Deep bedding and 9 hens with this coop?

nelsondr

In the Brooder
May 4, 2022
5
9
11
Hi there- I live in the Chicago suburbs, and this is the coop I have been using for over 10 years, made from the footprint of the kids’ swingset. The coop is 4 x 8’ and the run is 8 x 14’. I currently have two older hens (7-8 yrs) and 3 pullets at 16 weeks. The coop is lined with linoleum and has a single roost along the side opposite the windows. I use pine shavings as bedding. I put a plastic gutter under the roost which catches most of the poop, and I just slide it out and slide the contents into a compost bin on the far side of the coop. I have a few separate questions:

1. I have been reading about the deep litter method, and it’s something I’d like to try for the winter months of the year; however I’m not sure I can pull it off with this design. I realize I’d need to make modifications, but is it really possible?

2. I have a feeder in the coop and of course they make a mess with it. Does having food in the coop affect the effectiveness of the deep litter method?

2. A friend wants to give away her 4 hens, two are 5-6 and two are 2-3 years old. I LOVE these ladies and want to take them on. However, this would make 9, which is one too many for my coop. As I mentioned, two of mine are older and one just stopped laying altogether. I don’t want to take on too much and make my current flock or myself miserable, but I’m also afraid I will regret not taking the hens. Any thoughts?

Thank you!
 

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Integration takes extra space above and beyond the suggested guidelines.

Additionally, you'd need to have the space to do a quarantine and then a see-don't-touch period.

As for the Deep Bedding, here is my article on the subject: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/ As stated within the article, one of the things that can cause the system to fail is having too many birds for the volume of bedding. So that's another consideration. :)
 
I did read your articles - they are very helpful, indeed. I have integrated some rescues before, and I set up a temporary coop in the garage and let them free range together after some time before fully melding the flocks. That being said, I appreciate your input; I will keep thinking on it.
 
Since folks often use one term to mean another, did you intend to ask about deep bedding or deep litter for the coop? 3KillerBs addressed deep bedding. Deep litter is a composting system which favors added moisture and ground contact, making it not ideal for most coops.

As far as the friend's birds, the older pair aren't likely to lay much, if at all - will that be an issue for you? Not sure how much you want eggs vs having pets, so thought I'd mention that.
 
...The coop is 4 x 8’ and the run is 8 x 14’. I currently have two older hens (7-8 yrs) and 3 pullets at 16 weeks....
The footprint is 4x8? Or the usable floorspace? Usable floor space is footprint minus the opening in the floor to the run and the feeder in the coop.

In the ten years you have used this set up, do the chickens use the run all the time in the winter?
1. I have been reading about the deep litter method, and it’s something I’d like to try for the winter months of the year; however I’m not sure I can pull it off with this design. I realize I’d need to make modifications, but is it really possible?
I think the dry litter bedding method is possible if the number of birds is low enough.

If the number of birds is low enough, then biggest issue will be the pop door in the floor. The deep bedding works best if they turn it but if they turn it, quite a lot will get kicked down the pop door opening. If you make the walls around the opening higher, less bedding will be kicked out but you may need to redo the ramp.

2. I have a feeder in the coop and of course they make a mess with it. Does having food in the coop affect the effectiveness of the deep litter method?
No. I have deep litter bedding and food in the coop.
2. A friend wants to give away her 4 hens, two are 5-6 and two are 2-3 years old. I LOVE these ladies and want to take them on. However, this would make 9, which is one too many for my coop. As I mentioned, two of mine are older and one just stopped laying altogether. I don’t want to take on too much and make my current flock or myself miserable, but I’m also afraid I will regret not taking the hens. Any thoughts?

Thank you!
The minimum of 4 sq ft of usable coop space and 10 sq ft of usable run space is a rule of thumb not a magic number. Usable, meaning the weather allows the use as well as meaning things like enough clearance.

It is possible for tighter quarters to work, especially if only one or the other space is tighter. If it does, it will be because of the personalities of the hens.
 
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1. I have been reading about the deep litter method, and it’s something I’d like to try for the winter months of the year; however I’m not sure I can pull it off with this design. I realize I’d need to make modifications, but is it really possible?
Like others said, there is a difference in deep litter and just deep bedding. With deep litter you are turning your coop (or run) into a compost pile. That requires a certain amount of moisture for the microbes to live and reproduce. With your 10 years of experience, does your bedding and the poop freeze? That could affect the microbes working during the winter.

Deep bedding just means you keep it dry enough that the microbes can't live. The poop basically turns to powder with their scratching. If it gets wet it will stink and may become unhealthy but if it is dry it won't. The problem can be that the more the poop builds up the more likely it is to stay wet. Chickens poop all the time, on the roosts or just walking around. With your poop catcher you are removing most of the night poop, but during the winter where do they spend their days? If they are outside in the run they are not pooping in the coop. If they spend time in the coop that adds poop management pressure. Of course, the more chickens you have the more poop you have to manage.

2. I have a feeder in the coop and of course they make a mess with it. Does having food in the coop affect the effectiveness of the deep litter method?
I have a feeder in the coop and a couple of feeders outside and I use the deep bedding method, it stays really dry. The feed can be as bad as poop if it gets wet. It's mainly a question of how wet does your coop get. If the spilled feed bulds up enough it can hold moisture, same as the poop can.

2. A friend wants to give away her 4 hens, two are 5-6 and two are 2-3 years old. I LOVE these ladies and want to take them on. However, this would make 9, which is one too many for my coop. As I mentioned, two of mine are older and one just stopped laying altogether. I don’t want to take on too much and make my current flock or myself miserable, but I’m also afraid I will regret not taking the hens. Any thoughts?
I agree with Saysfaa. That 4 square feet per chicken is not magical, it's a rough guideline. You can sometimes get by with less, sometimes it is not enough. Integration tends to take more room than just living together after they are integrated. The more room you have the better. Having room available in a separate area can help during integration and just living together. In Chicago (thanks for including that info, it helps) you are going to have some pretty rough weather this winter. Can they get out into the run when the weatrher is bad?

We may be able to help you with integration, even in your tight space. youi shoudl have good weather for the next bit to integrate. What will you do if you try to integrate and it doesn't work out? That is a real possiblity with tight space. Bad weather this winter could be another crisis point. What would you do then if it goes bad on you? You need contingency plans.

My goals are different to yours. I can't tell you what to choose as your goals and preferences are what counts. It sounds like they are pets for you, egg production probably isn't that important. They would not suit my goals at all. I think it wil be challenging for you to try to make it work but you may be able to. That may involve creating a place in the run where they can go in the worst of your winter weather.
 
I’m not sure how to tag people to be sure they see this, but hopefully you see my gratitude. Thank you to everyone for your responses! It’s funny: I know I have had chickens for just over 10 years, but I do not feel very experienced. I feel unsure about most of what I do, and I lean heavily on your advice.

I am going to try the deep litter method with my current 5-member flock starting now, before winter comes, to see how it goes. I can always go back to what I’ve been doing, right?

Also, the way my coop is designed, there really isn’t the proper ventilation, and I’m not sure what to do to correct that at this point, without jeopardizing the integrity of the coop. Based on your advice, and based on this reason, I have decided not to take on the four new hens.

I did find another friend who is much better suited to take on new girls, and this will be best for all involved. Thanks again, Everyone!
 

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