Coop flooring

[katie1990]

Off topic question for you, what do you keep your compost in?

 

[WCHomestead]

We actually have a big compost pile that sits just outside our fenced yard, so its not contained in anything. We have 22 acres, 3 of which are fenced.
www.whitecollarhomestead.com

 

[katie1990]

Ill have to tell my husband! We have four acres with two cleared, two wooded, and half of the two cleared acres are fenced which is the one acre the chickens will be on. I wanted to do an open compost pile too but we were unsure of it since we are both new to all of this and new to our area. I went from sand and living by the beach in central Florida to the hills of North Carolina with the red clay so it's all new.

 

[WCHomestead]

We are in east TN so we know all about red clay! Chickens are so easy and so fun! This is a great resource too! We currently have 29 hens ( had 4 roos a couple of weeks ago but that to turn them into dinner as they werent supposed to be boys and they were reeking havoc on the hens). So far no issues with the compost pile since the dogs cant get to it. I would assume wild animals probably check it out, but since its outside an electric fence, we never know! Good luck with everything! Happy to help anytime!
www.whitecollarhomestead.com

 

[are17]

My avatar shows my coop built by an Amishman in Lancaster, PA. The far side of the house has an opening cut into the side at floor level. He used the cutout as a hinged door. Inside is a drawer. a sheet of plywood covered with a plastic sheeting, Panolam. It's the white plastic with a sorta pebbly finish available at home centers. Then the drawer if framed with 2×4 lumber. Open the door, and the drawer pulls out. We empty it into a wheel barrow. Very easy to clean, about once each two weeks. Then replace it and spread the pine shavings available from Tractor Supply. Twice a year, I pressure wash the house including the drawer and let it dry for a couple of hours. This house is serving my second set of six hens.

 

[whittychick]

So what does everyone use for their outside runs? I currently put mulch down a few times a year and it keeps it dry and not smelly. But it can get so muckyyy. I saw this sand called "play sand" I have heard of using this and not using this. What does everyone use?

 

[katie1990]

I plan on just using our grass. It's such a large area I don't think we will have many issues. If we do ill be posting them here lol.

 

[WCHomestead]

We have two runs, the original and the new and improved. Original originally had grass which they loved and promptly ate. Once the new one went in, we moved them into it so we could reseed. The new one also had grass that they ate and then it was dirt. We spread hay bales in there to help with absorbtion and give them entertainment as they love hay too. Hay has worked well for us. This winter though we got two weeks straight of ice and snow, and when it warmed up, it was a muddy, mucky mess. So, we just raked it out, put it in the copost pile and spread grass seed, peatmoss and then straw and opened up the other run as well so as to give the new seed a chance to grow.
www.whitecollarhomestead.com

 

[katie1990]

We might end up doing something similar. I'm hoping they'll stay in the far acre (where their coop will be) most of the time. We are starting with two hens and adding two more shortly after.

 

[whittychick]

I had grass to at one point! All gone now

so I add mulch in there but this time of year the mulch is too frozen to buy! So the coop is a mucky mess.