Flooring for inside the coop

this is my first experience with chickens and building a chicken coop.i have 8 hens and 1 rooster,barred rock breeds.i have an 8x10 building and having trouble figuring exactly what i need for the inside.anyone with suggestions feel free to comment
 
this is my first experience with chickens and building a chicken coop.i have 8 hens and 1 rooster,barred rock breeds.i have an 8x10 building and having trouble figuring exactly what i need for the inside.anyone with suggestions feel free to comment
You mean what do you need for the flooring or for the inside in general.
 
i have the flooring i would like some ideas on nesting boxes and insides in general.id like to add im working on a budget also.any help would be greatly appreciated.thank you for responding so promptly
 
i have the flooring i would like some ideas on nesting boxes and insides in general.id like to add im working on a budget also.any help would be greatly appreciated.thank you for responding so promptly
On a budget...

Any size boxes roughly 12x12x12 inches for nest boxes...milk crates...produce boxes. The size can be bigger, too. Or you could have one, long box for a community nest box. Elevated is better than on the ground. If you raised them 20-24 inches then the chickens could walk beneath them. A 2x4 placed in front of the entrance to the boxes (spanning a couple of cement blocks maybe) will help the hens to hop up to them. Be sure that your roosts are higher than your next boxes. Position the nest boxes (if you can) on the side of the coop that the morning sun *doesn't* shine on...the hens like to be in the shadows/hidden when laying. Some people even put little curtains up in front of the nest box entrances. ;)

Roosts... Up higher than the nest boxes. If the nest boxes are higher then the chickens probably will roost in the boxes...a "no no". Make your roosts out of 2x4 lumber laid on their side so that the chickens sit on the wide side. One foot per chicken.is about minimum spacing...a single 10' 2x4 would work for your nine chickens...or a couple of 5' 2x4s....or if you're expecting to increase your flock then a couple of 10-footers. If you go with two poles then place them level with each other...helps reduce fussing over who gets the higher roost. Don't place them too high...just higher than the nest boxes...big birds coming down from a tall roost can injure their legs,etc.,. You can also make the little ladders (like at the pop door going out) for the chickens to walk up to their roosts on...same thing for the nest boxes.

Figure out how you are going to manage the chicken poop/manure. Beneath the roost will be the highest concentration of it. Some people use roost (poop) boards beneath the roost poles to collect the poop before it hits the floor...they love the roost boards. They're wide boards, usually sprinkled with PDZ or shavings or... to help absorb the poop. Other people...hate them. Read up on them some and make your choice. :)

If you go with a roost board then you might could install your nests beneath the poop board *or* you could install your feeder and waterer there.

Feeders... I really like the five-gallon bucket feeders with the 4" elbows...it's a DIY feeder and it works extremely well. Also, consider 'fermented feed'....basically a portion of your feed (mash or pellets) mixed with an equal amount of water. Let this sit for 3-4 days, stirring a few times a day. It is *very* nutritional, stinks a bit :), the chickens love it, and it's reported that it can cut your feed bill down by two-thirds!!! This is simply fed in a trough, dog bowl, etc.,...it's kind of an oatmeal consistency.

Waterer... I think the DIY *horizontal* chicken nipple waterers are some of the better ones. I'm planning on rigging up an old Igloo water cooler to some pvc pipe and horizontal nipples...in hot weather I can drop a little ice in there to help cool'em off a little. Lots of ways to work with the nipple waters. The horizontal nipples don't link as much as the vertical ones do....go with the horizontal ones.

Be sure to use heavy screen over your windows...1/2" or smaller hardware cloth (or even heavier screen than this!). Be sure to have plenty of ventilation built into the coop.

What type of floor surface are you going to have? Dirt, wood, shavings, sand, cement, etc.,.???

Best wishes, I hope this helps get you started on some ideas. :)
Ed
 
Last edited:
Oh...and ventilate, ventilate, ventilate...it's hot in Alabama and we don't have terribly cold winters. Moisture build-up inside the coop is more dangerous than cold. Read some of the ventilation posts...

Ed
 
Quote:
Our coop is made from a resin shed that we adapted. The flooring of the shed had grooves - probably for dirt and water. I put down a linoleum floor over that, but the glue job was not carefully down. I held for 8 months. It is still hold the bulk of the floor down, but there are places where the linoleum has peeled up in strips. Some places, I had screwed down into the floor to place stops for various things. I think that next time I will use plywood first and coat it with the black stuff that I've seen other people use. I can't remember the name of it, but it has good reviews!
 
I think it's called Black Jack, CdG....
wee.gif
Thanks @Blooie ! That is what I remember!
 
On a budget...

Any size boxes roughly 12x12x12 inches for nest boxes...milk crates...produce boxes. The size can be bigger, too. Or you could have one, long box for a community nest box. Elevated is better than on the ground. If you raised them 20-24 inches then the chickens could walk beneath them. A 2x4 placed in front of the entrance to the boxes (spanning a couple of cement blocks maybe) will help the hens to hop up to them. Be sure that your roosts are higher than your next boxes. Position the nest boxes (if you can) on the side of the coop that the morning sun *doesn't* shine on...the hens like to be in the shadows/hidden when laying. Some people even put little curtains up in front of the nest box entrances. ;)

Roosts... Up higher than the nest boxes. If the nest boxes are higher then the chickens probably will roost in the boxes...a "no no". Make your roosts out of 2x4 lumber laid on their side so that the chickens sit on the wide side. One foot per chicken.is about minimum spacing...a single 10' 2x4 would work for your nine chickens...or a couple of 5' 2x4s....or if you're expecting to increase your flock then a couple of 10-footers. If you go with two poles then place them level with each other...helps reduce fussing over who gets the higher roost. Don't place them too high...just higher than the nest boxes...big birds coming down from a tall roost can injure their legs,etc.,. You can also make the little ladders (like at the pop door going out) for the chickens to walk up to their roosts on...same thing for the nest boxes.

Figure out how you are going to manage the chicken poop/manure. Beneath the roost will be the highest concentration of it. Some people use roost (poop) boards beneath the roost poles to collect the poop before it hits the floor...they love the roost boards. They're wide boards, usually sprinkled with PDZ or shavings or... to help absorb the poop. Other people...hate them. Read up on them some and make your choice. :)

If you go with a roost board then you might could install your nests beneath the poop board *or* you could install your feeder and waterer there.

Feeders... I really like the five-gallon bucket feeders with the 4" elbows...it's a DIY feeder and it works extremely well. Also, consider 'fermented feed'....basically a portion of your feed (mash or pellets) mixed with an equal amount of water. Let this sit for 3-4 days, stirring a few times a day. It is *very* nutritional, stinks a bit :), the chickens love it, and it's reported that it can cut your feed bill down by two-thirds!!! This is simply fed in a trough, dog bowl, etc.,...it's kind of an oatmeal consistency.

Waterer... I think the DIY *horizontal* chicken nipple waterers are some of the better ones. I'm planning on rigging up an old Igloo water cooler to some pvc pipe and horizontal nipples...in hot weather I can drop a little ice in there to help cool'em off a little. Lots of ways to work with the nipple waters. The horizontal nipples don't link as much as the vertical ones do....go with the horizontal ones.

Be sure to use heavy screen over your windows...1/2" or smaller hardware cloth (or even heavier screen than this!). Be sure to have plenty of ventilation built into the coop.

What type of floor surface are you going to have? Dirt, wood, shavings, sand, cement, etc.,.???

Best wishes, I hope this helps get you started on some ideas. :)
Ed
So for the produce box, do you just lay it open top up or put on sides? What do you put in nesting box? When make roost bar do you use cement bricks to build it up on either side. ? How far off floor? Do they sell poop boards?
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom