Wildfire smoke and chicken health

[piminuse]

I plan on doing a coop/run clean today and hopefully moving the birds out tomorrow when it's forecasted to just be "unhealthy for sensitive groups." Not sure if birds count as sensitive, but they'll have been in the garage for a full week at that point and I want them to have some sort of normalcy again even if it is confined to just the run.

I read that we should be careful when cleaning to not stir up any dust/ash, so I plan on misting everything first and then hosing/wiping. Gonna put down a fresh layer of dirt in the run as well. Hoping this ash will at least be good for compost next year...silver lining?

I did let them out for about 20 minutes on Monday so I could clean the garage a little bit. They flew and squawked FREEDOM all over the yard. Broke my heart to rustle them up again.

 

[JustSarahThanks]

I plan on doing a coop/run clean today and hopefully moving the birds out tomorrow when it's forecasted to just be "unhealthy for sensitive groups." Not sure if birds count as sensitive, but they'll have been in the garage for a full week at that point and I want them to have some sort of normalcy again even if it is confined to just the run.

I read that we should be careful when cleaning to not stir up any dust/ash, so I plan on misting everything first and then hosing/wiping. Gonna put down a fresh layer of dirt in the run as well. Hoping this ash will at least be good for compost next year...silver lining?

I did let them out for about 20 minutes on Monday so I could clean the garage a little bit. They flew and squawked FREEDOM all over the yard. Broke my heart to rustle them up again.

That all makes sense and I think I might follow your lead and mist down the bedding before replacing it and wiping down surfaces with a moist cloth. We also have a dehumidifier that does some amount of air filtration so I’m kinda pondering whether it’d be additionally helpful, prior to spreading out a new layer of pine shavings, to move it in there and let it run for a couple hours to dry out whatever moisture I add with cleaning and clear the air somewhat. Or if that’s over kill, I don’t know. This is my first (adulthood) go at chickens and being trapped in here all week I’ve had an over abundance of time to over think absolutely everything I’m doing and second guess myself.

I can’t wait to move them back outside, not just because having them indoors isn’t ideal and they’ll be happier there but also specifically I’m looking forward to the moment we move the crate with them all back out and watch them breathe the free air again and see how they all react. I suspect it’s going to be joyful and very cute to watch.

 

[Jakico]

My birds seem to be fighting more too. Breaks my heart they don’t have the space to run and they are all getting grumpy with each other

 

[ChickenCanoe]

My birds seem to be fighting more too. Breaks my heart they don’t have the space to run and they are all getting grumpy with each other

Cabin fever. Humans go through that too as I imagine most animals do.

 

[piminuse]

Well since the rain is waiting until tomorrow I'm going to let it do the job of cleaning the backyard and move the girls out either Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. Inside of the [covered] run has been hosed down and refreshed with a thick top layer of new dirt/wood shavings. Coop is sealed up until after the rains.

My birds seem to be fighting more too. Breaks my heart they don’t have the space to run and they are all getting grumpy with each other

My flock is the opposite and are keeping the peace pretty well all things considered. They just stand around looking sad and my chatty girl lets out these intermittent groans every time she hears my footsteps nearby. I feel like a jerk ignoring them. I've also kept it relatively dark so that might account for the lack of activity now that I think about it

Have you offered them any entertainment like treat balls or something to scratch for?

 

[JustSarahThanks]

Well since the rain is waiting until tomorrow I'm going to let it do the job of cleaning the backyard and move the girls out either Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. Inside of the [covered] run has been hosed down and refreshed with a thick top layer of new dirt/wood shavings. Coop is sealed up until after the rains.


My flock is the opposite and are keeping the peace pretty well all things considered. They just stand around looking sad and my chatty girl lets out these intermittent groans every time she hears my footsteps nearby. I feel like a jerk ignoring them. I've also kept it relatively dark so that might account for the lack of activity now that I think about it

Have you offered them any entertainment like treat balls or something to scratch for?

My birds don't seem unusually frustrated with each other, my bossiest hen is bullying my lowest ranking one, but that was already the case before they moved inside. The other two are pretty much drama-free.

I did get to experience the pure joy of sitting with them down there in the bathroom when Charisma (who only just laid her first ever egg two days ago in one of the cubbyholes by the shower in there) went through the whole egg laying process including a big, boisterous group singalong of the egg song (which this bathroom is directly below my husband's office while he works from home so he also gets all the chicken audio while he works), and watching her tuck fake eggs under herself and everything. It was the absolute best thing.

 

[Jakico]

Well since the rain is waiting until tomorrow I'm going to let it do the job of cleaning the backyard and move the girls out either Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. Inside of the [covered] run has been hosed down and refreshed with a thick top layer of new dirt/wood shavings. Coop is sealed up until after the rains.


My flock is the opposite and are keeping the peace pretty well all things considered. They just stand around looking sad and my chatty girl lets out these intermittent groans every time she hears my footsteps nearby. I feel like a jerk ignoring them. I've also kept it relatively dark so that might account for the lack of activity now that I think about it

Have you offered them any entertainment like treat balls or something to scratch for?

I’ve been sprinkling meal worms...I’ve bought the fancy surf and turf with shrimp to cheer them up. I’ve brought peace offerings of carrots and strawberries. They seem happy for a minute but aren’t eating with as much enthusiasm as usual. I worry all day because I’m at work and then rush home to tend to them. My boyfriend thinks I’m insane because I run in and go straight to their room and inspect them and change out their water, refresh their grit and oyster and inspect them for distress. Maybe they are picking up on my anxiety. I got lucky and have tomorrow off and am hoping the air quality goes below 200 so they can have at least a little bit of time outside.

 

[Eva2020]

My coop doesn't have windows, just hardware cloth coverings to give it circulation, which is now obviously a problem. I can staple plastic over the hardware cloth and keep them in there. Thank you!

Maybe fans?

 

[JustSarahThanks]

I did my big coop clean up this morning and have been watching the AQI teetering somewhat between "unhealthy" and "unhealthy for sensitive groups" and am not completely sure when to make the call to just load up the birds into the crate and move them out. Has anyone got theirs outside yet?

 

[Jakico]

I did my big coop clean up this morning and have been watching the AQI teetering somewhat between "unhealthy" and "unhealthy for sensitive groups" and am not completely sure when to make the call to just load up the birds into the crate and move them out. Has anyone got theirs outside yet?

We went outside this morning. And they seemed a little skiddish, but now they are happy and running around. They took dust baths, but they keep going back to that outbuilding door trying to get back in now. I guess they are more adaptable than I gave them credit. They were adjusting to that life and keep laying in the make shift boxes instead of their nice outdoor ones. Guess they have to adjust to old life again too. I’m cleaning the room they were in but kinda just putting the hay in a big bin in case we need to move back. I’m going to get it so I can set it up better next time if needed, there was a lot of floor not as protected as I would like because we did it in a mad dash.