Silly, rookie chicken question series number 1

[Inchworm]

Hehe, I'm still in the "thinking about it very hard" stage and trying to consider the angles of coop design. I only plan to have 4-5 hens initially (Rhode Island Reds but looking into Isa Browns), but have been told to plan for 2x as much. I started thinking 4x8 and am now planning somewhere between that and 8x8. I'm in no rush. The whole process may take me 2-3 months to get going :)

Oh! In life, I've been around chickens a lot. I just never paid attention to them. Most of the chickens I had seen were either confined in someone's barn stall, or just running all crazy on someone's property. As a kid it was often my job to catch the ones running all crazy when asked. Hehe, umm.. that same situation gave rise to rotten eggs for Halloween, but I digress :P

That said, here are a few questions I'm stymied on.

1. Does the coop really not stink if maintained? I plan to build rather close to my porch for access.

1a. What method of poop removal is best or is this as big a consideration as I'm making it? (cheapest, practical)

I read that it is common to make what is basically a open-boxed floor filled with wood shavings. I've also read some ideas on "poop boards" and the like. I want happy laidies, but I also garden and want poop for compost :D

2. Nesting boxes and roosting. Do the girls sleep where they lay eggs, or do they sleep on the perch dealies I plan to put mid-floor. And should the nesting boxes (I assume this is where they will lay eggs) be dark?

I'm wondering about this because of possible windows or natural lighting.

Any tips for a rookie? I hope I don't annoy as I go, lol, but I am a curious type that likes ideas :)

:blush:

[yellowcanine]

1. Here is a source which might help get you started.

http://www.thegardencoop.com/backyard-chickens-links.html

[Inchworm]

2. Thanks

I appreciate internet places to read up on this venture. Seems like I've read the internets! lol. Something in my thinking also leads me to get personal experiences at DU lol. I've learned so much here by just asking silly questions :D

Thanks for the link Yellowcanine. :woohoo:

:hi:

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Do a Google search on 'Mother Earth News chicken coop' and you'll get all kinds of things, like

these plans.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/1992-06-01/Build-A-Chicken-Coop.aspx

[Inchworm]

4. Yup, that one is already bookmarked

I get gardening tips there too :)

:hi:

[Denninmi]

5. OK, I'll share my personal experience.

I'll answer them one by one:

1) Odor -- as long as you are reasonably conscientious about keeping it cleaned out, you won't have an odor issue. "Reasonably" is going to vary a bit on the method you use. If you are going to have a fixed in location coop, instead of a mobile "chicken tractor" the best method to keep things clean is the "deep litter" method -- in other words, put down about a foot of straw, pine shavings, or similar type of bedding. As the chickens make droppings, it will get stirred under by their scratching and will be broken down with the bedding by natural processes. The main thing I have found to keep the odor down is KEEP IT DRY. If the bedding gets wet, then you have odor issues. So, put some kind of rain shield on top of the coop. I made mine as little hoophouse greenhouses on top, covered with greenhouse plastic in winter. In summer, I throw camo colored tarps on top to keep the hot sun out. The sides are open to the air for ventilation. Seems to work just fine. I wouldn't have any qualms about putting a chicken coop within 8 or 10 feet of my house, but that's me. It doesn't smell nearly as much, IMO, as my garbage cans often do in the summer time, and THOSE I keep out behind the detached garage with chlorine tablets and mothballs to keep down the smells/insects, NOT near the house.

Now, if you don't use the "deep litter" method, you obviously will need to clean a lot more often. Maybe even daily if you just have bare gravel or dirt for the floor (not advised, IMO).

Oh, and my litter of choice -- oak leaves. I gather bags of them in fall and again in the early spring (from the lazy people who didn't rake in the fall). I've found they make the BEST bedding -- not only free, but they take a long time to break down and really keep the odor down, much better than straw does, IMO, probably because they are very acidic and the tannins in them control bacterial growth. Pine chips/shavings are also really good at keeping the odor down.

2) With the deep litter method, you clean it out every roughly month to month and a half, and top dress once or twice in between with some fresh bedding. When I clean mine out, because the ratio of carbon-containing plant matter to manure is high even after 4, 6, or even 8 weeks, I just use it directly on flower beds, around trees and shrubs, and I've never had it burn anything. The "poop board" idea is good, too, it concentrates many, but not all by any means, of the droppings in one place. This, of course, you will need to clean all of the time, I use a hoe to scrape it off into a bucket with pine shavings, and out to the compost it goes.

3) They want to sleep on roosts. I used to lock mine in at night into the insulated box I made, but they didn't like it, and are much happier just roosting in the "rafters" of the coop. For roosts, I just put in a couple of boards of different widths. They seem to like to use the 2x4, laid so the wide side is horizontal. I guess it's the most comfortable for them.

4) Nesting boxes -- yes, should be dark. But, you should have a top or side that opens so that there is enough light in there to see the eggs. Mine isn't anything fancy, just a wooden box I made from scrap lumber - it's about 30 x 30 inches on the outside, so about 24 x 24 inside. I put thick foamboard between the walls, to help insulate in the winter, since eggs can freeze during the coldest weather here in a few hours. I put a small door hole, about 8 x 8 inches, on one side on the front corner. I had put a piece of burlap over it for a flap, but they tried eating that so I took it off. I only made the one box, and they all use it without any issues. Obviously, my box isn't pitch dark by any means with the door hole on the front. But, they like it.


I don't let any of my birds "free range" because it wouldn't be safe. I live on the corner of a subdivision type street and main road with heavy traffic, and have no fences, AND we have a lot of predators, especially one redtail hawk who LOVES to sit and watch my birds through their pens. So, they have to live caged lives. I don't think they mind, since they've always been in coops/pens.

[Inchworm]

6. Awesome tips, thanks!

I like the idea about the leaves. I am surrounded by trees, so this is free bedding. :)

It is not really safe to free range here either. I have one dog of mine that needs watched closely when loose and the neighbors have rat dogs (5-6 Pomeranians that pack) and an uncontrolled cat population. I plan to have fully enclosed runs. Reminds me of another question. I was told the hens will go home at night naturally lol.

If I wanted to let them out 2-3 hours before dusk to stretch their legs (and raid the garden for bugs) will they goto their house? Best I remember calling a chicken can be fruitless :D

You guys rock!

:yourock:

[FedUpWithIt All]

7. They'll go into the house if they are familiar with it.

When you fist place your birds in the coop you want to leave them in it (not even allowing them into the run) for a couple of days. It sort of helps them identify it as home. Mine do free range a little and they always return to the coop before sunset.

I also do deep bedding and would not have an issue keeping the coop closer to my home. I use wood shavings but recently added some straw to the top as it seems to keep the areas where they walk a little warmer. They cut it all up and mixed it all into the shavings. The coop is warmer as a result of the decomposing bedding. Each day i throw some scratch into the coop and it encourages them to turn it all up which not only adds heat but also is supposed to provide them with increased immunity. The bedding breaks down more effectively and a little warmer if some clean dirt is also added. The dirt contains bacteria which speeds the decomposition of all types of bedding materials.

One thing that is extremely important when planning your coop is draft free ventilation. It really cannot be overstated. In any season, a coop can become dangerous to a chicken if it gets too damp. In the winter it is the damp air, not the cooler temp, that causes most instances of frostbite. If the coop gets too damp the ammonia gets very strong and can harm the birds lungs. It is best to keep it aired out and dry.

Birds will sleep in the nest boxes if the perches are too close to the same height. The perches should be higher than the nest boxes. You can train your birds to lay in the nest boxes with craft store wood eggs or even golf or ping pong balls. We don't use poop guards because i want the droppings to fall on the floor of the coop where i can cover them with a fresh layer of bedding. It is easier IMHO to scoop out the fluffed up old deep bedding than scraping dried chicken poop off of a hard surface. Also, partial composting of the bedding/poop happens when the materials are mixed together and aerated (which the chickens happily do) The bedding is less "hot" as it is already partially "cooked". It is a shorter time from coop to garden this way. Using poop boards/guards limits the amount of manure being composted with the bedding.

One more little hint...we keep all of our old used egg shells in the fridge and every few days crush and bake them. We then bag the crushed shells and add some of this to their feed. It cuts down the amount of oyster shell needed.

:hi:

[Denninmi]

8. I nuke my eggshells.

I cook them for about 3 to 5 minutes on high (1100 watt microwave). It smells kind of funky, but it works great. The membrane and any residual eggwhite just turns to brown crispy fluff. The shell gets incredibly crisp and brittle. Then, I just either put in the food processor or into a ziplock and crush by hand with a rolling pin. Viola, instant calcium supplement.

[LWolf]

9. Here's what I've got.

1. My olfactory nerves were damaged in an accident 12 years ago, so I can't speak to odor issues.

1. a) I like a deep bedding of shavings. I clean out under the roost once a month and add more shavings. I clean the rest in spring and fall and start over. More manure piles up under the roost, since that's where they are the majority of time they are in the coop.

2. They like to roost up high. I use 3 inch diameter round fence posts, since there were a bunch left when I took down unneeded and rotting fencing when I got my current place. In the past, I have used smooth tree branches in small coops, and 2X4s in big coops, with the 2" side up. They will nest in the coop if it is kept clean and the nesting boxes are not under the roost. Mine nest in the coop because it keeps the packrats and magpies away from their nests. They also next outside the coop, in sheltered spots. They like to feel safe, so prefer enclosed nests to open nests. If it is enclosed, and is kept full of clean hay, straw, or shavings, they'll generally nest where it's convenient, rather than making me hunt all over for eggs. I use loose hay in my nesting boxes, because I've always got loose hay on the ground where my horses' hay is stored.

Other stuff:

My chickens free-range, and I like it that they do. They keep the flies down, the bugs down, and are pleasant to have about the place. Of course, I have plenty of room for them, and my dog doesn't bother them. She was raised with chickens, and taught not to bother them from the time she was a small pup. Other dogs can be a problem. I've kept hens in a fenced yard around my house when I lived in town; their wings were kept clipped to keep them from flying over the fence. That wasn't a problem, either.

If you want to keep them penned, make sure they have a decent amount of "yard" space outside the coop itself. You can roof it with chicken wire if necessary. They need fresh air and sunshine, too. I HAVE lost a few hens to redtails and the local great horned owl. That wouldn't happen if I kept them in a small, wire-roofed pen. Of course, if I did that they wouldn't be scratching through the manure pile each year, keeping the fly population down. My horses and I appreciate that.

[handmade34]

10. good to plan

you will find the best approach for you: some thoughts

~~a chicken coop will not stink if cared for
~~top dress with lime if needed
~~you could do a slatted floor and cleaning tray
~~or letting the bedding build up makes good insulation if needed
~~either way the manure can be cleaned for compost (chicken manure must be composted well for good fertilizer!)
~~only broody hens will sleep in nest boxes... some may try but you don't want them to.. a curtain of sorts at opening will keep them from roosting on the edge of the box

~~nesting boxes should be private and cozy (dark is good, but easily accessable)

you want all the light you can get inside the coop...

make sure you talk to them... and they like 17th century english poetry and classical music best