Coop Setup? Food, shavings..etc.

[AmberNate]

Pictures of your setup would help. It the run is tiny, and you get a fair amount of rain, it will likely turn into a muddy mess in no time if you don't put something on the ground. But if it is large and/or you live in the desert like I do, mud likely won't be an issue.

I don’t have my coop yet but I’ll be sure to share pictures when I do. I live in central NJ. So all 4 seasons. Is hot and humid in summers, cold and snowing in winter and everything in between.
I plan on getting a coop with an attached run that has a roof. The coop/run will be in an area of the yard that is covered/shaded with trees.

 

[black_cat]

Not sure yet! Any suggestions??

How many chickens did you say you have? I'd get an OverEZ coop with an Omlet run. While egg-spensive, these are worth the price. Another good option is one of these:
https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalo...en-Coop-Plus-Run-up-to-20-chickens-p1790.aspx
Again- expensive but worth it.
A much cheaper option is to build a coop.

 

[aart]

I have a couple I’ve narrowed it down to.

Be very careful before you hit "BUY"....lots of bad coop designs out there.
Most prefabs are way to small with not enough ventilation.

I’ve read DE or lime can help with mites/lice? Do you use something else to help with pests?

They don't.
Not @DobieLover , but I use permethrin(dust in winter-spray in summer) if I find bugs.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

OK, in no particular order.

My climate is nothing like yours, nor is my flock. Both much larger, and contains ducks, which have different needs than chickens.

I built my coops - cheaper than ordering in sizes suitable for me, gave me more control over the final product. learned a lot (made some mistakes) making the first, which I've largely corrected with the second, where I could. Pressure treated 4x4s, Hardie board walls (essentially concrete and fiberglass, no worries for rot, termites, or much else), and metal roof.

I use straw in the nesting boxes. I go thru one compressed bale every 6 months or so.

I use deep bedding in my house, comprised of spent straw from the nesting boxes plus about a cu yd of leaf litter from my surrounding acres - mostly oak, hickory, holly, and pine leaves (in that order) plus small sticks. When it gets loaded up, about quarterly, I rake it into the run, where it joins more leaf litter, clippings from the pasture, and anything of the kitchen scraps the birds missed (haahahhaaha, None!) in a deep litter system, where it cold composts on my sandy-caly and clay-ey sand soils into real good dirt.

The first coop is raised a bit more than 3' off the ground - high enough to roll in a wheelbarrow for cleaning, the ducks sleep (and nest) underneath. Its a right ^&%*^*&$ when I have to crawl under to retrieve duck eggs. External nest box, closer to 42" off the ground, which I can access w/o entering the run. Side opening, very nice. 10/10 would do again. That run is probably 900-1000 sq ft, but its not rectangular, I was pretty bad stretching fencing and installing poles.

Second coop goes to the ground, and will be shared with a pair of goats, measures 10x16, needs paint and a metal roof, if it will ever stop raining. The run is currently green (its just fenced pasture) with a mix of forbs, but will quickly turn into a brown, vegatative- free zone once I've moved birds and goats into it, they destroy everything. Again, I'll be doing deep litter, this time throughout. My older birds are going there, the younger and better layers will stay in coop number one. Going to throw up some quick nest boxes, maybe plastic milk crates, and will stick with hay in those - its readily available and cheap. Its run surrounds the first on two sides, probably closer to 3,000 sq ft, the third side of the first run is the back of my barn.

No recommends on automatic pop doors, my birds, except in the absolute worst weather (TorCon3 or hurricane approach) sleep with the house open and full access to the fenced and gated run. I let them free range most of five acres during the day, that's protected by an electric fence - a deterrent but not critter proof.

I don't use poop boards, I don't use lime, I don't use PDZ. They do their business on the deep bedding, which eventually joins the deep litter. Roosting bars are a mix of 2x3s and 2x4s, some flats, some edge up. They go where they are comfortable, based on size. The smallest like the edges. 2x3s are popular with some, my CornishX and brahma like the flats of the 2x4s.

I feed them in the run, what they miss, spill, or throw (ducks are MESSY eaters) joins the composting mass, which the chickens help turn as they scratch for lost bits. I move where I feed them periodically to help ensure some uniformity/consistency in what's being turned where. Since its deep litter, it just cold composts, I never need to clean it.

They have multiple water sources from two rainwater catches. Neither is technically in the house, but one is a long pvc gutter mounted to the outside of the house, which they can access from under the house in bad weather. Its sheltered on three sides against seasonally prevailing winds. Another water source is an "automatic dog watering bowl", while the rest are little red chicken cups attached to 1/2" pvc - the ducks can't use those. Finally, I have a shallow depression in my run where I channel rain water before diverting it out to a pond I'm busy lining. Because it rains so frequently most of the year, it usually has some water in it. NOT attractive water, but the ducks seem to prefer it most days.

I have three J-style PVC feeders, I don't use them anymore unless I expect to be gone for an extended period - they tend to clump up in high humidity environments, which is basically my whole state, and they require pellets to work effectively, which is a more expensive feed for me. Most often, I pile wet wash or fermented feed (depending on how long its been wet) into more PVC gutters raised a bit off the ground (think feed trough). The ends are not capped, rain cleans them pretty thoroughly with great frequency.

The birds dig dust baths anywhere its very dry, my native sands are good for it. Their favored place is the top of the hill, under the back of my RV. They have a couple under the raised hen house, however, which tend to migrate thru the season.

Birds get kitchen scraps, but no potato peels, sweet potato peels, or fresh (uncooked) green beans. They do get onion and its papers, which probably isn't good for them, but they ignore it, and it disappears into the litter pretty quick.

and I think that covers it. Hope its at least a little useful.

 

[DobieLover]

Hi! Thank you for all the helpful info!
I don’t have my coop yet. Ordering it this week. I have a couple I’ve narrowed it down to. I’m in Central NJ. Currently 30 degrees and snowing. Hot and humid summers. The coop will be located in a shady spot.
I got my chicks when they were 3 days old from a chicken breeder place.
No other farm animals on the property. So not too worried about disease.
I’ve read DE or lime can help with mites/lice? Do you use something else to help with pests?
thank you for the photos!

Ordered? Uh oh.
Chickens need 4 sq ft per bird in the coop and 12 sq ft in the run.
I've never had mites or lice. If I did, if treat with ElectorPSP. My birds bathe daily in dirt or decomposed wood chips.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Oh, DE. Its a naturally occurring substance (basically the fossilized husks of dead critters) with really sharp edges. It works by scrapping off the protective coatings of other critters with exoskeletons (like mites) resulting in their slow desiccation - which is to say they die of dehydration. Its not fast.

DE is also VERY fine. It clumps up in high humidity, which basically describes my state, and, unfortunately, many hen houses. In my experience, its about useless there. I do use it for aphid control on some of my vegetables and flowers, and put it in protected corners of my shed and barn where roaches and other crawlies are likely to walk thru, but there's no horizontal surface in my hen house a chicken won't defecate on, and clump any DE present. Moisture released from any composting that might occur will do the same, limiting its effectiveness.

If I had a fully covered run, then maybe throwing it in plastic turtle sandbox with some clean dry sand could work as a dust bath, but I don't, and have no experience with that potential option.

 

[Cattle dog Mom]

Ordered? Uh oh.

I agree. Kinda scary.

 

[AmberNate]

Ordered? Uh oh.
Chickens need 4 sq ft per bird in the coop and 12 sq ft in the run.
I've never had mites or lice. If I did, if treat with ElectorPSP. My birds bathe daily in dirt or decomposed wood chips.

I have 4 Easter Eggers. This is the coop I’m leaning towards from Tractor Supply. I will have another separate, larger run as well that will be mobile that I’ll put them in from time to time to forage.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Coop model from TSC - looking at dimensions now. Looks to be roughly 6' tall, 6' wide, and 42" (3.5') deep, split 50/50 house and run. That's tiny, particularly as their nesting boxes take up almost half the internal floor space. Ventilation looks inadequate as well.

 

[AmberNate]

I agree. Kinda scary.

Uh oh?! Why scary?!