Chickens on the Patio - Am I Crazy?

[TexasLea]

I LOVE it! I think it would make an awesome chicken coop! After thinking about it some more I definitely agree with Debs55 about using the truckload of sand vs the pine bedding idea I had. Being so close to the river there where you are, you could even price a truckload of river bottom sand. Chickens are alot like dogs in that they get hot in the summer and like to dig out a cool spot to lay in. The sand would be perfect for this- not to mention for the ever entertaining chicken dust bath. If you mist it like suggested by PDXcluck then not only would that help keep the dust down, but the damp sand on top the tile would help keep them from overheating on our hot Texas summer days. You could even install a mist system and run it for a couple of hours during the day. I got one at Home Depot that just hooks up to my garden hose and has a dozen or so nozzles.

As for your predators. You do have some good things going for you. The fact that your coop is pretty much surrounded by brick at the ground level means nothing will be able to dig in. I'd leave those bushes because they will provide a nice break from the wind and also make it harder for bigger predators to get to that side of the coop. Since it is against the house it is pretty well completely protected on those sides. You have a great roof so nothing is coming in from the top either. We have raccons pretty bad where I'm at and so I double layered the chicken wire on the whole frame so that the holes were off set from each other and nothing has gotten through there yet. I had a neighbor who had a coon reach through a normal hole in the single layer of chicken wire in their coop and grab a sleeping chicken by the neck. It actually pulled the poor birds head off trying to get it through the wire. My best advice is to double reinforce your wire the way I did and maybe plan to put your roosts in the corner with the brick walls so that no birds sleep next to the framed sides. This will make it harder for those predators you mentioned to get to them too.

I can't wait to see what you decide to do in there!

Lea

 

[rikithemonk]

Or you could get several bails of hay. I have my girls on hay for several weeks now and they seem to like it. gives them something to search through. As for the neighbor, simply put a porch shade on that side. Out of sight, out of mind.

Question: How are you going to hose down the floor when the urine builds up and will it damage the porch?

Riki

 

[TinaG]

Or you could get several bails of hay. I have my girls on hay for several weeks now and they seem to like it. gives them something to search through. As for the neighbor, simply put a porch shade on that side. Out of sight, out of mind.

Question: How are you going to hose down the floor when the urine builds up and will it damage the porch?

Riki

That's a good question about the porch. The Saltillo is unstained and I was wondering about putting an non-porous tile sealer on it. It's never going to be beautiful tile after all the years of sitting unsealed. Also, if I rake it frequently I thought I could avoid a lot of seepage. Under the roosting bars I'm going to put plastic bins to catch poop. There shouldn't be much liquid waste since the droppings a primarily solid, correct? I was more worried about any rain blowing in and having it get the bedding wet. For that reason I'm not so sure about using hay. My grandparents always used hay in their chicken houses and it was not absorbent.

 

[AnotherSusan]

I would put a solid barrier about a foot high around the entire bottom of your enclosure, even across doorways, to help keep whichever bedding material you choose contained in the coop.
I can imagine the chickens excavating and pushing it out through the wire. You could make the barrier across the entry door removable for when you want to do a deep cleaning. It might be helpful to have the entry door wide enough for a wheelbarrow to fit through, depending on your bedding.

 

[Junkmanme]

PERSONALLY, I'd rather use that "porch-area" to grow veggies indoors ( under lights, if necessary )....year around....since you're in warm San Antonio. And I'd just built a sturdy, varmint-proof COOP and RUN out in the yard. .....BUT..."to Each..His Own". ( It's YOUR "place" ! )

I suspect that your BIGGEST "headache" .....regardless of what you choose to do.....will be keeping the coons and foxes, etc. from killing your chickens !!!

A coon killed ALL of my chickens last year. My FINE ROOSTER named "Oro Blanco de Gallo" was the FIRST to perish....died defending his hens, I suspect. He was a tough "Ole Bugger" who would repeatedly fight even ME....although he ALWAYS LOST that fight. He was no quitter !!!

My present avatar picture ( on the left ) is a photo of "Oro Blanco de Gallo". I think he was a handsome Rooster as well as a "toughy".

Whatever YOU decide....be sure that your chickens are WELL-PROTECTED from varmints !
Coons are amazingly Intelligent and Resourceful.....and hungry. You may be unpleasantly surprised when a coon unlocks a coop and kills the chickens.

Make it VERY SECURE whatever you do.

-Junkmanme-

 

[TinaG]

Well, I got the tile floor sealed with Seal Crete. I power-washed the patio on Saturday, let it dry overnight and put the first coat on Sunday afternoon. It took one gallon to do the first coat on the 14 x 16 floor because the saltillo tile just sucked it in. It dried overnight and I put on the 2nd coat this evening. I also sealed the brick work a few inches above the tile since I figure the bedding will be up against the brick work. It sure looks pretty; I'd forgotten what a nice space it was when we bought the house 10 years ago. I almost wonder if I really am crazy to turn this beautiful patio into a coop. Must stop those kinds of thoughts. It's too late to back out. Next step is to stain the wood framing, then paint and hang the screen door.

 

[fairytails]

I think it sounds great! Animals kept close to your windows will get your attention and care more readily. It seems you will want to construct some cozy nooks and a roost to keep them satisfied for the need to roost and have hidey-hole, nesting boxes. Just the dirt and possible pest factors concern. How will you keep mice out and away from your house given chicken feed is probably excellent mouse feed?

 

[TinaG]

The whole patio roof is very tight, and I'm going to use 1/2" hardware cloth for the sides which should be too small for them to crawl in. I've been feeding wild birds for years and have had problems with mice in the garage where the seed is kept. Keeping traps set regularly has stopped the problem, plus storing the feed in galvanized metal cans. I plan on setting chicken-safe mouse/rat traps around the perimeter of the coop.

 

[chicksbunsdog]

That patio/porch would make a huge coop! I'm sure the chickens would love it! I, however, would probably just build a wall and use half of it as the coop and the other half to store all the stuff that goes with chickens - ie, feed, pine, wheelbarrow, shovels/rake, boots, etc. I'd also be a little nervous about sharing a wall with chickens and the possibility of bugs getting into the house. Though, I don't have chickens yet so don't go by me.

We're still building our coop!
Anyway, good luck with the coop and keep posting pictures - I can't wait to see the finished product!

 

[chicksbunsdog]

By the way, we keep our rabbits in a hutch on our back covered porch and it's great! They're right outside the glass sliding door so we can see them all the time and we also see when they need food/water/hay. It's really the perfect place for them!