Preparing Your Flock & Coop for WINTER

[e72071]

But will the run be covered to shelter birds from weather
What is your climate/location?
Putting your location in your profile can help folks give better answers/suggestions.

We are in Long Island, ny. We were going to put a cover over a small portion of the run for weather plus they will always have the coop to go into if they wanted to.

 

[aart]

Quote: Thing is the coop is just barely big enough...... so a large weather proof run can really help avoid crowding problems.

 

[bigmrg74]

In reading some of the posts in this thread I'm starting to second guess myself. We are getting 16 chicks and have an 8.5x8.5 coop with a 24x24 run. Is that big enough for 16 birds?

We are in Long Island, ny. We were going to put a cover over a small portion of the run for weather plus they will always have the coop to go into if they wanted to.

For most chickens that's kinda right on the edge of what you would want for space for 16 birds. Doesn't really allow you any room in the future for when Chicken Math happens. What breed of chickens are you getting?

and for predator proofing, you are planning on using hardwear cloth around the coop right?

 

[e72071]

For most chickens that's kinda right on the edge of what you would want for space for 16 birds.  Doesn't really allow you any room in the future for when Chicken Math happens.  What breed of chickens are you getting?  

I ordered cuckoo Maran, austrolorp, buff Orpington, New Hampshire red, Delaware, Easter egged, buckeye and barred rock. 2 of each. All females no roosters.

 

[Beekissed]

You mean straw?? hay is more expensive than straw.

Not in my area....hay is $2 a bale and you can't get straw for under $6-$7 a bale. Thank goodness.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

The stores in town sell straw for decorative purposes and for gardening with, so it is pretty pricy here too, 7-15 dollars. I have always read that mites can live inside straw, so I don't use it. It also has very little food value.

Hay is cheaper and the birds consume lots of greens from it. We do bale our own. Hay will mold in warmer wet weather when left out. So far I haven't had any troubles with letting it compost in site.

 

[Spartan22]

Since you guys are in the topic of straw, does anyone have problem with long straw getting stuck in chickens beak/neck that you have to pull it out? Also straw remaining soggy wet worst than pine shavings?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

When my chickens get long hay down their throats they wipe or scratch it out. Both straw, hay and shaving get wet the same in my experiences.

 

[Beekissed]

Since you guys are in the topic of straw, does anyone have problem with long straw getting stuck in chickens beak/neck that you have to pull it out? Also straw remaining soggy wet worst than pine shavings?

Mine free range, so usually don't eat any of the hay I use in the nest boxes. I don't use it in any large quantity in the bedding...it usually only gets there when I clean out the nest boxes.

Straw tends to form mold caps more than shavings when it gets soggy, but both are equally poor for absorption. Pine shavings are just smaller particles and easier to move, so tend to dry out quicker than straw when moved around by the chickens.

 

[Spartan22]

Make sense, I'd been using sand and pine shavings in the run for almost 3 years and few weeks ago we'd been having so much winter rain so I picked up a couple of bale of straw and threw them in the run, seems that it remains soggy and muddy underneath the layers of straws.