Canadians check in here....

[hennible]

Lol it's a running joke on another thread... It will change soon

 

[Quailsong]

What type of flooring do you all use in your coops for the winter? I'm new to chickens and am a little concerned about them in my little sketchy coop in my backyard... Living in Vernon, BC. )

I've read online that sand is the warmest for the floor; I had wood shavings and was planning on following the deep litter method for warmth, but some insist that sand retains heat better and the chickens love to bathe in it. What say ye all?!

I've turned an old shed into my coop, it has a cement floor. On top of that I add deep litter. It's wonderful. Save for when I had ducks, I didn't have to do much with it. Just scoop once or twice a year. Manure went either in a pile or early on the garden beds for a quick & hot boost.

Deep Litter is anything I can find & then some. Piles of leaves, grass, kitchen scraps, garden scraps (pea vines, etc), even tomato & potato plants*. Anything really, that you'd put in the earth & expect to decompose in a short time. What they don't eat, the maggots do (if any) & that's just an extra protein source.

* My birds are smart enough to know not to eat the bad things & let it decompose. I've not yet had one dumb bird (other than my BBB AI turkeys...) & still then I've had no problems with it.

The Deep Litter keeps the floor warm in winter & even cool in summer depending on how it's mixed (mostly what's available - piles of leaves in autumn make for a warm coop in winter). It's also all free - the BEST price, imo.

 

[bcboy]

Right now they're still sleeping in the summer shelter I made them, a pallet house with 3 1/2 walls (I made the walls solid, but there is a 6" space at the top for venting between the roof and the walls. They like the roosts there, but this week we're dropping below zero so I wondered if I should lock them into the dogloo one night so they figure out that it's warmer in there?



I'm just so worried about them... Thanks for your suggestions, I appreciate them. )

6" to 8" of pine shaving for the deep litter method is what I use.
I would use the pallet house and cover the 6" space with a 1x6 so you only have a 1/2" space for venting.

 

[hennible]

Nice avatar BC boy

 

[bcboy]

Thanks. Holy moly looking at your post count your hooked..hahahah

 

[hennible]

... Yes bordering on a problem. It will lessen once spring comes and I can garden again...maybe.

 

[TropBeaucoup]

Hello - can anyone give me their feedback on when a chicken can start being outside? My brabanter is 5-6 weeks old. And because we are heading into winter I am not sure how to get her used to the cold if she is not ready to go out yet. If I wait until she is closer to 8 weeks then it will be even colder outside.

 

[Chickax2 Boomx2]

I've turned an old shed into my coop, it has a cement floor. On top of that I add deep litter. It's wonderful. Save for when I had ducks, I didn't have to do much with it. Just scoop once or twice a year. Manure went either in a pile or early on the garden beds for a quick & hot boost.

Deep Litter is anything I can find & then some. Piles of leaves, grass, kitchen scraps, garden scraps (pea vines, etc), even tomato & potato plants*. Anything really, that you'd put in the earth & expect to decompose in a short time. What they don't eat, the maggots do (if any) & that's just an extra protein source.

* My birds are smart enough to know not to eat the bad things & let it decompose. I've not yet had one dumb bird (other than my BBB AI turkeys...) & still then I've had no problems with it.

The Deep Litter keeps the floor warm in winter & even cool in summer depending on how it's mixed (mostly what's available - piles of leaves in autumn make for a warm coop in winter). It's also all free - the BEST price, imo.

Wow -- Quailsong, I never thought of adding leaves, grass, SCRAPS(?!!), TOMATO PLANTS (!!!) to my deep litter -- thank you! For the first time ever, I actually have leaves to rake this year -- I'll add them to the coop on top of my new sand!

Thank you!

 

[Chickax2 Boomx2]

6" to 8" of pine shaving for the deep litter method is what I use.
I would use the pallet house and cover the 6" space with a 1x6 so you only have a 1/2" space for venting.

Okay, that's an easy fix -- thank you. )

 

[Quailsong]

Wow -- Quailsong, I never thought of adding leaves, grass, SCRAPS(?!!), TOMATO PLANTS (!!!) to my deep litter -- thank you! For the first time ever, I actually have leaves to rake this year -- I'll add them to the coop on top of my new sand!

Thank you!

Is your floor just dirt? I wouldn't be adding sand on top of that & then deep litter on top of that too. Or the birds will mix it together & you'll end up with way too sandy compost. I also have a VERY sandy soil here - this whole area/town is built off of marshland, so they raised it up with sand, ugh.

Sand is also a bad insulator for Canadian winters. It will steal away the heat from the coop & the chickens. But you know, work with what you got.

And sure, build up the DL as much as you can. It'll all drop down in time & turn to compost. The more variety you add, the better the birds can pick out the goodies. So they'll generally stay away from the bad stuff (unless you're not feeding them enough - then they may get desperate.) I've even tossed in roast carcass/bones which I didn't use straight on the coop floor. The birds pick the carcass clean & any big bones I take back out to bury/compost outside. The key to remember is, you're not just feeding the chickens; you're feeding the Deep Litter. Beneficial microbes will grow inside the soil & make it decompose the manure faster.

I had made a forum post about Quail on Deep Litter. This may benefit you for your chickens as well: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/832431/quail-on-deep-litter-why-it-works