Coop Cleanliness- Best Design- Happy girls??

[BabyGirls]

I hope I am not a bad bird mom, just not in the know on this stuff....We have 9 girls and 1 large female turkey. Our coop was inheirited when we moved in. It has the coop with a good pen and fencing around all of it. The inside portion of the coop has (5) 2X4 long boards raised 4 ft above the ground (lots of loose dirt on floor) and half with (3) wooden poles running 3 1/2 feet long for them to roost on. Is that sufficient? I feel bad as 8 of them can fit on 1 pole, the other the turkey is on but 1 of the girls is all alone on the 3rd pole?? How will she stay warm?

We have 1 area that only fits 1 girl in at a time for laying but its inside onthe ground. Should we add more lay boxes up high?

Finally what is the proper "cleaning routine" needed for all the dirt ("mess") that they have below (dirt, poo, feathers...) Any help/suggestion will be greatly appreciated as I have no idea abou this kind of stuff.

 

[Poison Ivy]

When I had my first coop it had a dirt floor. I just raked the area under the roosts once a week. My nest boxes where on the floor of the coop and they were made from dresser drawers and covered cat litter boxes. My girls for the most part all roost together on one 2x4 but lately I have one that roosts on the second one if she comes in late. Then one bantam has found her a spot up near the roof on top of a shelf. She seems happy up there so I let her be. If she gets cold she'll move. I like my nest boxes up off the ground about waist high now in the new coop. You might want to raise them up just make sure to not go higher then the roosts or they will roost in the nest boxes.

 

[chickenranchwife]

They do say 4 hens to a nesting box, so maybe one more box would be sufficient for your girls. I have a dirt floor myself, and I rake it under when I clean out the coop. I put woodchips down and straw on top of that for the winter, and in the summer I just leave it bare to breathe. It's so tempting to put concrete in there to make it easier to clean, but I don't have the cash flow to make that work right now. Good luck, it sounds like you have enough room for your chickens. I have a few that are loners when it comes to roosting. They will make it don't worry.

 

[BabyGirls]

It's been a year now since I inherited my girls, they have always roosted together all on 1 pole (14 then but now only 9 of them left-ALL girls) and my girl turkey on another pole or sometimes maybe 6 on 1 pole 3 on the 2nd one with my turkey on the same 2nd pole a little further down but NEVER where now 2 of the girls are roosting in different spots? One is only about 6 inches off the ground (on the top of a laying box) and the other on a window ledge?

Very strange and I am so worried something is really wrong. Also the weather is really starting to get cold wont they need the others for warmth?

This is brand new behavior and nothing major (that I know of) has occured so not sure what to think. Thoughts PLEASE! I know I am such a freak but I worry terribly about them. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[chickenranchwife]

I think as it gets colder the more you will see them snuggle up to each other. I have some that are here and there, and they are fine. Don't worry, be happy! They will be just fine.