be done when it is dry and the weather warm. Impossible to do on wet wood.

 

[Lavender6]

Can you get some exterior shots showing the entire thing?

Do you happen to have a picnic fly? I put them over my coops for shade rather than rain protection, but that could be better than a tarp because it allows airflow underneath to help the coop dry out.

You could make a fly by tying a tarp off to trees or posts with closeline.

I have air vents at the top on both sides

 

[Lavender6]

Just to reiterate what was said already, ideally you could put a heat source inside of it all day and let it dry without causing a fire. I would tear it apart (anything that isnt nailed down), let everything dry, then put it back together the plastics, cardboards etc. As long as they are sleeping on top of dry material, it doesnt look bad. Ventilation is critical above where they are sleeping. Plastic on the inside is dangerous because it traps moisture unless you are certain there is adequate ventilation.

For my chickens in the cold and moist nights, i throw a blanket over a box they sleep in. But it only gets to 40 but the moisture makes it worse.
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I have the same vent size on the other side. When I go in in the morning it doesn't smell like ammonia.

 

[3KillerBs]

I have the same vent size on the other side. When I go in in the morning it doesn't smell like ammonia.

Where, exactly, did the water get in?

The plastic might be the problem because the roof looks good and the vents look reasonably well-sheltered.

Can you stretch a tarp over the coop from that wooden wall down to the fence posts instead of wrapping the coop? It would work on the same principle as a rain fly for a tent.

 

[saysfaa]

It looks like the nails/screws are in the valleys of the roof panels rather than the hills as they should be. That can cause leaking, especially in heavy rain. The picture is a little fuzzy, so it might not be that.

If the panels are the same on both sides, as some kinds are, you can fix it by putting them on upside down to how they are now. Eventually, if you don't have rain in the forecast.

Roof caulk where the fasteners go through will help but is not a long term solution if this is the problem.

 

[Banana01]

I have the same vent size on the other side. When I go in in the morning it doesn't smell like ammonia.

Well the plastic sheeting on the outside is questionably going to cause a ventilation problem. I dont raise cold weather chickens, but my intuition and own cold weather experience living outside tells me the bare wood needs to breathe and dry. The plastic isnt providing any insulation, but it is holding too much moisture. If you think their feathers should keep them warm enough at night, the plastic is holding in too much moisture which is dangerous for them to breathe (causes sickness rapidly).

Open air ventilation would be better than being enclosed in a plastic lined box. The wood is protecting from the wind. The question I wonder is the bare wood enough to protect from the terrential rain? The plastic would have been better covering the roof during the rainfall. Maybe Im totally wrong about your setup.

 

[Lavender6]

Well the plastic sheeting on the outside is questionably going to cause a ventilation problem. I dont raise cold weather chickens, but my intuition and own cold weather experience living outside tells me the bare wood needs to breathe and dry. The plastic isnt providing any insulation, but it is holding too much moisture. If you think their feathers should keep them warm enough at night, the plastic is holding in too much moisture which is dangerous for them to breathe (causes sickness rapidly).

Open air ventilation would be better than being enclosed in a plastic lined box. The wood is protecting from the wind. The question I wonder is the bare wood enough to protect from the terrential rain? The plastic would have been better covering the roof during the rainfall. Maybe Im totally wrong about your setup.

The pallets have 1/2 to 3/4 inch gaps. I am really new at this and have used this forum to help me out. I am going to do the coop better but I didn't get it built until about a month ago. I was told when I bought the smaller coop that I could put 8 chickens in it. Apparently they did not consider orpingtons. I HAD to get another coop FAST. I even gave my rooster away for lack of space. It was so very cold and the draft came from the floor up. These orpingtons were sold too me (a newbie) sick, full of mites, lice, Coccidiosis, upper respiratory problems, sour crop..Lord I have learned so much so fast. It has really good air and on both sides I have two huge windows cut out that I will finish next spring. I just ran out of time and money. Thank God they are healthy now

 

[Lavender6]

The pallets have 1/2 to 3/4 inch gaps. I am really new at this and have used this forum to help me out. I am going to do the coop better but I didn't get it built until about a month ago. I was told when I bought the smaller coop that I could put 8 chickens in it. Apparently they did not consider orpingtons. I HAD to get another coop FAST. I even gave my rooster away for lack of space. It was so very cold and the draft came from the floor up. These orpingtons were sold too me (a newbie) sick, full of mites, lice, Coccidiosis, upper respiratory problems, sour crop..Lord I have learned so much so fast. It has really good air and on both sides I have two huge windows cut out that I will finish next spring. I just ran out of time and money. Thank God they are healthy now

I have it patched everywhere that it is preditor proof