TWEAK MY COOP~Tweaks on the Cheap

[Spartan22]

I have both large, round branches and 2x4s....mine prefer the 2x4s.  Go figger....

Your chickens probably read your post

LOL!!!

 

[Blooie]

Yep, I got me some smart chickens! They even read the Chickens for Dummies book and laid their first eggs in the nests....every time....um, most of the time....well, on Tuesdays....just often enough to give me hope....

 

[BlackGiantMerlin]

Know this is an old post but love what you did here Beekissed, repurposing other materials and especially that there is not a ton of wood. It sort of reminds me the Earthship community outside of Santa Fe!!

I know wood is the standard but I for one will never use any wood material for my chickens again - outside of cedar shavings that get stripped out regularly.

Seems like no matter what the climate, no matter how the wood is treated, and no matter how particular you are about chicken keeping you will eventually have pest issues with wood material. We recently ditched everything we had that was wood and now have an Eco-flex dog house that serves as their hutch with cinder blocks elevating it and providing steps and metal fence panels for their run with heavy PVC for perches. We probably will add back in some natural wood perches from tree branches but only after treating and maintaining them with oregano oil and DE.

In case anyone is interested in the non wood stuff for a roost/hutch, I've seen non wood (like Trex) materials at places like Lowe's and Home Depot so people can still create their own and there are probably contractors out there who would donate leftover project materials like this.

 

[GardenNut]

Don't worry about that whole feet warm in the winter thingy...it's a load of hooey.    Do an experiment on different types and sizes of roosts for your chickens and then look under them on a cold winter's night to see if you see any feet showing.  You won't.  No matter the size of the roosts or round or flat, they will normally cover their feet with the feathers on their abdomen/breast when it's really cold, so no worries. 

I agree Bee! Those 2x4s went against my gut feeling, but I thought I'd try. My mother always just used old branches. I over analyze.

I still had to put them on the new roosts last night but judging by the amount of poo under them, I think they stayed put. Hopefully I won't have to close off the nests in the late afternoon!

 

[aart]

I used 2x2 on nest bank perch and the big clumsy bumbler birds (brahmas and cochins) were having a hard time walking on it...switch to 2x4 took care of that.
Some of mine roost on the 2x4, some on 2x2 poop board edge, some right on the poop board.
You use what works, doesn't matter what it is.<shrugs>

Thought of you today Bee...got me a trailer full of 'forest floor'.
Ramial from power company, aged 1-2 years at a buddies place.

 

[Beekissed]

Ha ha ha! So true, it's going to be my third winter w/ chickens. Majority of my hens actually preferred the rounded 2 1/2 natural branches, I got multiple perches 2x4s, 2x2s and some natural branches, and the 2x4s are the least favorite, not sure why even though they got more than 24 feet total of it to use.

I have both large, round branches and 2x4s....mine prefer the 2x4s. Go figger....

Mine don't like the 2x4 either....they will roosts everywhere but that place and the newbies and low on the totem pole youngsters have to get the 2x4...even then they will try to crowd onto the round roosts. Every time I've ever used a 2x4 in with my round roosts, it gets the least amount of roosting action...which I prefer, as it also catches the most poop.

I used 2x2 on nest bank perch and the big clumsy bumbler birds (brahmas and cochins) were having a hard time walking on it...switch to 2x4 took care of that.
Some of mine roost on the 2x4, some on 2x2 poop board edge, some right on the poop board.
You use what works, doesn't matter what it is.<shrugs>

Thought of you today Bee...got me a trailer full of 'forest floor'.
Ramial from power company, aged 1-2 years at a buddies place.

Solid gold right there!!! Good score!

Will you use it in the coop and run or just keep it for the garden? I drove past my two leaf producers in town today and there were multiple bags at each place, so the leaf collecting begins....such a huge bounty to be had!

 

[aart]

Quote: I Know, Right!? And there's tons more, literally..... a loooong pile 10 feet wide and 50-100 feet long....various mixes, depending on what each load was from.
It's all going into the run...along with other stuff added that I gather here, dry grass clippings and leaves.

I may add some to the garden, hadn't really thought of that as I don't like mixing wood into the garden soil, it can eat up the nitrogen.......
......but this may be broken down enough to add some.

 

[User395221]

as I don't like mixing wood into the garden soil, it can eat up the nitrogen.......

Add some sheep poo.

 

[Deltabwa]

Hi! and.. HELP! LOL I posted the other day regarding ventilation here https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1139998/too-much-ventilation. I have 3 chickens currently in it and have 18 6 week old chicks that need to go into it while we get the other coop built. Currently I take them and put them in the run during the day, inside a small run,so the big ones can get used to them but then at night I bring them back into the house. I don't like doing that because I want their winter fluff to come in so they can stay out and I think the in and out of the house at night may confuse the growth of it. (maybe I'm wrong?) Besides that, they are getting to big for the brooder we have.

My problem is that I need more roosting space, while, I believe, I also need to separate the littles from the bigs for a while, yet keeping them all in the coop together. So I thought about adding a ladder but I'm afraid there isn't enough space. I will add another pic in addition to the post I listed above and any help, thoughts, suggestions, would certainly be helpful.

Thanks.

This branch on the right has been removed because 1) they don't use it. At all. and 2) It is slippery and I wonder if that is the reason, but that has been removed.



This is from the front looking in. The branch on the back left is the one removed, so there is a small area there, maybe 18" from the end of the nest box to the door that something could be put. I thought of putting a ladder there and somehow maybe blocking that off from the rest of the coop for the littles to settle in but that's not much space. The far end of the nesting box, right by the branch in this pic, is where both girls love to lay. 4' of space to nest, without separation, and this is where the lay lol


The big ones sit on the front board, they dont use any other. And that board has been lowered to about halfway between the 2 windows. Almost level with the branch that is in that corner. (which they dont use either lol) The ladder is removable/moveable so it can be a non-issue. Typically the current ones jump up onto the board on the left, bypassing the ladder and then right up to the front roost where they squeeze into the corner



Any tweaks I can use? I feel like there is so much wasted dead space in here that could be put to better use. Oh, and I think its a 4x8x 6' high (down to 4' in the back) space...

 

[aart]

Quote: Well, that's one reason why the wood chips are going in the chicken run....for the poop!....then some can go into the garden.