1 thing I wish I knew when I was starting out...

[TheCrazyChick]

what is PDZ? sorry, newbie here! haha

PDZ is a horse stall deodorizer and drying agent. I throw it in my coop to keep things from getting damp and to help prevent ammonia from building up. Works well when you use the deep litter method (DLM.)

 

[BLT79]

I wish I'd known that my chickens would fly/glide off their roost instead of hopping straight down. My top roost is about 4 feet off the floor and about 5 feet from the wall. Sometimes a chicken (mainly the larger ones, like my rooster) hits the wall on their way down. Not pretty.

Build it so you can collect eggs, open/close door, and add food and water without entering the chicken area. I LOVE my little feed room area that's just 2x4 feet but keeps my shoes clean when I step in to do chores.

Think about feed storage--where are you gonna put those five 50 lb bags you just bought? How are you going to keep mice out of the stored feed?

Isolation room--what about when a new animal needs to be quarantined, or a sick one needs rest, or a broody wants to hatch some chicks?

If you're a gardener then consider the deep litter method. I love it for these reasons: 1. amazing compost happening right in my coop--sometimes I see steam rising as they scratch. 2. warmer in winter, 3. soft cushion when hopping down off their roosts, 4. totally free bedding--I rake up leaves and grass, dry them, then store it in big bags, add a 3-4 inch layer every 4-6 weeks as needed, 5. minimal effort, just one clean out in the spring, 6. no smell--sorry, but poop boards holding fresh, uncovered poop up in the air sounds pretty smelly to me. If a chicken poops on the window sill in my coop I can smell that one poop very strongly, whereas there's no smell from a lot of poop falling in and getting scratched under the deep litter (hint: add table scraps to the area under the roost so your chickens will scratch and hence do the turning under for you).

Finally, build with flexibility. Consider semi-portable interior walls that can be adjusted over time as needs change. Good luck and have fun!

what is the deep litter method? very interested! please, details, you can private message them to me if easier. how do you dry out your leaves and grass?

 

[BLT79]

PDZ is a horse stall deodorizer and drying agent. I throw it in my coop to keep things from getting damp and to help prevent ammonia from building up. Works well when you use the deep litter method (DLM.)

thanks. just asked someone what this deep litter method is about. very interested1

 

[BLT79]

Three things: Heated waterer for the winter if you live where temps drop below freezing; electronic opener for pop door (I got mine, which operates by pulling the door up in the am and lowering it slowly in the pm, from add-a-motor and love it); and a poop board with one of those heavy-duty plastic mats for computer chairs on it to make for easy scooping. I have 10 very active RSLs; my coop does not smell and I clean it once a year.

what do you use in your coop for bedding? how do you only clean it once a year! share your secrets please! haha! I will be getting a variation of Red Stars and "Ameracauna". 6 at most!

 

[TheCrazyChick]

thanks. just asked someone what this deep litter method is about. very interested1

DLM is when you don't clean out your coop every day or week, etc. Instead, you use pine shavings that dry out the poo and then let the birds toss it around to dry it out further. Just add more pine shavings when needed. It can get to be 10-12 inches high before it needs to be raked out and started from scratch again. Usually 4-6 months in between rake outs. Mine hasn't been changed since December and you can't smell a darn thing. It actually pretty much turns to compost right in the coop. Use the search tab up on top and search for deep litter method. There are TONS of posts that will explain it better than myself.

 

[real_redhead]

That your chickens become pets and you become very attached to them!! And they to you!! Our girls are a part of the family and I go out each morning and have to pick up and hold the ones who like to be cuddled! And that most of you understand what I am talking about!!

 

[chicklittlel]

I have not had them long enough, but was told the Buff Orps are good brooders. I'm expecting the oldest of the 2 hens to go broody. Her eggs are distincly different, larger than the younger hen. I do not mind building a nesting and brooding area under the poop board. How do I get her there? Right now, 3 hens are using 2 nests 30inches off the ground. I can move the eggs to the lower nest, but how do I get her to do there? Do I collect the eggs I do not want hatched and wait for her to sit on the higher nest then move all of it?

I have rough lumber on the floors. How about if I put down DE, then PDZ, then hay? Or shavings appropriate for the peeps? Why is linoleum better than rough lumber? Was it because of the smell build up? My coop is new and I put down a large layer of shavings for the winter. As soon as it warms up a bit I'm going to remove it all and put down PDZ and maybe some sand with it. However, if there is a good argument for it, I can put down linoleum first. I have 5 chickens and 4 guineas now, but am planning on letting one female from each hatch a brood this summer.

About setting hens--I would collect the eggs I didn't want to set and leave the ones in the nest that I wanted to hatch. Then a few days after the hen has definitely started to set, I would move her and the eggs to an area the other hens can not enter. There is always the possibility she'll leave the nest when moved, but I have not had this happen.

About the floor--I don't use deep litter method so I just feel like linoleum makes it easier to do a clean sweep of the floor. If I already had my coop built I wouldn't go to the trouble to put in now. The DE and PDZ are good but I would continue to also use shavings-not hay-year round.

 

[ellie32526]

I used 6' tall vinyl coated poultry netting-chicken wire and do not regret it. all my regular chicken wire gets rusty after 3-5 years. This stuff is made by a company that makes wire for lobster traps. Better wire and the coating is durable with no sharp edges to catch cloths or feathers. !/2 " hardware cloth over the windows to keep out racoons. I had not trouble for 7 years then twice in 1 year I lost birds to raccoons. They are persistent predators. Enjoy!

Can you tell me the name of the wire you are talking about and maybe where you get it? I use plastic bird netting over my coop for now because it was cheaper but I plan to replace it with a much better product when I have more money.

 

[RosesChallenge]

ellie32526, here is a link to that kind of chicken wire
http://www.academyfence.com/product-526/hex-netting-vinyl-pvc-coated-72in-x-150ft-1in-20-gauge-black
I purchased this for a deer fence and it wasn't nearly as sharp as the uncoated wire. It too will eventually rust though.

 

[RosesChallenge]

One thing I wish I knew when starting out is that building an external nesting box using 18inch on center studs is not a shortcut. If you are building the coop from the ground up, Do not get in a hurry starting out by not framing in the place where the nesting boxes will be. I wanted the walls up so badly, that I took this "shortcut". Ended up costing me a lot of time.