I've been wondering this. I can't even remember what I did last time I had chickens. Is it ok to lock them up overnight without water like that?It's the time of year when our flocks spent much of their time indoors, in their coops, so this week I want to talk about coops and what we put in there for our flocks. Specifically...
- What bedding/material works best for the coop floor and the nest boxes?
Pine shavings. I provide extra ventilation for the first few days while it airs out. After it gets "old," it's a low-dust solution for winter bedding. I use it in nesting boxes because the hens can't kick a while clump of it out like they could with hay.
- How can you keep the coop dry, especially now, over the winter months?
Don't put water in the coop. Scraping poop off poop boards helps as well.
- Roosts and nest boxes - How many do you provide, how much space on the roosts, what do you use as nest boxes and how do you make them attractive for the hens, etc?
I just stuck four 8 ft long or so roost poles up there, and the hens seem to be happy with it. I have about 21 wooden nest boxes. I make sure the boxes are clean, and not much else.... They're naturally dark, so I don't bother with curtains.
- What "boredom busters" can you provide to amuse and distract bored, cooped up birds when the weather is really bad?
Hanging cabbage heads work great!
- What else do you provide/do to make sure the flock is happy and comfortable in there?
One thing my flock seems to enjoy is climbing on things, AKA playing "the shavings are lava".
Providing boxes or such for them to sit on is also good for reducing pecking order fights.... The big guys sit on top, little guys on the bottom. No disputes.
And, perhaps the biggest thing of all... Provide extra space!! IMO the 4ft minimum is just that, a minimum for birds to exist. I'd prefer to have 10 square feet per bird, and I did last winter, but as I've doubled flock size they're only getting about 5-6 square feet. Not happy about that.... (I've tried to sell a few, but no dice)