Cooptique Ideas Needed

[MisFitsFarms]

I am finally getting our barn cleaned out and Sheep Chicken ready. I have a big pole barn with cement flooring. The area that will be for the 15 chickens & 2 ducks 6x18. 2 metal outside walls and 2 half wood half welded wire walls. I am putting in a 10"X20" window along with an exterior door with 3 upper windows already there for as much natural day light as possible. I will be recycling metal wire crates and adding outdoor grass carpet in each for nesting boxes. I will and have been using in their laying area DE as well as straw for bedding. I will be adding pieces of wood for perching area on as well as 2 old wooden ladders. I have an outside play yard area that is 24x50 welded wired 7 feet high. Havent gotten the roof on the play yard area yet.

Do I need to add privacy screening between each box?
What is the best media for the cement flooring?
What type of area do I need for the ducks think I have a pair of mates.
How far off the floor should I put my boxes?
How many rows high and long.
Recommended number of boxes for chickens?
What type of nesting area for ducks?
Any suggestions for play yard area.
Have pool for duck already in use.

Thank You for your ideas as critiques in advance.

 

[redsoxs]

I am finally getting our barn cleaned out and Sheep Chicken ready. I have a big pole barn with cement flooring. The area that will be for the 15 chickens & 2 ducks 6x18. 2 metal outside walls and 2 half wood half welded wire walls. I am putting in a 10"X20" window along with an exterior door with 3 upper windows already there for as much natural day light as possible. I will be recycling metal wire crates and adding outdoor grass carpet in each for nesting boxes. I will and have been using in their laying area DE as well as straw for bedding. I will be adding pieces of wood for perching area on as well as 2 old wooden ladders. I have an outside play yard area that is 24x50 welded wired 7 feet high. Havent gotten the roof on the play yard area yet.

Do I need to add privacy screening between each box? Not necessarily - some folks even use a community style nest.
What is the best media for the cement flooring? Straw works as does sand. Some folks use the Deep Litter Method.
What type of area do I need for the ducks think I have a pair of mates. Not sure but I'd keep them apart from the chickens as they are wet and messy.
How far off the floor should I put my boxes? Just so they are lower than the lowest roost so the hens don't nest in the nest boxes. Raise them up some so you don't have to bend as much to gather eggs.
How many rows high and long. Configuration of nest boxes probably isn't a concern.
Recommended number of boxes for chickens? My 18 hens only use 3 of their boxes 90% of the time. You can easily get by with 3 or 4.
What type of nesting area for ducks? Keep the water well apart from the bedding area to keep things drier. But don't count on ducks to use their nests for laying...they seem to be pretty random where they lay.
Any suggestions for play yard area. For the ducks I would put gravel around their pool - they splash water out of it and incessantly bore holes in the mud..gravel will slow this down.
Have pool for duck already in use.

Thank You for your ideas as critiques in advance.

 

[LittleChooks]

I wouldn't use straw for flooring, as chickens can get they're feet stuck in it if they're on it 24/7. I'd use wood chippings but that might be expensive. if money is a problem, I'd go with sand.

 

[ChirpyChicks1]

I wouldn't use straw for flooring, as chickens can get they're feet stuck in it if they're on it 24/7. I'd use wood chippings but that might be expensive. if money is a problem, I'd go with sand.

Hmm,I haven't read that before.

Straw is a very popular bedding choice and the only negative thing I've seen so far is that mites might be able to live in it (

). All my friends use it for their flocks and think I'm crazy for using pine shavings instead. I'm currently waiting on my brother to bring me a few bales though because I'm soooo over the messy shavings. Sand is popular as well. Shavings are dusty and can use breathing issues for your flock. I cleaned my coop today and it was disgusting.

 

[LittleChooks]

Hmm,I haven't read that before.

Straw is a very popular bedding choice and the only negative thing I've seen so far is that mites might be able to live in it (

). All my friends use it for their flocks and think I'm crazy for using pine shavings instead. I'm currently waiting on my brother to bring me a few bales though because I'm soooo over the messy shavings. Sand is popular as well. Shavings are dusty and can use breathing issues for your flock. I cleaned my coop today and it was disgusting.

Ye, I suppose. I only have 2 (well, getting them tomorrow ), and all my friends recomended shavings, so I guess its up to you, straw might be a bit cheaper, considering you have to cover a whole barn!