Coop maintenance

[TGreen1783]

Hey all,
So I live in the PNW. Bought a house on 2.5 acres and it already had a coop. So we got some chicks back on March 26th from TS and were told they were about a week old.

When can I put them in the coop (no electricity)?

What should I put in the coop pine shaving? hay? ( bottom of coop has wire mesh)

Should I close my chickens in the coop or lock them up in the nesting house at night?

When can I switch them to feed other than chick feed?

How often should I clean out the coop and what do u all do with the dirt poop stuff?

Yes, lots of questions. Sorry. Thanks in advance for answering. See pictures of coop.

Tricia

 

[Aunt Angus]

Nice coop!

Chicks can go out without heat safely once they are fully feathered (5-6 weeks).

Pine shavings ate much better bedding than hay, imo. Smells better. Absorbs moisture. There are other substrates, but shavings ate a good way to start.

Close them in the coop. You do not want them sleeping in the nesting boxes. They poop a lot at night. You don't want poopy eggs. Ew.

You can switch them to grower when you move them out and layer when they near laying age (about 6 months).

I clean poop off my poop boards daily, and I replace shavings in the coop weekly. I compost the poop and shavings.

There are other opinions out there, and nothing is 100% correct for every situation, but this is a good start. Enjoy your babies!!!

What breeds did you get??? And are you going to free range???

 

[JedJackson]

Great post above!

You should consider putting a solid floor in the coop. It could be as simple as carefully removing the wire there now.

Does the coop have a run? I live in the PNW as well, and there are a lot of chicken predators here, so you will be better off with a protected outdoor area rather than just letting them free range.

 

[TGreen1783]

Nice coop!

Chicks can go out without heat safely once they are fully feathered (5-6 weeks).

Pine shavings ate much better bedding than hay, imo. Smells better. Absorbs moisture. There are other substrates, but shavings ate a good way to start.

Close them in the coop. You do not want them sleeping in the nesting boxes. They poop a lot at night. You don't want poopy eggs. Ew.

You can switch them to grower when you move them out and layer when they near laying age (about 6 months).

I clean poop off my poop boards daily, and I replace shavings in the coop weekly. I compost the poop and shavings.

There are other opinions out there, and nothing is 100% correct for every situation, but this is a good start. Enjoy your babies!!!

What breeds did you get??? And are you going to free range???

I have 2 ISA Browns, 2 EE and 2 orps. They will free range in the space next to the coop/ behind out shead. We have not gated that off yet.

New to chickens... what is a poop board? I google it and see coops with small rectangle section in their coop. Should I build a perch and then put it under that?

 

[TGreen1783]

Great post above!

You should consider putting a solid floor in the coop. It could be as simple as carefully removing the wire there now.

Does the coop have a run? I live in the PNW as well, and there are a lot of chicken predators here, so you will be better off with a protected outdoor area rather than just letting them free range.

Our goal is to create a run behind/ next to the coop and shead. That is what the previous owners had. We just need to secure the area up. We were told by the vet for our dogs that if we ran string across the top it creates a visual barrier and big birds won't come down.

 

[Brooks_]

Good info from @Aunt Angus and @JedJackson. I'll differ from Jed and say just rip that wire out and use deep litter method. The wire might be in good enough shape to cover the chicken wire wall (needs to be done, regardless). Yes, a poop board is just a board under the roost to catch most of the poop. They will need a roost. The string thing can work, but is overall not a recommended method.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'll differ from Jed and say just rip that wire out and use deep litter method. The wire might be in good enough shape to cover the chicken wire wall (needs to be done, regardless).

I didn't even see that the wall was chicken wire. Chicken wire = useless against predators. And I covered my chickens' foraging area with heavy duty aviary netting. Easy peasy.

And, yes, add a roost and put a poop board under it. I use PDZ stall refresher on the poop boards. I scoop it out every morning.

Here's mine. It is NOT perfect - it was a quick shed conversion right after we moved - but it works. And ignore the girls mucking around in the PDZ. It was a hot day.

 

[rosemarythyme]

When can I put them in the coop (no electricity)?

Now, technically. They should be weaned off heat already. If not, do so first for a week or two, then move them out.

What should I put in the coop pine shaving? hay? ( bottom of coop has wire mesh)

I'd really recommend cutting out and removing the wire at the bottom, if possible. If that's not possible, you're going to want to layer a good amount of bedding over it to cover it up, as chickens love to dig and can damage their feet on a wire floor.

As far as what bedding to use, possible options (amongst others): wood shavings, straw, wood pellets, wood chips, sand, hemp... really depends on what your plan is as far as clean outs and maintenance. I use wood chips as the main bedding with hemp under the roost for easier poop sifting.

Should I close my chickens in the coop or lock them up in the nesting house at night?

For clarification: the coop is the enclosed structure where the chickens roost and lay eggs. Your current structure has a coop on one end and an enclosed run taking up the rest of the space.

Due to the fact that the run has chicken wire it's not predator proof, so the chickens should be locked in the coop. The coop window wire should be replaced or covered over with hardware cloth or welded wire no larger than 1/2" wide.

When can I switch them to feed other than chick feed?

They can eat chick feed for life. But if you would prefer to use a layer feed, I would wait until the birds start laying and switch them over at that time.

How often should I clean out the coop and what do u all do with the dirt poop stuff?

Clean outs depend on how you plan to manage poop - if you use poop boards, for example, plan on spot cleaning those daily. If you do deep bedding, you might only need to clean every few months, maybe twice a year?

I'm currently doing once a year clean outs, but I spot clean under the roost daily. My cleaned out litter goes into the run, and my run is deep litter so it's a composting system that's mostly left to build up (occasionally I sift some dirt out for use in the garden)

Do you (or neighbors/friends) garden? Composting is the most popular and environmentally friendly option.

One extra note: your coop needs more ventilation, but it's really well built for adding some. Consider opening up the soffits front and back, and then covering them with hardware cloth for safety. Example: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/coop-modification-recommendations.1517556/#post-25543595

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. You've gotten a great deal of excellent advice about working with that very promising coop.

Here's a little general information on space needs:

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

And my article on Deep Bedding: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

 

[Aunt Angus]

For clarification: the coop is the enclosed structure where the chickens roost and lay eggs. Your current structure has a coop on one end and an enclosed run taking up the rest of the space.

Oh - I see it now. I thought the run was part of an unusual "open air" design. Tiny phone + bad eyes = recipe for misinterpretations.

I'd be tempted to change the wire to hardware cloth and maybe add across the bottom of the wired wall to make the whole structure the coop. Leave the top part open for ventilation.