FLORIDA!!!!!ALWAYS SUNNY SIDE UP!!!

[islandchick1]

Thank for that advice ,have learned a lot on this sight, the coopand run has a roof. to protet from rain . was wondering what to use as floor ? it will be on dirt floor. my light brahamas already love to dust in the dirt , should i put sand in over it or add straw to the floor . read shavings were best in the box-coop ?

 

[cmom]

I use pine shavings in my coops. I get the finer shavings and when it's time to clean out the coops I have a big shop vac for vacuuming the coops out. I have extra long hose and vacuum up the shavings, poop and sand they bring in. I dump the vac a few times in my compost pile. Luckily I have a tractor with a nice front end loader. I put the shaving in it and then I can dump them on top of the pile.
The first piles is chipped wood and leaves. We let them set for a year . We mix the chipped wood and leaves with the coop litter, poop from the pits under the roosts with grass clipping, more leaves, vegetable and plant scraps from the house and gardens. We let it set for about another year, turning the pile weekly. The second picture is a pile ready to go into the gardens.

 

[getaclue]

In the summer, I just leave the dirt. They scratch, and dustbathe in it just fine, and you can wet an area for them to cool down in. Wet hay gets moldy, so I don't use it in the summer. This year I did add some sand, because the coop needed more drainage. In the winter, I pile some hay in fairly large section of the coop for them to snuggle down in when it gets rainy, windy, and cold. I rake it out, and put fresh in every couple weeks, or sooner if needed. I also put up tarps on the sides, but leave a gap at the top because of moisture and frostbite, when the temps drop into the 40s. While chickens can withstand very cold temperatures, we don't have much of a fall, then steady cold like up north. We get cold snaps which usually involve rain and/or wind, so the chickens don't really have time to acclimate, and about the time they might begin to acclimate to the cold, it warms up. This is what I do, and works with my coop design. Try some of these things if you like, and modify to suit your situation.

 

[cmom]

I put the litter in the coops, but all of my coops are raised up off of the ground and I have wire under the roosts for their poop. They do poop a lot when roosting at night. I rake out the poop and it goes into the compost piles.

 

[seminolewind]

Thank for that advice ,have learned a lot on this sight, the coopand run has a roof. to protet from rain . was wondering what to use as floor ? it will be on dirt floor. my light brahamas already love to dust in the dirt , should i put sand in over it or add straw to the floor . read shavings were best in the box-coop ?

Dirt floor is the easiest to keep clean. And it dries out the poop fast. I would just supply a nice egg laying nest. In my pens I use doghouses.

 

[robctry69]

Hello everyone just found this site trying my luck with a few quail and a silkie my cousin gave me
South end of st augustine

 

[Pasomom]

Wecome to the site!

There is alot on information here! Enjoy!

 

[cmom]

Just wanted to say

to the new members. Good luck and have fun...

 

[poultrypower2]

I'm in Martin country palm city

those are the Gesse not ours though sadly

 

[poultrypower2]

How do u get the welcome to Byc and the faces