Getting started

[xcop]

Will do and thanks. Will be in touch soon with more questions. You're the best.

 

[xcop]

It looks like the crud in the coop is dried and compressed wood shavings. I just spent an hour hacking away at it and didn't get very far. You can see it in the photo. I wonder if wetting it would loosen the stuff. And ideas?

 

[Michael OShay]

It looks like the crud in the coop is dried and compressed wood shavings. I just spent an hour hacking away at it and didn't get very far. You can see it in the photo. I wonder if wetting it would loosen the stuff. And ideas?

Since it's compressed wood shavings and not poop, I would just leave it and put a layer of coarse sand over it.

 

[xcop]

The problem is that it is in hardened mounds which restrict space and don't allow a flat surface. I cut at it for an hour today and made some progress. There are worms (mealworms I believe) inside. I think it there may be poop in there too as the seller left everything as is. I am going to try drilling it to form cracks.

 

[Michael OShay]

The problem is that it is in hardened mounds which restrict space and don't allow a flat surface. I cut at it for an hour today and made some progress. There are worms (mealworms I believe) inside. I think it there may be poop in there too as the seller left everything as is. I am going to try drilling it to form cracks.

Wow, that sounds pretty bad. If you can get access to a chainsaw, you could probably cut it up and haul the chunks out in a reasonable amount of time and work.

 

[xcop]

The seller left a chain saw but I don't know how to use it yet and I think it is dangerous to try without knowing how to work it. I now have a cordless drill which I am charging. I am going to try that out. Do you know that I was checking out youtube and noticed a woman with plastic pails that she uses for nesting boxes? What a great idea!

 

[Michael OShay]

The seller left a chain saw but I don't know how to use it yet and I think it is dangerous to try without knowing how to work it. I now have a cordless drill which I am charging. I am going to try that out. Do you know that I was checking out youtube and noticed a woman with plastic pails that she uses for nesting boxes? What a great idea!

I've never used the plastic pails as nesting boxes before, but I've seen them.

 

[xcop]

Hi Michael. The run will start being built next week using your recommendations. Why use the sand in the coop? Also, the farmer who is building the coop says there's a vent on the top of the roof for ventilation. I insisted he put in new windows with hardware cloth anyway. How many should I start with? I have been offered some free...two are battery hens that were rescued but don't know how to perch. Can chickens fly up to the roost or do they need a ramp? Fortunately I found some plastic bins in the barn rafters for nest boxes. If you put pullets in with adults, is that okay or will the older girls attack them?

 

[xcop]

Also, a guy wants to give me some Leghorns...would they do well in a cold climate??

 

[Michael OShay]

Hi Michael. The run will start being built next week using your recommendations. Why use the sand in the coop? Also, the farmer who is building the coop says there's a vent on the top of the roof for ventilation. I insisted he put in new windows with hardware cloth anyway. How many should I start with? I have been offered some free...two are battery hens that were rescued but don't know how to perch. Can chickens fly up to the roost or do they need a ramp? Fortunately I found some plastic bins in the barn rafters for nest boxes. If you put pullets in with adults, is that okay or will the older girls attack them?

There are a lot of advantages to using coarse sand in the floor of your coop/run. It desiccates droppings, does not retain moisture which is important for the prevention of coccidiosis, does not get muddy when it gets wet, does not decay or degrade in the coop/run, drains very well if water spills on it, is inexpensive, is eco-friendly (it can be removed from the coop, washed, dried, and reused), is easy to hose down and clean up, keeps the chickens' feet clean and nails manicured (cleaner feet means cleaner eggs, particularly in rainy conditions), any dropped food gets eaten (not lost in the litter), chickens can dust bath in it to control lice and mite infestations, Doesn't decompose, keeps cooler in the summer, is an outstanding choice in the winter because it evaporates moisture more rapidly than other litter and stays drier reducing the risk of frostbite and it retains warmth better than any other bedding (given its high thermal mass it will keep coop temperatures more stable than other litter choices such as pine shavings and straw, and it looks and is cleaner than other options.
I would start small as you don't want to overcrowd your chickens. You need to have a bare minimum of 4 sq. ft. of floor area in your coop for each bird (not counting the space taken up by the nesting boxes) and 10 sq. ft. per bird in the run. More would be even better as overcrowding can quickly lead to aggression, fights, biting and feather plucking, and even cannibilism.
Chickens can fly up to the roost, but you really should make a roosting ladder for them from 2X4s. It should look something like this:

Do not put pullets in with older girls or they will attack them. Chickens need to be approximately the same size when they are introduced to each other, and even then you need to do it slowly and carefully using the "look but don't touch" method. There is a good article on how to do it at http://poultrykeeper.com/general-chickens/introducing-new-chickens. Good luck with your flock.