- Jul 24, 2011
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Obviously I'm a new member. A little info: Decided two months ago to build a chicken pen and coop when I saw an article on SWA"s Spirit Magazine about raising chickens in an urban setting. I've a tolerably good sized backyard considering I live in Tulsa County. I ordered my birds today and am starting with 3 RIR and 3 Barred Rocks that are about 4 months old, maybe a little older--but they are not chicks.
I plan on letting them out daily from the pen which is 24X16 ft. The coop's footprint is 4X8 with two ramps on either end and 6 nesting boxes on the sides (3 or each side) with outside access to each nest box. There's 8" of ventilation all the way around the top of the 4 sides w/ expanded metal to keep out the critters.
I have a question that I can't seem to find the answer to and hope someone can help. Here tis:
What do most of you use to line your coop to make cleaning the poop? I pick up the birds tomorrow so any advice as soon as possible will be greatly appreciated. What about vinyl flooring?
As for me: I'm 65 soon to be 66 in a couple of months. My sainted grandmother raised chicken as did my father. I thought it would be a fun thing to do since I just learned that I can have up to 6 in Tulsa Co. (even a rooster!!!) which is great.
If you want to see some pix of the coop, here's a link to my FB page for the coop pix:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2239450423743.129747.1172499599&l=abc353054f&type=1
As you can see it's no where near some of the well-executed coops that I've just recently seen here. But, I think the birds will love it. I'm thinking I'm going to prime the outside and then use some acrylic paint and paint a mural all the way around it. Besides being a lawyer, I'm also a fine art painter (San Francisco Art Institute w/ BFA in 1999 and prelim training at the Lyme Academy of Fine Art 97-98). Indeed, I must confess the idea of painting the chickens and a rooster is appealing to me. Painting them as models in the mural on the exterior of the coop, that is. There are some great chicken paintings out there.
Almost forgot, I'm picking up my new puppy about ten days after I get the birds. Its a bull mastiff and will be about 2 mos old. Any ideas on how to keep Hercules from making a dinner of the birds would also be appreciated. My hope is to raise him so that he befriends the birds or at worst that he just lets them be.
I'm glad to be here and see lots of reading ahead. Thanks for reading my intro and any answers you can provide to my queries.
Bernie Piel
I plan on letting them out daily from the pen which is 24X16 ft. The coop's footprint is 4X8 with two ramps on either end and 6 nesting boxes on the sides (3 or each side) with outside access to each nest box. There's 8" of ventilation all the way around the top of the 4 sides w/ expanded metal to keep out the critters.
I have a question that I can't seem to find the answer to and hope someone can help. Here tis:
What do most of you use to line your coop to make cleaning the poop? I pick up the birds tomorrow so any advice as soon as possible will be greatly appreciated. What about vinyl flooring?
As for me: I'm 65 soon to be 66 in a couple of months. My sainted grandmother raised chicken as did my father. I thought it would be a fun thing to do since I just learned that I can have up to 6 in Tulsa Co. (even a rooster!!!) which is great.
If you want to see some pix of the coop, here's a link to my FB page for the coop pix:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2239450423743.129747.1172499599&l=abc353054f&type=1
As you can see it's no where near some of the well-executed coops that I've just recently seen here. But, I think the birds will love it. I'm thinking I'm going to prime the outside and then use some acrylic paint and paint a mural all the way around it. Besides being a lawyer, I'm also a fine art painter (San Francisco Art Institute w/ BFA in 1999 and prelim training at the Lyme Academy of Fine Art 97-98). Indeed, I must confess the idea of painting the chickens and a rooster is appealing to me. Painting them as models in the mural on the exterior of the coop, that is. There are some great chicken paintings out there.
Almost forgot, I'm picking up my new puppy about ten days after I get the birds. Its a bull mastiff and will be about 2 mos old. Any ideas on how to keep Hercules from making a dinner of the birds would also be appreciated. My hope is to raise him so that he befriends the birds or at worst that he just lets them be.
I'm glad to be here and see lots of reading ahead. Thanks for reading my intro and any answers you can provide to my queries.
Bernie Piel
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