Best mites/lice prevention habits for new coop/run

[aldarita]

This is not true.

It may need to be managed differently in different climates, but both the dry Deep Bedding in the small coops and the moist Deep Litter in the open air coop and the run work just fine for me here in the Steamy Southeast where summer often has 95-95 weather -- 95F with 95% humidity.

My problem is ants, millions of them. I tried deep litter before but it just got to the point that ants took over every single inch. Maybe it's just in the area I live. We get 105F in the summer and about 80-95% humidity

 

[aart]

Top culprits in spreading parasites are wild birds flying through/over the run, maybe rodents (if they're getting in) or infested bedding (i.e. you buy straw from a farm that has an existing parasite issue).

Ditto Dat!
Straw/hay that has been stored where it wild birds can gather.
I always buy my straw right after harvest, so it hasn't been stored anywhere for any length of time.

 

[grannyhensdream]

IMO, it's incredibly irresponsible of the coop sellers to base their numbers on the legal limits for commercial chickens instead of sound practices for backyard flocks.

If you post photos of what you've got to work with we have a lot of experience helping people to improve their chicken housing.

Also, where are you? Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing, so if you put your general location into your profile people can give better-targeted advice.

Thanks. I can agree about the coop sellers. I am in 4 season PA Today it is pouring here. I will take pictures as soon as it stops. Thank you!

 

[aldarita]

My husband designed a "scooper" to pick up poop in the runs by sifting it. We bought a duster at the hardware store ( the one that comes with a broom) we cut off a big hole at the bottom and stapled hardware cloth (smaller than 1/4 of an inch to catch the small poop) I go around the run and pick up poop with it, then add it to the poop pile to compost.

 

[3KillerBs]

So in my situation I don’t let them out because I’m surrounded by national forest plus my neighbors would not appreciate the chickens getting into their yards. You clean your coop and run every day!!?? How do you clean your run? I was just thinking about if I keep raking out out debris there will be a giant hole for a run eventually lol. So poop is what leads to the infestation? The less chicken poop the less chances?

If the run is not roofed it is completely unnecessary to rake out the run bedding until you're ready to harvest the finished compost. Plenty of dry organic material will take care of any possible odor.

Coarse wood chips, the sort you get from a tree-trimming service, are often considered the gold standard for the management of mud and odor but any sort of dry organic material works.

If I put a bunch of material in there how am I to clean it out? Just keep adding material and then raking it out every week? How do you “clean “your run and how often?

I "clean" my run when either the litter gets too deep so that it's interfering with the fence or when I want to harvest the compost or when it develops an odor problem that can't be solved by adding a couple more inches of dry organic material.

If your run is covered so that the bedding stays dry then it can be managed just like the Deep Bedding system in my article.

 

[aldarita]

The parasites are brought in by animals. Animals get attracted by organic debries, things like food scraps, feed and poop, left over treats, etc. Mice are always around when you have chickens, so it's important to do your best to keep them out.
I don't have a problem with deep litter, however I live in a very hot and humid area so it does not work for me. It mainly works in cold and dry environments.

 

[3KillerBs]

I don't have a problem with deep litter, however I live in a very hot and humid area so it does not work for me. It mainly works in cold and dry environments.

This is not true.

It may need to be managed differently in different climates, but both the dry Deep Bedding in the small coops and the moist Deep Litter in the open air coop and the run work just fine for me here in the Steamy Southeast where summer often has 95-95 weather -- 95F with 95% humidity.

 

[rosemarythyme]

The lice were brought in by wild birds.

x2. Top culprits in spreading parasites are wild birds flying through/over the run, maybe rodents (if they're getting in) or infested bedding (i.e. you buy straw from a farm that has an existing parasite issue).

If I put a bunch of material in there how am I to clean it out? Just keep adding material and then raking it out every week? How do you “clean “your run and how often?

A true deep litter run, you don't really have to clean it out. My "clean outs" would be something like removing buckets of composted material for use in my garden. Nor is there a weekly add in or raking taking place. I rake maybe twice a year, mostly to smooth out the floor as the chickens dig divots everywhere and it get difficult to walk safely!

 

[Mrs. K]

Lice is generally host specific, so mice are not bringing it in. However, mice will contaminate and consume a lot of feed. It is a good idea to keep the rodent population in check. Lice also feed on blood - manure has no influence on this. And lice only live on a host, dying very quickly off the host so you are not bringing it in on sand or bedding.

I have never had lice, (whispering) I do let mine out to free range, and we have a very dry and sandy climate. Down the road, my niece has had lice, but strictly keeps hers confined, and maybe slightly too many for the set up. I do have to admit, that while she has had lice, she has never lost anything to a predator.

I use old hay or waste hay. We ranch, that is what I have readily available, I pile it deeply in the coop, with a broom out 2-3 times per year. I often top it with scratch, and the girls turn it keeping everything dry. DRY is important. When I clean out the coop, I just dump that in the run.

My run has bare spots, and covered with hay spots. It is 600 square feet, so a lot of space. In the spring I use it for mulch in the garden. The theory being the weed seeds are gone...not that I have any proof of that, or rather I have proof they didn't get all the weed seeds but hey, that's they theory.

I just have clean water - nothing added. I just have old hay, no DE or tidy stall. But we are arid, and I think climate has a huge influence. I have never scooped chicken poop.

Mrs K

 

[3KillerBs]

Our coop is a pre-fab and stated that it can hold up to 14 chickens. (Probably meant for less.) We have 15 hens and 1 rooster.

That coop is probably really appropriate only for 5-6 chickens.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

16 Chickens

• 64 square feet in the coop. 8'x8' is the easiest build for this.
• 16 feet of roost
• 160 square feet in the run. 10'x16', 12'x14' or 8'x20'
• 16 square feet of ventilation.
• 4-5 nest boxes.