New To BYC!

[HappyChickensHappyLife]

Hi there!

Am new to BYC and to chickens. Started in February with two black copper marans born early January 2019.

My three teenage kids and I are enjoying learning while building an unusual coop and a run for them (in our messy garage and out of recycled cable spools and wood reclaimed from some funny dumpster dives!) My wife just hopes her vegan husband will start eating eggs again!

Reading BYC posts has been very helpful, so I've now decided to join this terrific community and post a few questions we have regarding coops, feed, keeping our chickens safe and heahthy in freezing Montreal Winter and hot Summer, etc.!

For example, here is a first query: one of the advantages of the deep litter method appears to be that under certain conditions it can create heat and compost to keep chickens warm (and a vegetable garden producing well when that compost is eventually applied to it). What kind of coop flooring would be best for this? I was thinking cement backer board would support heat well without offgassing from the generated heat as linoleum or vynil might.

Your input is most welcome and appreciated!

 

[BYCforlife]

Welcome to BackYard Chickens! Thanks for joining!

I don't use the deep litter method, so I won't be much help. There will be many people here soon who can help. Good luck!

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

Miss Piggy Sue says, “Welcome to our eggcelent flock here at BYC!”

 

[alexa009]

Hello, welcome to Backyard Chickens!
Cement board and wood are both very good options. Cement board is probably more durable and easier cleaning though.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

Hello! Welcome to BYC!!

Good luck on your adventures!

Feel free to check out the links below for some interesting reading.

 

[HappyChickensHappyLife]

Thank you for your reply.

Cement blocks keep the coop off the ground, then two sheets of strong cable spool plywood are covered with styrofoam insulation which are temporarily/currently covered by plywood. On top of that is the deep bedding on which the chickens walk/scratch. Cement board that I am considering using beneath the bedding to replace plywood is 1/2 inch thick and not so heavy, so yes the coop structure is strong enough to support that.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Welcome to our FUNomenal community!

 

[Brahmachicken240]

Nice to meet you
Welcome to Backyard Chickens

 

[fldiver97]

Welcome ! Glad you decided to join us! Fellow vegan here We get lots of snow and cold, I don’t do DLM but found that my chickens do well in winter. I use pine shavings, extra deep in winter. I have a poop board under the roosts filled with PDZ and I scoop that like a litter box. During winter I sprinkle some PDZ over the shavings and add shavings as needed, spot clean the shavings if needed. In the spring I rake everything out and it goes into the compost pile. I clean the coop out and put fresh shavings in. My coop and run are walk in, coop floor is wood and covered in sheet vinyl for easy cleaning. Good luck with your chooks!

 

[fldiver97]

Welcome ! Glad you decided to join us! Fellow vegan here We get lots of snow and cold, I don’t do DLM but found that my chickens do well in winter. I use pine shavings, extra deep in winter. I have a poop board under the roosts filled with PDZ and I scoop that like a litter box. During winter I sprinkle some PDZ over the shavings and add shavings as needed, spot clean the shavings if needed. In the spring I rake everything out and it goes into the compost pile. I clean the coop out and put fresh shavings in. My coop and run are walk in, coop floor is wood and covered in sheet vinyl for easy cleaning. Good luck with your chooks!