How do I keep my coop run dry?

[NeedlesNest]

I am new to the site so please forgive my ignorance! However, I have done a bit of research and just want some confirmation. I have a coop from Tractor Supply (good enough for now but I want to build a new one over winter) that sits at the back of our yard. When it rains, the run gets wet but not flooded. I can't seem to keep my waterer level so it leaks. I dug a hole and leveled it for the waterer and it seems to do great for a while; until the next rain. Now its uneven again and leaking. Im going to build a wood platform for it for now. I keep seeing ideas for a deep litter run. Basically you just add straw and pine shavings to the bottom of the run? Then when it gets wet again, you add more? Am I understanding the concept correctly? Do I just use the same pine shavings I use in the coop? Or a mixture? Pine shavings are easily accessible for me. So is sawdust. Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[azygous]

You have a number of options on both your waterer and the run.

Consider a nipple watering system. The waterer hangs and it doesn't matter about the leveling. I use vertical nipples but they also come in horizontal. Research them. You might find that one of them solves your problem of water spills. Nipples may leak a tiny bit but not like spills you're experiencing.

There are different ways to keep a run dry when it rains. I recommend trenching around the run to divert and direct the run-off if that is a problem. If it's just the rain coming down on the run itself, I recommend a covered run. I have corrugated fiberglass panels covering mine. They are easy to put on and not terribly expensive.

Covering your run also increases the security for your flock against predators, both the kind in the sky and the climbing kind.

As far as run substrate, deep litter is one option. Sand is another. I have sand and I scoop the poop each day using a cat box scoop. It's easy and keeps the run and chicken feet clean and odor-free.

 

[NeedlesNest]

I am definitely going to run a trench around the outside of the run. The run has a shingled roof so rain water doesn't really come in. I thought about the nipple waterer but was unsure where and how to mount it that can sustain the weight of a bucket of water.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Look into the Horizontal Water Nipples, they Verticles are known to leak, Amazon got a good price on them. There's info on here/BYC, not sure how many birds you got. Don't know how much "rain" you're talking about (location) but rain is my problem here (HI) as well as the HEAT/humidity.

So Hubby came up with this open enclosure, he calls the Chicken House. We don't have the predator problems like you all do in the Upper 49 so chicken wire is all we used. Curtain rods made out of EMT with over lapping shower curtains that I can slide/tie back. Huge plastic dog house for a nest box, I'm limited to 6 but keep 4, the enclosure is 8x12x7 and we put a roof on it.

HWN = I use a large plastic container with a lid cause they love to just on top. Followed the directions, Hubby installed. It didn't work I then figured it out, at the top rim of the container, drilled a hole put the lid back on & it worked. Vacuum was the issue.

DLM = Pine shavings & grass clippings are what I use. I live in a residential area, only in the Fall when the neighbor's tree looses it's leaves in my yard, do I rake some up for the enclosure. Being that the Chicken House has a roof & I can close it up when it storms, it basically stays dry but when the wind blows or does get wet around the perimeter, I just rake it & mix it up with the dry stuff, dries up & the hens like messing in it. I just rake about once in awhile, just to look for rocks they dig up. Add more shavings as needed.

I have a poop board (BYC) under the roost with PDZ in it above the dog house/nest box, works great. Very easy cleaning, cat litter scoop & done. I do FF (BYC) which is a blessing; end of feed waste, nutritionally beneficial, firmer poop that's not stinky (except the cecal) & they poop way less. I had another nest under the dog house but they all preferred to lay together

 

[NeedlesNest]

We are in Kansas City, MO. We got 4" of rain on Saturday and a little more on Sunday this last weekend. That is on the high side and normally don't see that much rain. We have the "Big Green Coop" from TSC that is supposed to hold up to 15 chickens. We have 9 and a duck that goes in there too. We have a fenced in yard so when we are home, we let everyone out to play in the yard.

Im just going to spread pine shavings on the floor of the run for now. Does that sound like an ok plan for the time being? In a few months, I am going to build a new enclosed coop so I am looking for something to work for a small period of time. Thanks!

 

[NeedlesNest]

Of the 9, they are a mixture of 2 bramas, 1 rhode island red, 1 welsummer, 2 plymouth rocks, 2 Ameraucanas, and 1 leghorn

 

[junebuggena]

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...ra-large-green-walk-in-coop-up-to-15-chickens
This one? MUCH TOO SMALL. Prefab coop manufacturers use commercial egg farm space requirements. The coop part looks to be about 3 feet by 4 feet at most. You need a minimum of 4 sq ft of coop space per bird, and at least 10 sq ft of run space. Nest boxes don't count. Your Rocks and Brahmas need more space than the others, at least 5 sq ft of coop and at least 12 sq ft of run for them.
Instead of building something from scratch before winter, you might consider converting the whole thing to a coop.

 

[NeedlesNest]

I am considering adding a 6' by 10' run section to that coop. I agree its definitely too small and thats why I want to build a bigger one. Most of the birds roost on the roof supports or above the coop (theres an opening). That coop definitely has some design flaws. Are you suggesting converting my current coop, including run, into an even bigger coop?

 

[junebuggena]

I am considering adding a 6' by 10' run section to that coop. I agree its definitely too small and thats why I want to build a bigger one. Most of the birds roost on the roof supports or above the coop (theres an opening). That coop definitely has some design flaws. Are you suggesting converting my current coop, including run, into an even bigger coop?

Yes, you can convert the whole thing into a coop. Might be more time efficient, since cold weather is just around the corner, and coop building usually takes much longer than anyone ever anticipates. The structure is usable, it just needs some adjustments to turn it from mostly run to all coop. First you need to pull out the floor in the coop part, take out the wall dividing the coop from the run and take off the nest boxes. Then you cover up the wire and nest box holes with plywood, put in a new floor, and raise it up off the ground using concrete blocks to keep it up off the ground. Add some new roosts, at least 4 inches wide for your Brahmas, and put one set of the nest boxes in there. You'll need a run that's at least 10 by 10. Brahmas are very large birds and Rocks need their elbow room.

 

[Fluttering-about]

Look into the Horizontal Water Nipples, they Verticles are known to leak, Amazon got a good price on them. There's info on here/BYC, not sure how many birds you got. Don't know how much "rain" you're talking about (location) but rain is my problem here (HI) as well as the HEAT/humidity.

So Hubby came up with this open enclosure, he calls the Chicken House. We don't have the predator problems like you all do in the Upper 49 so chicken wire is all we used. Curtain rods made out of EMT with over lapping shower curtains that I can slide/tie back. Huge plastic dog house for a nest box, I'm limited to 6 but keep 4, the enclosure is 8x12x7 and we put a roof on it.

HWN = I use a large plastic container with a lid cause they love to just on top. Followed the directions, Hubby installed. It didn't work I then figured it out, at the top rim of the container, drilled a hole put the lid back on & it worked. Vacuum was the issue.

DLM = Pine shavings & grass clippings are what I use. I live in a residential area, only in the Fall when the neighbor's tree looses it's leaves in my yard, do I rake some up for the enclosure. Being that the Chicken House has a roof & I can close it up when it storms, it basically stays dry but when the wind blows or does get wet around the perimeter, I just rake it & mix it up with the dry stuff, dries up & the hens like messing in it. I just rake about once in awhile, just to look for rocks they dig up. Add more shavings as needed.

I have a poop board (BYC) under the roost with PDZ in it above the dog house/nest box, works great. Very easy cleaning, cat litter scoop & done. I do FF (BYC) which is a blessing; end of feed waste, nutritionally beneficial, firmer poop that's not stinky (except the cecal) & they poop way less. I had another nest under the dog house but they all preferred to lay together

You are AWESOME!! These ideas are great for keeping it "simple". Right now my girls are in a prefab house and we extended the run. But now that they are almost full grown the coop is WAY to small! They sleep in the nesting box or on the floor. I really can't build a roost off much higher then 2 inches off of the ground because of the lack of height.
Since my gal's have been sleeping in such a small space for so long, will it be difficult to transition them to sleeping on roosts similar to what you have, out in the "open"?.

I LOVE the shower curtains! I am in the Houston area and we get so much rain! Also the fact that they aren't in a "house" the ventilation will be great in the (oh so wonderful ) Texas Summer's. (Really, like 99degrees and 65% humidity).
Any advice on how to construct the frame? It looks like you might have used metal fencing, but I can't tell.
Thanks!