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Kuntrygirl - I've read this before in some of your other posts and always wondered, how did you train them to go lay in their chicken house rather than just taking off to free range and finding a spot? I love the setup idea of two different housing types, seems like it would make it a lot easier to keep things clean!
To be honest with you, I really didn't "train" them. The only thing that I can think of is that I leave fresh water and a feeder full of laying pellets inside the chicken house. I make that area attractive to them because I keep it very dark and cozy. I have had chickens for years and I have always had it set up this way. I don't know how they "found" the nesting boxes because I never locked them in that area or anything like that (always had too many chickens to do that). I never find any eggs in the chicken yard. Every egg is layed in the chicken house. I have dirt floors in the chicken house, so there is really no mess, so nothing really to clean but the nesting boxes from time to time. The chickens are only in there to lay eggs, so really no poop at all.
In the chicken stalls where they roost, I have dirt floors, so the poop falls on the ground while they are sleeping. They kick the dirt around during the day when they dust bath inside the stalls and some of the dirt gets on the walls but not a lot. The only thing that I really clean is the back tin wall. Some of them will shoot poop on the wall but it's really easy to clean. I go in with a spray bottle with a mixture of bleach and water and wipe it down to clean it. I may rake the poop every few months to place in my garden but for the most part, the poop usually mixes with the dirt and you can barely see it (if that makes sense). The open air raised coops have hay spread out on the galvanized hard ware cloth floors. When they poop on the hay, the hay catches the poop. That's the reason for having hay bedding. When it's time to clean the raised coops, I put on my gloves, get in there and take the hay out and throw it out. Then I place new hay in there. I can go as long as 2 weeks without removing the hay. When I take the hay out, the hard ware cloth is still VERY clean. No poop has fallen on the galvanized hard ware cloth wire because the hay catches it. For cleanliness purposes, I will spray a mixture of bleach and water on the hard ware wire to make the coop have a clean smell. (I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder so I have cleaning issues.
Glad that you like the set up. Let me know if you have any questions.
Kuntrygirl - I've read this before in some of your other posts and always wondered, how did you train them to go lay in their chicken house rather than just taking off to free range and finding a spot? I love the setup idea of two different housing types, seems like it would make it a lot easier to keep things clean!
To be honest with you, I really didn't "train" them. The only thing that I can think of is that I leave fresh water and a feeder full of laying pellets inside the chicken house. I make that area attractive to them because I keep it very dark and cozy. I have had chickens for years and I have always had it set up this way. I don't know how they "found" the nesting boxes because I never locked them in that area or anything like that (always had too many chickens to do that). I never find any eggs in the chicken yard. Every egg is layed in the chicken house. I have dirt floors in the chicken house, so there is really no mess, so nothing really to clean but the nesting boxes from time to time. The chickens are only in there to lay eggs, so really no poop at all.
In the chicken stalls where they roost, I have dirt floors, so the poop falls on the ground while they are sleeping. They kick the dirt around during the day when they dust bath inside the stalls and some of the dirt gets on the walls but not a lot. The only thing that I really clean is the back tin wall. Some of them will shoot poop on the wall but it's really easy to clean. I go in with a spray bottle with a mixture of bleach and water and wipe it down to clean it. I may rake the poop every few months to place in my garden but for the most part, the poop usually mixes with the dirt and you can barely see it (if that makes sense). The open air raised coops have hay spread out on the galvanized hard ware cloth floors. When they poop on the hay, the hay catches the poop. That's the reason for having hay bedding. When it's time to clean the raised coops, I put on my gloves, get in there and take the hay out and throw it out. Then I place new hay in there. I can go as long as 2 weeks without removing the hay. When I take the hay out, the hard ware cloth is still VERY clean. No poop has fallen on the galvanized hard ware cloth wire because the hay catches it. For cleanliness purposes, I will spray a mixture of bleach and water on the hard ware wire to make the coop have a clean smell. (I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder so I have cleaning issues.
Glad that you like the set up. Let me know if you have any questions.
