Husband is itching to make something

[lifeofpaine]

Ok. We have 5-1wk old dellies. So we have approx 4wks til we have to have the coop built and ready to go I have read about sand, so I plan on using sand as substrate, but as far as coop designs, I would LOVE to be able to spray the house down for cleanings(or is that not reccomended?) My husband doesnt know how he wants the coop, nor does he know what all is needed for happy, healthy laying chickens.

Any advice for us?

 

[lifeofpaine]

Bump for advice?

 

[4 the Birds]

There are a lot of great coop designs in the COOP tab up above. I would not recommend spraying down the coop with a hose as a means of cleaning. You will want your coop DRY as possible. Wet produces smell and mold. You can certainly do an annual washdown if you wish. Sand can be used and sifted daily or you can use deep bedding to keep things clean and dry

 

[aart]

My advice is to start reading here in the coop building forum and the predator forum.

Here's an interesting thread about things people wish they had done differently, which will pinpoint a lot of important things to think about....https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/745650/1-thing-i-wish-i-knew-when-i-was-starting-out

another tip for searching a specific concern or topic is to use the..... advanced search>titles only> ventilation

ventilation being the keyword of a very important aspect of coop building.....and here's a great article on ventilation

Good Luck, Have Fun!