How do you keep your bedding dry in wet weather?

[Vincentville farm]

I see that fixture, but the bulb does not look like the typical big red bulb. I think it's a normal-powered light bulb. So depending on whether it makes much heat (incandescent bulb) or not much heat (fluorescent or LED), it might just be a source of light rather than a big fire hazard. I regularly see those metal reflectors sold in hardware stores as clamp-on work lamps.

Of course anything electrical can be a fire hazard, especially around chicken dust, but usually the large-wattage incandescent bulbs are what make a heat lamp an extra hazard beyond what normal lighting would be.

Yes. It is a regular bulb. It is actually a 1W LED non breakable bulb to put a little light in the coop at night. There are no leaks. I have checked. The roof coating I applied this summer (three coats) is working perfectly. The clamp is VERY stiff and is holding so tight that I can't move it without BOTH hands.

 

[rosemarythyme]

It is not a heat lamp it is a 1W bulb that I keep on all the time. My chickens don't like the dark and this is as close as I can get to it at night. It also helps me check on them after they have gone to bed, "beak count", to make sure they are all where they are supposed to be.

I know this isn't relevant to your original question but is it that they don't like the dark (what makes you think that?) or you think it shouldn't be dark and thus have acclimated them to having light? Animals rest better when it's dark, same with humans. It may throw off their laying in the long run.

You can use a flashlight or a headlamp to check on them in the dark if needed.

 

[Vincentville farm]

I know this isn't relevant to your original question but is it that they don't like the dark (what makes you think that?) or you think it shouldn't be dark and thus have acclimated them to having light? Animals rest better when it's dark, same with humans. It may throw off their laying in the long run.

You can use a flashlight or a headlamp to check on them in the dark if needed.

My mother in law started them off in her house and NEVER turns the TV off. They got used to at least a little light at night. When they moved into my home because they outgrew their brooder, they would go crazy in the night and not rest unless I left a light on. I brought the light with them when they moved to the coop. I have changed from a white to a red very LOW wattage light. I tried having it off and they freaked again. So, it's a night light in the big coop and no light in the little one where my older hen sleeps. I also have a timer on my large overhead light so they get 16 hours of light a day to encourage laying.

 

[aart]

they would go crazy in the night and not rest unless I left a light on.

How long did you leave them to get used to it?

 

[Vincentville farm]

How long did you leave them to get used to it?

They have had this red light for a week now. Tonight, at ya'll urging, I turned it off. It wasn't completely dark outside so they had a little light through their two windows. They didn't fuss at all!!! I had coop prep jobs still to do and when I closed the small door they started fussing but they settled back down within a minute.

I have been changing several things in their world and tracking egg production/usability with each change. We will see what this brings in the coming weeks. So far, I've stopped giving them fermented feed because their buts were getting caked in poo and making the eggs unsuitable for sale. It cleared up right away and the egg production also increased. I know I'm being greedy, but I would love to have a consistent count of 15-16 out of 18 hens. My older one is just coming out of molting right now so we will see if she joins back in the production line.

With the fermented feed, I was averaging 12-13 eggs a day but several were dirty. I am now at 13-15 a day. And our eggs are so desirable that I can't keep up with the demand! I feel guilty when I use an egg!

 

[aart]

They have had this red light for a week now.

I meant when they were little, but.....

Tonight, at ya'll urging, I turned it off. It wasn't completely dark outside so they had a little light through their two windows. They didn't fuss at all!!!

Good!

 

[Debbie292d]

I'm thinking that my chickens are bringing in the moisture. They don't stay inside when it rains. But it is only affecting the area under the roost. I'm attaching MULTIPLE shots of my coop.
There are no roof leaks and the ventilation under the eves are fully protected. One of the doors has a big draft problem. I solved it with stapling cardboard all over it. I want to build a leanto in the run so they will have more protection from the rain but my handyman is really busy. Considering putting a tarp across the top in the meantime, like the white one on the end of the smaller run.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Will be trying to add pine pellets as soon as I can purchase some.

I highly doubt it's your chickens bringing in that much water to make it wet under their roosts. Have you seen their poops? If they are having really watery poops, then I suppose it could in time become sloppy beneath their roosts and you just need something more absorbent there.



Here's an example of "drenched" chickens. Not even a dozen of these with soaking feathered feet going in and out 10 times could ever drag in enough water to cause a problem.

 

[RedwoodCoastChick]

And our eggs are so desirable that I can't keep up with the demand! I feel guilty when I use an egg!

Like the old adage, "The shoemaker's kids go barefoot..." My best chicken-buddy (who sells eggs as a side business to support her chicken habit) said her daughter's always complaining,"How come we have 50 chickens and never any eggs for US in the house?" Her customers have "first dibs"!

 

[lefttowrite]

I wonder if adding a tarp or poop board under your roosts would minimize moisture in the coop, as long as it was scooped out every couple days. That way the poo isn’t gumming up the bedding!

 

[jBabychickn]

I'm not so sure about adding horse bedding pellets to a deep bedding as I've never done that, but it's probably the most absorbant, all-natural thing you could use to dry it out. We use them solely in our coop and brooder.

Don’t do it! I did it and it was the worst mess ever!!! It turned into this heavy material like cement! Ugh…it was a nightmare and were a backyard flock so the trash ppl wouldn’t collect my green waste can because of it since everything was too heavy. We had to make a trip to the dump to get rid of it all… Nightmare, and the even worst part of it all was — It was dry only a few centimeters on top, but underneath it stayed wet, it never dried out. Even with days and days of Sun and dry weather — Good Luck! I ended up sticking to Pine shavings and Coop refresher/First Saturday Lime and a lot of ventilation and raking