Carolina Coop - Painting, Staining, Upgrades, etc.

[lifeatserenityoaks]

I'm very excited to be getting a Carolina Coop ("American") in the next few weeks. For those who have these coops, what are some upgrades I should consider when building? Did you paint or stain the Acre parts of the coop? What about using vinyl/linoleum on the hen house floor? Any tips you wish you'd known prior to or during building would be appreciated!

 

[2ndTink]

I don't have a coop from them, but I do use linoleum on the floor inside most of my coops, it is good and bad. I like that it is easy to clean, but it does make the floor pretty slick. Once it gets a bit dirty, it does give them better traction, but if I ever find a better solution I'll be leaving the linoleum in the past.

Simple things to check on the coop, make sure there is plenty of ventilation in the coop, yet not drafty especially when it is cold out.

 

[lifeatserenityoaks]

Thank you @2ndTink! The Carolina Coops have a special type of flooring in the henhouse (Acre) that I was wondering if it made sense to cover with vinyl/linoleum or not. They recommend a deep litter method with their henhouses, so it may be less of an issue in general.

The henhouse itself has windows all all 4 sides that can be opened, which should be a big improvement from my current coop. This coop is specifically for my silkies that I'll be getting next spring. I'm giving them an upgrade over their full-size, clean-legged sisters Any Silkie tips would be appreciated, too.

 

[Chicken Heel]

With the Acre flooring, other upgrades will not be necessary. I would love to have one of those Carolina coops myself and good luck with the Silkies.

 

[Chicken Heel]

With the Acre flooring, other upgrades will not be necessary. I would love to have one of those Carolina coops myself and good luck with the Silkies.

And I would highly recommend the deep litter method they suggest.

 

[Ted Brown]

It is difficult, if not impossible, to use DLM inside a coop unless it has no floor and sits on the ground.

DLM is intended to compost, this requires moisture of 40%-70% and micro organisms to occur.

One does not want moisture inside the coop particularly in colder climates.

Deep bedding using pine shavings is commonly used inside a coop. If combined with drop boards, cleaned frequently, deep bedding can easily last a year without replacement. Often the motivation to change is caused by dust created by droppings that are dried by the bedding.

I find it surprising that a reputable maker of coops would make such a mistake.

I use DLM in my run. My climate encourages the method, in six years I have not removed any of the material. I do add heaps of leaves and needles each fall. My goal is not to have it produce compost rather reduce my workload.

 

[2ndTink]

Thank you @2ndTink! The Carolina Coops have a special type of flooring in the henhouse (Acre) that I was wondering if it made sense to cover with vinyl/linoleum or not. They recommend a deep litter method with their henhouses, so it may be less of an issue in general.

The henhouse itself has windows all all 4 sides that can be opened, which should be a big improvement from my current coop. This coop is specifically for my silkies that I'll be getting next spring. I'm giving them an upgrade over their full-size, clean-legged sisters Any Silkie tips would be appreciated, too.

Oh goodness, silkie tips... where to start! I guess the first step is to decide what you want to do with them, what do you have them for, are you getting hatchery silkies or do you want SOP silkies or just fun pets but from a silkie breeder?

I have a spectrum of silkies, I have one from TSC that is a very standard hatchery quality girl, then I have nice pet silkies and a few that are quite fancy and posh They can be quite good egg layers, mine don't like to always use the nesting box, any old corner will do. I have a few that are very active and lively, and some that are extremely ditzy and need help.

Silkies need good quality feed, they can be more prone to vitamin deficiencies. They are also more prone to poultry diseases, so even if you have large fowl now that have no issues, that doesn't mean the silkies won't. I recommend having them vaccinated for Mareks, but that is totally up to you and I encourage you to research about it! You have to keep an eye on their crests to be sure they can see, mine need eye trims every few months, check their feet feathers to be sure they aren't walking on them, most of mine I have to trim their toe nails a few times a year, they just don't scratch around enough to take care of them. Plus the 4th and 5th nails don't touch the ground anyway.

They can either be super fragile or they will be indestructible. I prefer to not have vaulted silkies, I don't want a massive crest, that doesn't fit the SOP anyway. I don't want a slumpy bonnet crest or one that impedes their vision too much, although I do have some like that.

Some areas are more prone to mites and lice, and they love silkies, so you will need to keep an eye on that. They don't always know / learn to go into their coops at night, you might have to hand tuck them in, every, single, night... make sure you have a broody breaker cage or 5, they can be super stubborn about that.

They're super cute though, so as long as you have the time and passion to accommodate their needs, they are a fun addition.

@Debbie292d exclusively has silkies and has a lot of knowledge about them. If you have any specific questions ask away!

 

[Debbie292d]

Thank you @2ndTink! The Carolina Coops have a special type of flooring in the henhouse (Acre) that I was wondering if it made sense to cover with vinyl/linoleum or not. They recommend a deep litter method with their henhouses, so it may be less of an issue in general.

The henhouse itself has windows all all 4 sides that can be opened, which should be a big improvement from my current coop. This coop is specifically for my silkies that I'll be getting next spring. I'm giving them an upgrade over their full-size, clean-legged sisters Any Silkie tips would be appreciated, too.

We checked into doing DLM with ours. We chose not to, and went with horse bedding pellets. Why?

1. We have a linoleum floor.
2. We already have humidity issues (Wisconsin is a humid state, especially where we are) and DLM would make things worse, not better, and
3. Horse bedding pellets are virtually maintenance-free and keep the coops and brooders dry.

As for raising silkies, my friend @2ndTink gave you a wealth of knowledge!

 

[lifeatserenityoaks]

Oh goodness, silkie tips... where to start! I guess the first step is to decide what you want to do with them, what do you have them for, are you getting hatchery silkies or do you want SOP silkies or just fun pets but from a silkie breeder?

I have a spectrum of silkies, I have one from TSC that is a very standard hatchery quality girl, then I have nice pet silkies and a few that are quite fancy and posh They can be quite good egg layers, mine don't like to always use the nesting box, any old corner will do. I have a few that are very active and lively, and some that are extremely ditzy and need help.

Silkies need good quality feed, they can be more prone to vitamin deficiencies. They are also more prone to poultry diseases, so even if you have large fowl now that have no issues, that doesn't mean the silkies won't. I recommend having them vaccinated for Mareks, but that is totally up to you and I encourage you to research about it! You have to keep an eye on their crests to be sure they can see, mine need eye trims every few months, check their feet feathers to be sure they aren't walking on them, most of mine I have to trim their toe nails a few times a year, they just don't scratch around enough to take care of them. Plus the 4th and 5th nails don't touch the ground anyway.

They can either be super fragile or they will be indestructible. I prefer to not have vaulted silkies, I don't want a massive crest, that doesn't fit the SOP anyway. I don't want a slumpy bonnet crest or one that impedes their vision too much, although I do have some like that.

Some areas are more prone to mites and lice, and they love silkies, so you will need to keep an eye on that. They don't always know / learn to go into their coops at night, you might have to hand tuck them in, every, single, night... make sure you have a broody breaker cage or 5, they can be super stubborn about that.

They're super cute though, so as long as you have the time and passion to accommodate their needs, they are a fun addition.

@Debbie292d exclusively has silkies and has a lot of knowledge about them. If you have any specific questions ask away!

Thank you so much for going on this detour with me, I couldn't ignore your profile silkie pic

These will be my first silkies, and they are hatchery quality. All my birds are vaccinated for Mareks as I'm a bit paranoid. I actually got this coop to better accommodate the more delicate silkies; I live in NC, so I wanted to make sure they had a truly secure, ventilated henhouse + a dry, covered run.

My goal is just to have some fun pets, and silkies are adorable!

 

[lifeatserenityoaks]

We checked into doing DLM with ours. We chose not to, and went with horse bedding pellets. Why?

1. We have a linoleum floor.
2. We already have humidity issues (Wisconsin is a humid state, especially where we are) and DLM would make things worse, not better, and
3. Horse bedding pellets are virtually maintenance-free and keep the coops and brooders dry.

As for raising silkies, my friend @2ndTink gave you a wealth of knowledge!

Thank you for sharing, I really appreciate the perspective!