California - Northern

[casportpony]

Quote: They will be in my house, lol.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

Here's one of them.

-Kathy

 

[chiqita]

Here's one of them. -Kathy

Looks good excep A/ id put in some shavings to snuggle down in B/put something down so you can clean up the broody poop IMMEDIATELY . That stuff is noxious and will cling to your floor forever!!

 

[chiqita]

(I put them in a bathroom with old sheets and feed bags on the floor)

 

[capayvalleychick]

For those of you in the Sac valley area (hot and dry): what do you use on the floors of your coops? And do you use "drop boards"? I keep going back and forth between deep-litter pine shavings or sand. It' a walk-in coop with dirt floor; our soil is pretty sandy.
Here's our progress so far!

Nice design. I also like sand. Easy to clean. You can wet it down during the hot months and not worry about mold. My chickens prefer it. You can always put shavings over the sand. Something you didn't mention, which is very important is to put wire down under the perimeter of the coop. This will prevent predators from digging in. Take about a 4 foot width of wire fencing and place it so that 2 feet is around the outside of the coop and 2 feet is around the inside. I don't use drop boards but like the idea.

First, the front of the coop, the big end, should be facing north because of our weather patterns. The front can be open mostly too. We need a lot of ventilation here which most coop plans do not account for.

I think it depends on the weather in your specific area. The openings on all my shelters and coops face east, because rain and wind never come from the east here. We get horrible cold north winds here, so opening on the north side only work well in the hot months. Rain usually comes from the south here and sun is worst on the west side. Our designs reflect that, so figure out what the weather does in your region. I agree about the ventilation and that one side can be mostly open (hardware cloth covered), except for about 2 feet from the bottom, again to prevent predators.

 

[casportpony]

Quote: Good suggestions, thanks!

-Kathy

 

[SpringPeeper]

Perfect
If you need to sell the chicks after locally Id suggest getting other types of chickens. Your local markets gonna be saturated with his breeds.

No, that's why I am only thinking of the tiny Brinsea. Just what me and my little circle of chicken keeping family and friends can keep or eat the extras of. One of the things appealing about the Speckled Sussex and Delawares I am wanting is that they are so readily available in high quality in Nor Cal. I just want hens, I'd eat any boys. I might try to breed and sell some of the Rose Comb Rhode Island Whites I am looking for, if I can ever find some good starting stock!

None of my hatchery birds or CL rehome birds will be breeders. I would like another bloodline or two of nice Favs so I can hatch out my own replacement pullets every few years. But most of my 'fancy' chickens are just for looking nice, giving me eggs and being enjoyable to have around.

 

[casportpony]

(I put them in a bathroom with old sheets and feed bags on the floor)

The bathroom already has a broody and one with a broken leg (tibia).

-Kathy

 

[ronott1]

Nice design. I also like sand. Easy to clean. You can wet it down during the hot months and not worry about mold. My chickens prefer it. You can always put shavings over the sand. Something you didn't mention, which is very important is to put wire down under the perimeter of the coop. This will prevent predators from digging in. Take about a 4 foot width of wire fencing and place it so that 2 feet is around the outside of the coop and 2 feet is around the inside. I don't use drop boards but like the idea.

I think it depends on the weather in your specific area. The openings on all my shelters and coops face east, because rain and wind never come from the east here. We get horrible cold north winds here, so opening on the north side only work well in the hot months. Rain usually comes from the south here and sun is worst on the west side. Our designs reflect that, so figure out what the weather does in your region. I agree about the ventilation and that one side can be mostly open (hardware cloth covered), except for about 2 feet from the bottom, again to prevent predators.

The rain direction is a good point.

Most of California should facing the north for the opening but if the rain comes from a different direction where you live, then change the direction it faces. The open front is a very good thing for most of California too but it would need to have a tarp to cover some of it if you lived at a high elevation where it was colder.

 

[SpringPeeper]

The bathroom already has a broody and one with a broken leg (tibia).

-Kathy

I need to make my husband sign up here so he understands that finding chickens in the bathroom is totally not strange at all. Hope the injured one does ok, though.