Bags of mulch under the coop?

[AnnPann]

I agree - don’t block them out from there. However, you could stack the bags up on the N side to provide a windbreak, plus they may benefit from any heat build up next to the area from the mulch. The when it gets messy under there, your bags of mulch are handy for opening up and dumping some in there for them.

 

[Saveria]

Are there any other reasons you have for blocking it off that we aren't seeing? If you only have 2-3 hens, you could try it if you really want that space off limits. You could see how it goes, but any more than 3 is going to feel kind of cramped, I think. Depending on their temperament they might feel cramped even with that space, too, so you'll have to guess at your birds personality/breed. I have also found that it is good to spead the droppings load over as much space as you can when they are confined in the winter, so they are stepping in it less.

Another issue I could think of was you would have to wait until the ground completely thaws to get the bag out of there (since it will get frozen to the ground). For us, that would be later than is ideal to get them some more room to move around in early spring when they feel extra antsy. Not a deal breaker, but if you can't tolerate that place being hard to reach, something to think about.

 

[CarlaCo]

You don't want to block it off. They will need that space. They are already going to be very crowded.
Don't worry about cleaning it out until spring.

We have this new pen we’re connecting for their run.

 

[CarlaCo]

Sorry to everyone. I should have shown their bigger run. They won’t need it for space.

 

[CarlaCo]

Are there any other reasons you have for blocking it off that we aren't seeing? If you only have 2-3 hens, you could try it if you really want that space off limits. You could see how it goes, but any more than 3 is going to feel kind of cramped, I think. Depending on their temperament they might feel cramped even with that space, too, so you'll have to guess at your birds personality/breed. I have also found that it is good to spead the droppings load over as much space as you can when they are confined in the winter, so they are stepping in it less.

Another issue I could think of was you would have to wait until the ground completely thaws to get the bag out of there (since it will get frozen to the ground). For us, that would be later than is ideal to get them some more room to move around in early spring when they feel extra antsy. Not a deal breaker, but if you can't tolerate that place being hard to reach, something to think about.

Apologies for not showing the run in the first post. My bad. See it above.
All good thoughts in your post, but if it’s cold enough that bags are frozen, we wouldn’t be moving the coop. Even in the Spring, we would have to wait till the ground s not too soft at last with the heaviness of the badly designed coop. Although I’m also working on adding simple retractable wheels to the metal run. Then I may wheel them to diff. areas during day and wheel it back before sunset. Depends how much of a pia that might be.

 

[CarlaCo]

I've not blocked mine off. Provides lots of shade and a really good dust bathing spot for the ladies!

How do you clean under there? And what do you put there for dust baths?

 

[Saveria]

The only issue I can think of is if the mulch bags are encased in plastic, they might pick at that. Some people seem worried about chickens eating plastic, but mine never have. Might be an issue for specific breeds.

You also could just pack the area with mulch or hay that you could keep replacing as a boredom buster and get the same insulation benefits. We have even used snow to insulate before.

If you can, maybe you can post about how it goes in case anyone else wants to do the same in the future. You will soon be an expert .

 

[CarlaCo]

The only issue I can think of is if the mulch bags are encased in plastic, they might pick at that. Some people seem worried about chickens eating plastic, but mine never have. Might be an issue for specific breeds.

You also could just pack the area with mulch or hay that you could keep replacing as a boredom buster and get the same insulation benefits. We have even used snow to insulate before.

If you can, maybe you can post about how it goes in case anyone else wants to do the same in the future. You will soon be an expert .

“You will soon be an expert.”that seems a long long way off. But If I try it in the bags, I’ll def update to show how it’s gong.

It’s a good idea you have to maybe just take some out of the bags. The only thing is if I leave it in the bags, I can drag them out in the Spring when “Have-Coop-Will-Travel.

We don’t have a shed, and our garage has no room to store bags of mulch properly, so I’ve left them piled up over winter and still used them in spring. They get kinda gross but quickly air out when I spread them places. That’s why I’ve noticed the heat in them, even seeing snow melt faster on them. That’s why I got the idea and thought it would kill two birds with one stone - not having good access to clean under there and giving them a lil heat/insulation boost.

 

[Hedgeland Farms]

How do you clean under there? And what do you put there for dust baths?

I don't, lol everything under there has accumulated over time. I actually figure the birds scratched it under there. It's a mix of woodchips and dirt

They've dug the ground down a bit, and really relax under there all sprawled out (you can see some of them behind Miss Dolly in the pic. This was before we added onto to it to make it 8x8...) They have an 8x8 area of constant shade and protection from rain. They seriously love it down there. I figure I'll dig some of it out next yr for the garden

 

[raingarden]

Trapping the heat of decomposition is really a clever idea. It would work even better to use compost because it is more biologically active. Moistening the mulch and empting it from the plastic bag so it can breathe might help too.