100% Urban Predator proof Chicken Run

You'll probably want a lip 3-4" high on the bottom front of nests(maybe you just haven't installed it yet) to hold bedding and eggs in.

I have vinyl on my poop boards, I like it, but I use sand/PDZ mix on top of it.

Also have pieces of vinyl in bottoms of nests too, easy to remove and wash when I get broken eggs.
 
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You'll probably want a lip 3-4" high on the bottom front of nests(maybe you just haven't installed it yet) to hold bedding and eggs in.

I have vinyl on my poop boards, I like it, but I use sand/PDZ mix on top of it.

Also have pieces of vinyl in bottoms of nests too, easy to remove and wash when I get broken eggs.

I had not thought of a lip so thanx for the idea! I think we may end up with a board up top with a lip, vinyl and either shavings or sand.. I was thinking of adding two separate pieces of vinyl under the nesting area for removal and cleaning so I'm glad you agree with that.
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. I was thinking of adding two separate pieces of vinyl under the nesting area for removal and cleaning ....
I started doing that when I got a pretty consistent weak shell layer, got tired of cleaning wood nest bottom then blocking it off until it dried. Rotten egg remains stink.
Now have an extra piece that I just swap out when changing the bedding.
Much easier.
 
I started doing that when I got a pretty consistent weak shell layer, got tired of cleaning wood nest bottom then blocking it off until it dried. Rotten egg remains stink.
Now have an extra piece that I just swap out when changing the bedding.
Much easier.

LOVE IT!

I love the little tricks that make something so much easier. that's why I built this the way I did, I want to enjoy my girls, not curse them haha
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The bottom of my wood box has a plastic seed mat (heated nesting box).

Then 2 folded paper leaf bags covered with shredded junk mail.

The shredded junk mail usually absorbs most accidents, then gets eaten or removed, and is refilled when the volume gets low, perhaps once every 2 or 3 months, but not very often. I pack the boxes top to bottom. The birds seem to enjoy my junk mail more than I do...
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About once per year when I replace the deep bedding, I remove and replace the shredded junk mail with the first leaf bag, tossing everything into the deep litter run. I do sprinkle a light dusting of Sevin between the two leaf bags, just because...

I have not had a mite infestation in the 9 or 10 years of building and maintaining this coop.
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The bottom of my wood box has a plastic seed mat (heated nesting box).

Then 2 folded paper leaf bags covered with shredded junk mail.

The shredded junk mail usually absorbs most accidents, then gets eaten or removed, and is refilled when the volume gets low, perhaps once every 2 or 3 months, but not very often. I pack the boxes top to bottomThe birds seem to enjoy my junk mail more than I do...
hmm.png


About once per year when I replace the deep bedding, I remove and replace the shredded junk mail with the first leaf bag, tossing everything into the deep litter run. I do sprinkle a light dusting of Sevin between the two leaf bags, just because...

I have not had a mite infestation in the 9 or 10 years of building and maintaining this coop.
fl.gif

YES! we use shredded paper now for our nesting boxes too. I love the idea of a paper bag for easy clean up.

Junk mail is a great idea, I need to find an old shredder though, right now we use the paper from work that gets shredded, but that's kind of a hassle to bring all the way home.

I will be using DE in the coop shavings in hopes to prevent mites, but not in the run as I will use deep littler method in the run.
 
just checking in.

Last weekend I finished much of the coop including the door. I changed my self locking door design to something much simpler but I believe stronger and more reliable method. I will take pictures of it this weekend.

I did however have to purchase a door lift w/ a timer because the weight of the door I built was much too heavy for an antenna to lift. I purchased the Brinsea chicken safe extreme ONLY because it can lift 10lbs vs 2 lbs. It comes with a daylight sensor, which I probably will not use as I will mount it inside the coop, but with the skylight on the coop it very well could work. I will have to test it on a few different settings to see. if the light sensor does not work properly or closes too early due to lack of light ( like a rainy day) then I will switch to the timer setting. I want to use this lift for at least a full month in different weather to ensure it works properly before relying on it.

I did still have a small leak in the roof where the flashing meets the run. this was caused by North eastern sideways downpour for hours and it left a very small puddle. This spring I will replace the window flashing adhesive with an actual metal flashing nailed and siliconed to prevent this. this weekend will be my first weekend allowing the girls to use the new coop so lets hope they approve.

My wife and I are actually adding to our flock this weekend with a buff orp and a Americana, that will put us at five and that is perfect for us. we will be taking out the older "chicken tractor" coop which will create more room in the run and allow for perches in the corner. We will use this coop for the 2-3 month quarantine of the new chickens, this will be our first attempt at adding to a flock so any and all positive vibes is much appreciated.
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