Complete newbie - building our coop now need info on BEST fencing

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

How does my list look so far?

Feed
Poultry Grit - does that mean I don't need oyster shells or I still do?
Diatomaceous Earth
Numerous coop cleaners (Happy Hen)
MannaPro Coop n Compost
Water and Feed containers

What else? Any suggestions? Thanks!

Poultry Grit does not take the place of oyster shells. The grit is used to help the chickens grind up their food. Oyster shells are for calcium. If you get a layer feed with a lot of calcium in it, you may not even need the oyster shell. Watch their eggs, if the shell is thin then add more calcium by adding oyster shell. You do not need both DE and Coop N' Compost. You could choose one or the other but I do not personally use anything like that. Don't forget bedding for the coop and nest boxes. I use hay or straw in the nest and pine shavings on the coop floor. Also, it will really help if you add a box under the roost to catch poop. You can put sand in the box to keep the poop from sticking.

 

[dkl38]

Thanks folks and will take your advice on the skirt for sure Wrigley62. Yes, I agree with store bought vs. home built but I got in trouble yesterday as I am soooo impatient and put the pressure on when my husband had a full day of other plans. I better stock the fridge with some beer for my good man! So all in all the cost thus far is about 300.00 which includes everything (base, shingles, latches, plywood, outer wood - can't remember the name) and we did some upgrades as well like nice trim and better wire then I have seen at store bought. I am also going to get motion sensor lights - read that somewhere on here that it helps to ward off predators.

Hopefully more pics tonight if my dearest has time to build.

 

[dkl38]

Erin thank you for answering my question...as you can tell I am new at this and just got everything as I didn't know the difference. Plus I found pretty much everything on sale!

Question- where is the "roost" located in my coop? Not sure what part that is..sorry so dumb!

I like the natural wood split logs in your run...nice touch.

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

Erin thank you for answering my question...as you can tell I am new at this and just got everything as I didn't know the difference. Plus I found pretty much everything on sale!

Question- where is the "roost" located in my coop? Not sure what part that is..sorry so dumb!

I like the natural wood split logs in your run...nice touch.

Your welcome, and thanks! I don't think you are dumb, you are just learning. Roost are either a tree branch, 2'' by 4'' board, or other that the chickens perch on to sleep at night. Here is a pic of the inside of my bantam house showing the 3 roosting bars:

You don't need 3, 1 roosting board would do. Note the green pan under the roosts, that is to catch the poop. I would preferably like a larger poop box but that is what I had at the time.

 

[dkl38]

Hmmm so now I am little confussed; I thought I line the coop with pine shavings and that would suffice for poop (clean out once a week)?

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

Hmmm so now I am little confussed; I thought I line the coop with pine shavings and that would suffice for poop (clean out once a week)?

That would be alright, I just like to put a poop box under the roosts filled with sand to catch the poop from when they are perched sleeping at night (they do poop in their sleep). The rest of the coop is pine shavings. They poop a lot at night and it really builds up, a poop box makes things easier and keeps the nightly poops from spreading out and getting the rest of the coop nasty. Every few days I scoop the poop out of the poop box with a kitty litter scooper. I rarely clean out the rest of the coop because with the poop box it's not really needed.

 

[dkl38]

Interesting...so do I remove the poop box during the day if they are confined to the coop and run only (can't free range due to whatever reason) so they have more room or do they typically hang outside during the run during daylight hours?

 

[Erin~TheChickenLover]

Interesting...so do I remove the poop box during the day if they are confined to the coop and run only (can't free range due to whatever reason) so they have more room or do they typically hang outside during the run during daylight hours?

They will normally hang outside in the run. My chickens only go in the coop for food, to lay an egg, and at night. There's no need to remove the poop box during the day unless space is an issue. Instead of removing it, though, you could just take a minute and scoop the poop out each morning. It doesn't take but a few quick swipes with a kitty litter scooper. You can add DE into the sand in the poop box and that should help as well. The main thing is to keep it dry. If it's dry, you shouldn't have any trouble.

 

[dkl38]

Thanks Erin! Here are more pics from last nights progress. I watched videos of predators attacking and killing chickens last night (why do people post those on you tube!) and I am traumatized by the thought. I am so attached to my future chickens and rooster already that I would just die if they were killed....I haven't even begun to think of my two dogs reactions....ugh.

 

[dkl38]

Do these really work? Seems to perfect to be true!

http://www.randallburkey.com/Nite-Guard-Solar/productinfo/67000/