Cleaning practices, Good Coop Design, cubic ft

[bird-finder]

For chicken safety at night, I am considering a semi-permanently-located coop,
so I can hardware-cloth the exterior 2 feet out.

If I had a tractor, it would be separate, and for daytime use only.

So what kind of cleaning is necessary?
And how can I make it easier?
Can a hardware-cloth floor work? Would chickens get frostbitten feet?
Can a wood floor, that is hinged, and can drop down, be workable?
Hinged roof, for easy access?

Background.
I am thinking 7 full sized hens as a steady-state, after culling
25 to 30 young birds or just buying full sized birds. There are a
lot of mom and pop breeders in my area, some are registered specialists.

Min and Max. 4 sq ft/bird, but how many cubic feet?
If I had a 4 ft by 4 ft by 8 ft coop, that's OK for 7 full sized hens, I assume.
Could 3 hens stay warm in a coop that large?
Thanks in advance from the High Plains where it gets -15 F every winter.

 

[grandmaof5]

Well, to answer part of your question, 4'x4' is good for 4 full sized birds. Cubic feet isn't as important for the chickens, as 'they' figure 4 square ft per bird; chickens are mostly ground dwellers, usually going up only to roost. So floor space is more important than how high it is; BUT, the height makes it easier for you to get in and clean, talk to your girls, etc.

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
If you only use the 'day tractor' as a tractor during the warm months, design is a whole lot simpler. They will need somewhere to get out of the sun, but up off cold is not a concern, nor is getting out of cold winds. If you used it that way, a simple wire mesh tractor, with something solid around/over one end, would be just fine. You do not generally want a mesh floor to a tractor, as it makes it much harder to move and somewhat defeats the *purpose* of a tractor (to let them scratch around in the grass). There would be no cleaning to speak of, for the tractor, as you would just leave its daily load of poo where it falls. In winter (once things get too muddy and/or cold and/or snowy to be moving a tractor around) you would leave it docked to the coop and it would act as a fixed run all winter. The ground will get really nasty and have to be cleaned in the springtime, but there is nothing you can do about that.

If you want the tractor to be usable more of the year, it becomes more of a construction and design problem. YOu will need an area that is basically fully enclosed with just a popdoor and small vent(s), and this will need regular cleaning as it will get pooey. Remember there is a lot of the year when you really cannot move a tractor around ANYhow, though, so before going this route, think about whether it'd really get you enough more to be worthwhile.

The coop itself will need cleaning of course. You will not be able to use a hardwarecloth floor THERE, your climate gets way way too cold. I would suggest a droppings board under the roost that you clean off at regular intervals. If for some reason you dislike scraping a droppings board, various schemes are possible where you have a tray or pan or wahtever, usually with some sand or shavings in it, and at cleaning time you remove that whole pan, dump it, and hose it off. The rest of the coop will need some cleaning too, probably either daily spot-cleaning of the bedding or a total replacement of its bedding every few days or week or more or whatever works best for you. There is no way to avoid that in the North.

Min and Max. 4 sq ft/bird, but how many cubic feet?

Cubic feet is not an issue. Chickens really do not use space three-dimensionally, they are basically ground-dwelling birds. Obviously if you have enough height for them to fly up to be 'on' something they will be happier but it will not meaningfully increase the number of chickens you can keep. Square footage is the relevant thing.

There is no "maximum"... 3-4 sq ft per chicken is a MINIMUM for cold-winter areas, and more is always better. There is NO SUCH THING as too large a coop, not even in the North. If you have a larger coop -- which will much decrease sanitation problems and workload, and reduce your chances of cannibalism etc, and make the chickens happier -- then if you find yourself thinking you want to keep their body heat more 'around them' or want to run a heat lamp at some point, the smartest strategy is to partition off a little 'coop within the coop' type area, so the hens have the best of both worlds (a smaller area to be warmer, and the whole large indoor coop to roam in bad weather.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[bird-finder]

Thanks much.
You guys explained very well and the links were helpful.

 

[elmo]

About cleaning the coop: I put sand on the floor of my coop and a poop tray under the roost. My birds only use the coop at night, too. It's very easy to keep clean, takes less than five minutes a day. I dump out the poop tray into our compost, hose it off, then pick up any stray poo from the sand with a kitty litter scoop.