wet hay in coop

[chkinut]

i just bought a new bale of hay and it got left out in the rain. then i put it in the shed. THEN, i cleaned out my girls coop, sprinkled fresh DE on the bottom, and placed the new wet hay over it thinking it would dry eventually. this was yesterday, and today it's still wet. i'm worried that it could be bad for the girls if it doesn't dry. do i have a cause for concern? should i just throw out the whole bail?

 

[dawg53]

It could get moldy or fungus could grow on it, then you'd have some really sick chickens. Is there a way you could spread it out on a tarp in the sun and shuffle it around every hour or so to get it dried out? If you could, it would save you from having to buy another bale. Good luck.

 

[speckledhen]

Bad idea, I'd say. The key to a healthy coop is dry, dry, dry. Take the wet stuff outside.

 

[teach1rusl]

I would toss it...the risk of your chickens' health is not worth the cost of new, dry bale. Wet hay = mold/mildew potential...

 

[chkinut]

thanks guys! that's what i was afraid of......i'll buy a new bale today!!! i'm not risking my girls' health! and......one of my EE girls layed her 1st egg today! a beautiful green! yeah! thanks again!