FLORIDIAN Question-Deep Bedding Method Design...Central Florida Wet Season

[Florida4evr]

Good morning BYC Vets,
We are starting our 1st Backyard Hen House. We live in Mount Dora, Lake County, Florida. We live in a residential area on a half acre property. The County allows us up to 5 hens and no roosters. ODOR MGMT IS A MUST!
We are building a 6 x 10 hen run with a 4 nest chicken hutch. We are lakeside and have already planned on enclosing completely in hardwire cloth to protect against predators.

Question is regarding ODOR MANAGEMENT DESIGN, I have been researching and have discovered the DEEP BEDDING METHOD. Do those in Central Florida recommend this method? We have a wet season in the summer with heavy rains in the afternoons. In my research I have discovered the following and would like the opinions of you VETS.

1. An earth floor, 6 to 12 inches of wood shavings (no aromatics), high carbon, de-compostable material (deep bedding). Galvanized metal run to avoid wood rotting. Turning it and adding high carbon shavings to it keeping a balance. Trying to not let it get to the point where it smells. Not letting the nitrogen get ahead. Adding less more often. Remove Compost what goes above 12 inches.
2. Water management, concrete block perimeter or corrugated fiberglass panels. 12 inch high to protect the bedding from moisture. Corrugated fiberglass roofing on top of hardwire cloth to direct rain away from bedding.
3. We are calculating 5 sf per hen (4). The run is 60sf which is 15sf per hen. The sleeping hutch is 6x4 = 12sf, 3ft per hen (4). We plan on elevating the hutch off the floor on concrete blocks. The hutch has a tray that slides out to clean.

Does anyone have any suggestions where I can get the wood shavings or chips at an economical price? We have bought the run and the hutch but have not begun working on the site prep yet. I'd appreciate any of your helpful feedback. THANK YOU!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Good morning Florida! I'lm a fellow Floridate, though now living far from the I4 corridor. LOVE deep litter and deep bedding, though I get mine from my surrounding woods. You can look into services like chip drop to get free, or nearly free, loads dropped. You can also talk with county road management, who may have source for you or might make arrangements when they are doing roadway brush maintenance.

#1 is correct.

#2 is likely both unnecesary and lieky unsuccessful. You have a high water table - even if you poured a 16" tall concrete berm around the run, you would still have considerable moisture wicking up from the ground itself. Don't worry about it. Remember too that impermeable walls means moisture that gets in (i.e windblown rains) can't get out. If you have a drainage problem, suth that water is being funeled into the coop/run, by all means, get that fixed - but as things compost, the effective ground level of your run will raise, slowly correcting that issue.

3# recheck your math. 6x4 = 24 sq ft, plenty for four chickens as a coop. Likewise, 15 sq ft of run per bird is goodm, though if the run is narrow, a single agressive bird can still dominate it.

Welcome to BYC!

 

[Florida4evr]

Good morning Florida! I'lm a fellow Floridate, though now living far from the I4 corridor. LOVE deep litter and deep bedding, though I get mine from my surrounding woods. You can look into services like chip drop to get free, or nearly free, loads dropped. You can also talk with county road management, who may have source for you or might make arrangements when they are doing roadway brush maintenance.

#1 is correct.

#2 is likely both unnecesary and lieky unsuccessful. You have a high water table - even if you poured a 16" tall concrete berm around the run, you would still have considerable moisture wicking up from the ground itself. Don't worry about it. Remember too that impermeable walls means moisture that gets in (i.e windblown rains) can't get out. If you have a drainage problem, suth that water is being funeled into the coop/run, by all means, get that fixed - but as things compost, the effective ground level of your run will raise, slowly correcting that issue.

3# recheck your math. 6x4 = 24 sq ft, plenty for four chickens as a coop. Likewise, 15 sq ft of run per bird is goodm, though if the run is narrow, a single agressive bird can still dominate it.

Welcome to BYC!

Gosh oops on the math...thank you for your very helpful suggestions. Especially about the perimeter walls. The run is 6 feet x 10 feet. Do you think that is too narrow? My build isn't complete and I found someone on FB selling mix breed group of 5 hens that have grown up together for $25 a hen. I'm thinking that since they grew up together that's a win. They are months old. Would you grab them asap because of that?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Gosh oops on the math...thank you for your very helpful suggestions. Especially about the perimeter walls. The run is 6 feet x 10 feet. Do you think that is too narrow? My build isn't complete and I found someone on FB selling mix breed group of 5 hens that have grown up together for $25 a hen. I'm thinking that since they grew up together that's a win. They are months old. Would you grab them asap because of that?

I raise my own, so I can't honestly answer - but having been raised together will help with behavioral issues.

Yes, a bird can dominate a 6' width, because standing in the middle, it need only go 3' in either direction. But you are good for now, even if you go with 5 birds.

Down the road, if you find you love this, expand.

 

[Florida4evr]

Again thank you! I'm not sure about the 5 hens now because they don't want us to go to their farm. They want us to meet them at a store. I want to see if they were raised in a healthy clean disease free environment. Does that sound unreasonable? First time buying birds. I'm thinking maybe buying 2 at a time is better since we are new at this.

 

[Brooks_]

want to see if they were raised in a healthy clean disease free environment.

Keeping you away is part of disease free. May not be the case, but I would not let you past my gate.

 

[aart]

They are months old.

How many months?

Risky to get older birds, you may get eggs faster,
but also may bring home pests and disease.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Again thank you! I'm not sure about the 5 hens now because they don't want us to go to their farm. They want us to meet them at a store. I want to see if they were raised in a healthy clean disease free environment. Does that sound unreasonable? First time buying birds. I'm thinking maybe buying 2 at a time is better since we are new at this.

It doesn't sound unreasonable, but the flip side is also true. They may want to maintain biosecurity too. If they are selling started pulleys as a business, they should be prepared to advertise facilities such as with a cell phone video or an active FB page with pictures over time. If they are getting rid of a flock, then their biosecurity concerns should be much less.

Chickens are social animals, and there is a not miniscule chance you will still lose at least one first time. Buy four or five to get started.

 

[SourRoses]

Gosh oops on the math...thank you for your very helpful suggestions. Especially about the perimeter walls. The run is 6 feet x 10 feet. Do you think that is too narrow? My build isn't complete and I found someone on FB selling mix breed group of 5 hens that have grown up together for $25 a hen. I'm thinking that since they grew up together that's a win. They are months old. Would you grab them asap because of that?

Please don't forget about ventilation. A prefab coop needs a lot of modification to be ventilated sufficiently for our climate. I'm in Ocala so not too far from you. Our coops are quite open (Hw Cloth) and they need it desperately come summer. Chickens in general have a lot more trouble with heat than cold.

As for breeds to start off with... make sure you are thinking about what eggs you will get. Mixed breed can be fun - but what mix? We were disappointed when we started with Silkies and got small eggs (lol silly us).
I responded to you in the Florida thread about older hens I have available - I do also have some 2 month olds... but whatever you pick, make sure it has traits you actually want. Do you value big eggs? Color of eggs? Docility? Feather colors? If you make a list of your priorities, we can better help you on breed(s). And there are options for sourcing like the big Dunnellon farm swap, and I know a lady who resells from big hatchery orders offering a lot of variety and sexed chicks.

 

[SourRoses]

Again thank you! I'm not sure about the 5 hens now because they don't want us to go to their farm. They want us to meet them at a store. I want to see if they were raised in a healthy clean disease free environment. Does that sound unreasonable? First time buying birds. I'm thinking maybe buying 2 at a time is better since we are new at this.

Every good keeper / breeder is going to keep people away from their chicken area... it's for biosecurity as recommended by official sources. It's a bit of a pain, but you should be able to evaluate the birds themselves for health.