Newbie Questions, Round 2

[Chef Pizghetti]

Hi Guys - Hopefully I'm posting this in the right forum...

I finally picked up my coop last weekend and am starting to get the chickens settled in. The coop is situated in a wooded area of the property that is on level ground, gets good ventilation and has a mix of sun and shade, and the birds seems pretty happy. We have with a Buff Orpington and a Red Star that have already started laying, and will be picking up 2 others shortly.

Of course, I have a ton of new questions now, so please bear with me

I’ve listed them all below just to make reading easier. A few pics are attached as well. As always, thanks for all of the replies and feedback!

• I haven’t covered the floor of the run with anything, so it is just bare dirt. The coop builder suggested wood chips, but I have also read about sand, straw, dry leaves… I don’t mind routine maintenance, but any ideas that don’t require constant changing?
• Should I add a small tub of sand to the run beneath the coop for them to dust in, or can the sand just be loose on the floor? Also, can I use regular bagged sand from a hardware store or does it need to be something special?
• I plan to free range them on weekends, or when I am home, but I will likely keep them in the coop for a bit while I get all of the new birds acclimated. Should I supplement the coop with any additional grit for their crops?
• I’ve seen a lot about Diatomaceous Earth. Is it also necessary to mix this into the run floor and coop/nest boxes? If so, in what quantities? One comment recommended sprinkling it in nesting box straw to reduce mites. Any thoughts?
• The birds have free access to laying feed and water in the run, and I have an additional water container inside the coop. We are also supplementing with vegetable scraps. Is this enough, or do I need to add birdseed, scratch, etc to their daily diet?
• Last, I’ve seen a few posts on beak trimming – is this something that I have to do or be aware of as the birds get older?

Thank God for good friends...the coop weighed a ton.


Margo and Kyle (Named after my characters in my son's favorite movie)


Finally Finished

 

[chitown chicks]

Hi Guys - Hopefully I'm posting this in the right forum...

I finally picked up my coop last weekend and am starting to get the chickens settled in. The coop is situated in a wooded area of the property that is on level ground, gets good ventilation and has a mix of sun and shade, and the birds seems pretty happy. We have with a Buff Orpington and a Red Star that have already started laying, and will be picking up 2 others shortly.

Of course, I have a ton of new questions now, so please bear with me

I’ve listed them all below just to make reading easier. A few pics are attached as well. As always, thanks for all of the replies and feedback!

• I haven’t covered the floor of the run with anything, so it is just bare dirt. The coop builder suggested wood chips, but I have also read about sand, straw, dry leaves… I don’t mind routine maintenance, but any ideas that don’t require constant changing?
• Should I add a small tub of sand to the run beneath the coop for them to dust in, or can the sand just be loose on the floor? Also, can I use regular bagged sand from a hardware store or does it need to be something special?
• I plan to free range them on weekends, or when I am home, but I will likely keep them in the coop for a bit while I get all of the new birds acclimated. Should I supplement the coop with any additional grit for their crops?
• I’ve seen a lot about Diatomaceous Earth. Is it also necessary to mix this into the run floor and coop/nest boxes? If so, in what quantities? One comment recommended sprinkling it in nesting box straw to reduce mites. Any thoughts?
• The birds have free access to laying feed and water in the run, and I have an additional water container inside the coop. We are also supplementing with vegetable scraps. Is this enough, or do I need to add birdseed, scratch, etc to their daily diet?
• Last, I’ve seen a few posts on beak trimming – is this something that I have to do or be aware of as the birds get older?

Thank God for good friends...the coop weighed a ton.


Finally Finished

I'm a newbie as well but, before you move forward with it, please research beak trimming.
GL

 

[RonC]

My run has a dirt floor that I loosened the soil like in a garden. It does contain a fair amount of sand. I rake it every couple of days to make sure the droppings are covered. I add leaves and grass clippings also. Alot of people use sand in the floor of the run and some use it in their coop also. I've heard that "play sand" is a carcinogen which I find disturbing since it's for kid's sandboxes. Not sure what kind of sand you should use but the droppings dries up faster and the chickens rake it around themselves so less maintenance is required. It also dries fast after it rains.

As long as they have access to dirt/sand they will pick their grit from there. It's cheap if you want to supplement the natural supply.

DE is used by many for insect control in the run and coop. Not sure what amount you would use in the run. It's safe to dust chickens with it so I'm sure it's not critical on the amount.

They will enjoy vegetable scraps or treats you give them but it's not necessary. They will eat leaves and grass also while free roaming.

Beak trimming is used in commercial operations where the birds experience overcrowded conditions. Not recommended for a small flock.

Not sure what kind of predators you have but racoons are a threat to chickens so might want to consider adding a layer of 1/2 in hardware cloth over the larger mesh to stop them from reaching in and harming your chickens.

Lot's of good information on our forums and

.

 

[Nyowpotopop]

Here; https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/102146/trimming-chicken-beaks

Is a great thread on beak trimming. You probably won't need to... I would say if you're worried about long beaks you can offer something like cuttlebone or lava stones for them to naturally trim thier beaks... And to never debeak or perma-trim your birds. It's really quite mean IMO and isn't nessicarry in a small flock. If you must file away at a beak use a HQ nail file...

http://www.pcfallon.com/p-6672-casw...n=googlebase&gclid=CISSwLiw8LACFQ8CQAodDXjtug

Diamond dust nail files last forever and are the best for rough substances like beaks. You'll never need another file again (unless you loose it!) XD

 

[Chef Pizghetti]

Thanks for the comments - they definitely help.

On the beak trimming...it was not something I was planning on doing unless it was widely recommended. Thanks for confirming and for the welcome!

 

[bruceha2000]

Can't answer any of your questions (my first ever chickens are only 2 weeks old and still in the bathtub) but I do have a suggestion akin to that from RonC. Unless the chickens are locked in the wooden part of the coop at night, I think an 18" to 24" apron of welded wire mesh across the ground around the perimeter is in order. I don't think it needs to be as fine as 1/2" hardware cloth so you can figure out what is available at the best cost. A fox or raccoon would have no trouble moving the rocks or just digging under.

Beautiful birds, BTW.

Bruce

 

[flewdacoop]

looks good i would leave the bottom just like it is because they love to scratch at the dirt and just move the pin around every so ofter like 2 or 3 weeks for them to have fresh ground and they love dust baths

 

[Chef Pizghetti]

Lots of good input. Appreciate all the suggestions and comments!

 

[acemario]

Your coop looks amazing, along with your property! It's beautiful! It looks like your live in a wooded area, possibly full of hungry predators. Be aware of this as you let them free range! We live in a canyon, and one day when we were letting our ladies free range, a hawk came swooping over the yard for an afternoon snack. Luckily the ladies quickly squirmished into their coop...

Also, remember that Chickens are hardy, instinctive animals. Sometimes we make chicken raising much harder than it needs to be! Some shelter, food, and love is all they really need!

 

[Rhoise]

Nice coop!

I'm new too....i dumped bags of play sand(recommended for cleaner less dust quality over construction) from home depot(spendy/lazy) in outside run over dirt bottom(wasn't crazy about wood shavings outside) 2.5 inches deep

Zeolite inside(love this stuff may top it with shavings in winter for warmth2.5 inches deep also)

Scoop both with a galvanized bucket and kitty litter scoop every 2-3 days outside(20 mins)and everyday inside(2mins) then compost.

Just sprinkled some DE about a quart container full in a 40 square foot area, powdered all entire floor, ramps and wood edges of run bottom in the outside to kill small bugs, pullets went nuts started dusting themselves right away.... it worked no insects moving in there now,so I'm sure it will kill mites or at least prevent them in the run and on chicks.

Ditto on the predator warning, raccoons can pull a whole chicken through those gaps in your outside run wire, safest to lock them in at night for sure, it will be when..... not if... something gets in if you dont add a smaller layer at least to the botton 2 feet...

I find so much info everyday and new ideas, it's defenitly a work in progress......one i need to do is make bigger roosts, mine are 2x2 and an experienced chicken guy said 2x4's the flat way are best (our next modification) said hens feet get curled stiff and tired gripping a smaller roost all night so bigger flatter is more comfey for night time and winter so they can sit on their feet and keep them warm.........

again nice coop, beautiful chooks, and thanks for the great pictures