Chick-Sha-La

[Bunny216]

Hi Everyone,

Does anyone know how to get in touch with the people that built "Chick-Sha-La" that is shown in the coops designs page? I am just starting out and it would make life so much easier to have the plans.

Any help would be much appreciated.

gloria

 

[roosters97]

his screen name is ruth,edit: welcome!!!

 

[hooligan]

"His"?

BTW where ya been roo?

 

[roosters97]

Quote:
oh i am sorry!,i have been working, hard!!glad to talk to yu to talk hooligan

 

[Chirpy]

Welcome Bunny! If you search for "Ruth" as a user name you will be able to pm her/him and ask specific questions. I noticed she/he was on today so it should be pretty easy to make contact.

I'm also assuming you mean the Chick Shell-A?

Have fun - you're going to love those babies.

 

[Bunny216]

Thank you for that information. I did send a pm and hopefully he/she responds and is helpful.

I am enjoying this site so much and I think ya'll are a great help.

I keep reading to educate myself on here as I have never had chicks before. I know the coop is going to be expensive, but we want it nice and we want a suitable place for our new extended family.

I have a silly question. Now, from what I read the chickens don't sleep in the nesting boxes, where do they sleep?? Forgive me if I sound silly, but I don't know. I also thought you put straw in the nesting boxes and in the coop for them, is that right?

Please le me know.

gloria

 

[kstaven]

Start your birds young with low perches and they are less likely to sleep inn the nest boxes and turn them into a toilet at night. You really want them trained to roost rails if you can.

 

[Chirpy]

It's actually much better if your chickens sleep at night on roosts. A roost is generally made of a 2x4 (with the 4" side turned up to be sat on) or with wooden dowls that aren't too slippery (they need to be able to hold on) or even with a tree branch that has any smaller branches broken or sawed off. Anything will work except metal or plastic for a roost.

The reason I like using 2x4s is that the chickens can get their feet covered with their own feathers in cold weather (because they are sitting on them) so I don't worry about frostbite. That may not be a problem where you are. You should have at least one roost higher than your nest boxes as chickens tend to roost at the highest point. However, if you have heavy breeds you will also want a lower roost so they don't hurt themselves jumping down.

It doesn't hurt the chickens at all to sleep in a nest box or even on the floor (and some chickens will choose to do so). It's mostly for our benefit as it's easier to clean out the poop from under a roost area than in the nest boxes every day. Plus, if they are sleeping in the nest boxes then you do need to keep it clean every single day or you will have dirty eggs.

If your chickens don't want to roost when you first put them in their chicken house, go out every night (possibly for a week or so) and put them on the roost yourself after dark. Most chickens will learn to go there by themselves after just a few days of being put on the roost by you.

As far as straw is concerned - most people like to use wood shavings (never cedar) as they are much easier to keep clean. However, straw certainly can work and some people like it better. If you have the option, try both and decide for yourself which you like.

There is never a silly question ... always ask if you can't find the answer. We want you to enjoy your chickens as much as we enjoy ours and learning is a forever process.

 

[ruth]

Hi Gloria - I just responded to your PM. Glad you liked the coop my son built. We had to go off and leave it when we moved but will be bringing to the farm later because it has sentimental value to me because my son built it for me when he returned from Iraq.

It's funny - I saw your thread title last night "Chick-Sha-La" and didn't open the thread but said to myself "Someone is naming their coop almost the same thing I named mine".

There's more pics on my coop page including some that were updated after my initial coop submission. We initially put in wooden dowels for roosts, seen in pics, but as the chickens got bigger and heavier and more were added, we added a 2x4 right down the middle and higer up for a roost. They were jumping up on it before we could get it nailed since it was a higher roost and everyone wants on the top. Take a look at the pics and you'll see how it was done. It was a great design for our 100 degree, 100 percent humidity, 8 inches of rain daily SO LA weather. And my son, who is still living at the house told me the other day "Mom you should see the chicken run now that the chickens aren't there- it's growing like a forest - there's huge bushes and grass and flowers and stuff growing everywhere". I haven't seen it since we moved but obviously all that chicken poop was great fertilizer and without them eating all the shrubs and flowers I planted, it's probably a beautiful green place for chickens now. I'll try and get a picture next time I return to pick up more things - we still haven't moved all our "stuff" just moved the basics.