When it rains it pours.....

[docdubz]

Man... My first experience with raising chickens is turning out to be an all you can eat buffet of Murphy's law. Literally not a single thing has gone to plan aside from my birds still being alive and well. I have a day, maybe two tops, worth of work to finish the barn. Problem is it's been non-stop thunderstorms for the past 2 weeks. I finally caught a break with the weather and came down with a vicious head cold that's knocked me for such a loop that it's all I can do to keep them fed and their water clean. Now that I'm starting to feel like I'm getting over it, more thunderstorms. But, now it's also frigid out. It was over 110 all of August and now it's in the 50s, and raining.

So, now for my problem. My temporary chicken tractor has completely failed because of all the rain. Water is getting in by soaking straight through the wood. I removed all the straw in the tractor because there was no keeping it dry. But now I got a layer of soggy chicken crap to scrape out in the morning. I'm going to run out and buy a tarp tomorrow to shield the walls but I was hoping someone here might have an idea for what I could do to try to dry out the already soaked through wood. Would something like cat litter be a terrible idea (I have a feeling it would since theyd likely eat it)?

 

[cavemanrich]

Look on the bright side of things and think positive. You do not need to dry out the wood. ,,,,, only keep it from getting wet again.
Get those tarps you planned on and install them. Get a few bales of dry straw, or my preferred,, HAY, and put inside. A dry chicken is a happy chicken. Not to mention of the health problem potentials of wet feet.
Then do your best to finish your other project.
WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[ValerieLovesChickens]

Man... My first experience with raising chickens is turning out to be an all you can eat buffet of Murphy's law. Literally not a single thing has gone to plan aside from my birds still being alive and well. I have a day, maybe two tops, worth of work to finish the barn. Problem is it's been non-stop thunderstorms for the past 2 weeks. I finally caught a break with the weather and came down with a vicious head cold that's knocked me for such a loop that it's all I can do to keep them fed and their water clean. Now that I'm starting to feel like I'm getting over it, more thunderstorms. But, now it's also frigid out. It was over 110 all of August and now it's in the 50s, and raining.

So, now for my problem. My temporary chicken tractor has completely failed because of all the rain. Water is getting in by soaking straight through the wood. I removed all the straw in the tractor because there was no keeping it dry. But now I got a layer of soggy chicken crap to scrape out in the morning. I'm going to run out and buy a tarp tomorrow to shield the walls but I was hoping someone here might have an idea for what I could do to try to dry out the already soaked through wood. Would something like cat litter be a terrible idea (I have a feeling it would since theyd likely eat it)?

Same exact situation(s) here, you are not alone!! Tarps, we did that tonight - in pouring rain - just before dark, and a bunch of fresh hay. We will change out the soggy mess tomorrow or just move the chicken tractor to a new spot with the pickup truck. Then put down more clean hay. A round bale in the long run is cheaper than squares, but not always an option for everyone. Hope you feel better soon, and that this rain stops soon. We have so many huge huge huge puddles, and small streams now, the mosquitoes will be bad when this lets up.

 

[Acre4Me]

Will the chickens live in the barn you are finishing up? If so, that should solve the majority of your problems. If they are meant to live in the tractor, it sounds like it will need some modifications for long term use.

as far as things not going to plan, that seems to be typical of doing things we are not familiar with. We’ve learned A LOT in the past few years of keeping chickens!! we’ve had to make several modifications too, some having to do with rain.

good luck, and glad you are feeling better.

 

[21hens-incharge]

What kind of wood is the tractor made of? Plywood, OSB, other?

A word of caution.....wood that has been saturated begins to rot. Fungus growing is part of wood rotting. Airflow and lots of it will help dry it before the fungus starts. Tarps trap moisture.

Be sure to have a LOT of venting and be careful how tight you tarp it. Fungus and mold are bad for the birds.

 

[docdubz]

Will the chickens live in the barn you are finishing up?

What kind of wood is the tractor made of? Plywood, OSB, other?

Yes, I was supposed to only build a 100 square foot coop but while building I decided to make it a 250 square foot barn with a hay loft. I built the tractor out of scrap plywood because the "well thought out brooder" turned into a nightmare because, for all the research that I did, I was completely unaware that bielefelders hit a growth spurt at 6 weeks. So, the tractor is completely temporary in nature. Although, if I can salvage it I would like to use it in the future to separate birds as needed.

And, yes I know it's going to have a fungus/mold issue. So is my 90% finished barn that's been sitting in 2 weeks of deluge. But that's nothing that a healthy dose of bleach and a wire brush can't fix. I'm more worried about how wet everything is and this cold weather. It's definitely changed my chickens behavior a bit. Since this all started they seem to enjoy my company rather than be afraid of me now, but at the same time it looks like they are having serious pecking order issues.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Yes, I was supposed to only build a 100 square foot coop but while building I decided to make it a 250 square foot barn with a hay loft. I built the tractor out of scrap plywood because the "well thought out brooder" turned into a nightmare because, for all the research that I did, I was completely unaware that bielefelders hit a growth spurt at 6 weeks. So, the tractor is completely temporary in nature. Although, if I can salvage it I would like to use it in the future to separate birds as needed.

And, yes I know it's going to have a fungus/mold issue. So is my 90% finished barn that's been sitting in 2 weeks of deluge. But that's nothing that a healthy dose of bleach and a wire brush can't fix. I'm more worried about how wet everything is and this cold weather. It's definitely changed my chickens behavior a bit. Since this all started they seem to enjoy my company rather than be afraid of me now, but at the same time it looks like they are having serious pecking order issues.

I see. Total bummer about all that rain.

I think your barn will fare better than the tractor just due to air volume and air movement.

Fingers crossed you get dry weather to help.

 

[aart]

an all you can eat buffet of Murphy's law.

Sorry, but this cracked me up!!
Hope you find some solutions and relief.

 

[Rldad1]

Remember O'Toole's Law, Murphy is an incurable optimist!!!

 

[ValerieLovesChickens]

Peck

Yes, I was supposed to only build a 100 square foot coop but while building I decided to make it a 250 square foot barn with a hay loft. I built the tractor out of scrap plywood because the "well thought out brooder" turned into a nightmare because, for all the research that I did, I was completely unaware that bielefelders hit a growth spurt at 6 weeks. So, the tractor is completely temporary in nature. Although, if I can salvage it I would like to use it in the future to separate birds as needed.

And, yes I know it's going to have a fungus/mold issue. So is my 90% finished barn that's been sitting in 2 weeks of deluge. But that's nothing that a healthy dose of bleach and a wire brush can't fix. I'm more worried about how wet everything is and this cold weather. It's definitely changed my chickens behavior a bit. Since this all started they seem to enjoy my company rather than be afraid of me now, but at the same time it looks like they are having serious pecking order issues.

Pecking order issues, sounds like the birds are either bored or cramped, or even both. I hope the weather changes for the better, for all of us soon. It's been a rough year, and winter is fast approaching, due to the grand solar minimum phase we are in.