The following setting for my 14 bbs Orpington chickens and two silkies is constantly being covered with a thin layer of gray dust. What do people do to get rid of it. I'm starting to feel like a cleaning lady who's sweeping up aisles and ledges. That much dust floating around can't be healthy for the chickens or humans. I have hardware cloth over the four windows and much-more-than-adequate overhead ventilataion. The chickens are constantly scratching in the wood shavings and diatomaceous earth; that stirs up the dust.
If I were to buy and put in a window fan in one of the four windows and opened the other three windows 24/7 when it wasn't freezing weather outside, would the fan blow the dust out?
Here's their situation and what they're living in this winter:
I have eight hens and six roosters from varying lines plus two silkie hens (total of 16 chickens) in a 12- X 24-foot section of the barn with wooden floors for this winter. That 288 square foot section is divided into four 4- x 10-foot coops, one 4- x 24-foot floor-area coop that also has two hanging, wall-shelf coops in it that are each 2 feet X 2 feet x 16 feet. Everyone has lots of room. There is also a 4- x 8-foot center aisle. I am using the eight hens with three roosters for breeding purposes, but three of the six young hens aren't laying yet, and only one of the two older hens is laying now, i.e., I won't be able to incubate eggs until probably February. Meanwhile, I don't want sick chickens with respiratory problems.
If I were to buy and put in a window fan in one of the four windows and opened the other three windows 24/7 when it wasn't freezing weather outside, would the fan blow the dust out?
Here's their situation and what they're living in this winter:
I have eight hens and six roosters from varying lines plus two silkie hens (total of 16 chickens) in a 12- X 24-foot section of the barn with wooden floors for this winter. That 288 square foot section is divided into four 4- x 10-foot coops, one 4- x 24-foot floor-area coop that also has two hanging, wall-shelf coops in it that are each 2 feet X 2 feet x 16 feet. Everyone has lots of room. There is also a 4- x 8-foot center aisle. I am using the eight hens with three roosters for breeding purposes, but three of the six young hens aren't laying yet, and only one of the two older hens is laying now, i.e., I won't be able to incubate eggs until probably February. Meanwhile, I don't want sick chickens with respiratory problems.
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