- Jun 17, 2012
- 19
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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!
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
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 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