white fluffy mould on ceiling of coop

wendyg · « **on:** October 23, 2012, 23:35 »

I have one of those ebay coops where both sides of the roof open up. Recently white fluffy mould patches have started to grow on the ceiling, is this dangerous to the chickens and has anyone else noticed the mould in their coops. I assume that it is due to the wet weather we have recently had, the coop is about 19 months old.

joyfull · « **Reply #1 on:** October 24, 2012, 06:29 »

yes it could be caused by the wet weather - ideally you need to treat our coop with a bat friendly preservative every year and see where the damp is getting in. A photo of the mould would help us identify what type it is, in the meantime make sure your coop has adequate ventilation.

Sassy · « **Reply #2 on:** October 24, 2012, 08:14 »

Could the mould be spider eggs covered in the 'silk' spun to protect them?

8doubles · « **Reply #3 on:** October 24, 2012, 08:42 »

I get it on the ceiling of my coop sometimes , mainly caused by condensation on the painted surface. In my case i can lift my roof off and give it a a wipe over with disinfectant which cures the problem for a month or so.

Geo · « **Reply #4 on:** October 24, 2012, 19:09 »

Quote from: Sassy on October 24, 2012, 08:14

Could the mould be spider eggs covered in the 'silk' spun to protect them?

When I read the post I was thinking the same. I come across them regularly in the garden shed

wendyg · « **Reply #5 on:** October 24, 2012, 19:57 »

I checked again and it is mould, I have rubbed a lot of it off, and there is no baby spiders. The coop does have ventilation near the apex of the roof (a small sliding door) which is open about half way. The inside walls at the corners do get a bit damp when it is raining, not puddles just damp walls, the coop is tongue and groove, which has been treated with preservative.

joyfull · « **Reply #6 on:** October 24, 2012, 21:01 »

you need to take a serious look at the construction and see if you can tighten it up where the rain is getting in and also treat it every year.

8doubles · « **Reply #7 on:** October 25, 2012, 09:13 »

Quote from: wendyg on October 24, 2012, 19:57

I checked again and it is mould, I have rubbed a lot of it off, and there is no baby spiders. The coop does have ventilation near the apex of the roof (a small sliding door) which is open about half way. The inside walls at the corners do get a bit damp when it is raining, not puddles just damp walls, the coop is tongue and groove, which has been treated with preservative.

A bit of damp in the corners of a wooden coop is normal after driving rain especially if we do not get a bit of good weather afterwards to dry it out.
I think most of the moisture that causes the mould will come from wet hen feet, roosting hen breath and drying poop !
Is the coop in a sunny position that will help with ventilation during the day when the coop door is open ?

If it is raining and the outside air humidity is high even extra ventilation is not going to improve things much.

wendyg · « **Reply #8 on:** October 25, 2012, 09:35 »

The coop is on my allotment, it is one of those with a small covered attached run, but the whole thing is placed inside a 12ft x 12ft walk-in run. I poo-pick the coop and run every day, but the walk-in run is very muddy. I have tried putting down chopped rapeseed straw and wood shavings but both stick to the hen's feet, and also tried straw and play bark - both make poo-picking difficult. When we next get a dry sunny day, I will leave the roof open for a few hours to see if that will help.

Sassy · « **Reply #9 on:** October 30, 2012, 09:29 »

WE have been having day after day of damp, foggy weather with no wind at all. There will be condensation. I would advise opening your vent fully to at least give things a chance

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white fluffy mould on ceiling of coop

wendyg

white fluffy mould on ceiling of coop

joyfull

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Sassy

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8doubles

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Geo

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wendyg

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joyfull

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8doubles

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wendyg

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Sassy

Re: white fluffy mould on ceiling of coop

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