I’m almost ready!

[Cortneyb]

Hey there! I have 15 silkies near Dallas and we’re almost ready to transition to the wild outdoors! We’ve had a couple of field trips out, but not any long term play dates with our new coop. My questions are-
1. What needs to be on the ground in the coop? Do I need to put pine shavings?
2. I have 6 nesting boxes - is that enough?
3. Do Chickens need “toys”? I fear they’ll get bored!
4.Anything else I am missing or need to know?

 

[orloffer]

That looks like a nice run! I would make sure all the sides are covered with hardware cloth, to minimize the risk of predators getting in.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Hey there! I have 15 silkies near Dallas and we’re almost ready to transition to the wild outdoors! We’ve had a couple of field trips out, but not any long term play dates with our new coop. My questions are-
1. What needs to be on the ground in the coop? Do I need to put pine shavings?
2. I have 6 nesting boxes - is that enough?
3. Do Chickens need “toys”? I fear they’ll get bored!
4.Anything else I am missing or need to know?

6 nesting boxes should be enough, I've seen many people say one nesting box can accommodate 8 birds, although I do tend to like to have more than that.

 

[ackie]

It's beautiful!

6 nesting boxes is plenty. I think you can get away with 4 or 5 hens to one box, so you are more than good. I use pine straw but I dont replace it as much as I should so they're kinda half dirt/half pine straw. They do scratch at the dirt so you will eventually have an erosion problem, but I'm not sure what timeline that's on. My pens are having that issue (fixed by just putting mesh from the bottom of the wall down deeper in the dirt and re-covering it) but they're like 20 years old (and are sloped so I'm sure that's even worse). They can get bored but having stuff to scratch around in, bugs, stuff to roost on etc is enough until you see evidence that it's not, in my opinion. Evidence that it's not would be pecking at the other birds.

 

[ackie]

The main downside to a dirt floor is that it's pretty impossible to sanitize, but it is more natural so I like it for that reason.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

The "rule of thumb" is 1 box for every 4-5 layers. They will develop preferences for no discernable reason, and they will actually wait for an occupant to leave the nest before laying an egg right next to the first. Its why "artificial eggs" are so effective at teaching birds where to lay.

My own flock has access to 7 nesting boxes (I built extra in contemplation of chicken math and the hope that at least one hen would go broody - not yet). They use, consistently, three of them. Two smaller, one larger.

Still, better too many than too few.

 

[Cortneyb]

Thank you! It's not completely finished, but I think it's good enough to put the girls out there and see how they do!

Yeah, I'm not sure how to clean it, honestly. This is my first chicken experience. I worry about them not being hardy enough to take the cold. Not so much now but through the night.

It's beautiful!

6 nesting boxes is plenty. I think you can get away with 4 or 5 hens to one box, so you are more than good. I use pine straw but I dont replace it as much as I should so they're kinda half dirt/half pine straw. They do scratch at the dirt so you will eventually have an erosion problem, but I'm not sure what timeline that's on. My pens are having that issue (fixed by just putting mesh from the bottom of the wall down deeper in the dirt and re-covering it) but they're like 20 years old (and are sloped so I'm sure that's even worse). They can get bored but having stuff to scratch around in, bugs, stuff to roost on etc is enough until you see evidence that it's not, in my opinion. Evidence that it's not would be pecking at the other birds.

 

[ackie]

I worry about them not being hardy enough to take the cold. Not so much now but through the night.

Where (ish) do you live?

 

[Cortneyb]

Near the Dallas area. North about 20 minutes.

Where (ish) do you live?

 

[ackie]

Near the Dallas area. North about 20 minutes.

You dont get harsh winters, do you? As long as the birds are fully feathered and the coop isnt drafty, you should be fine.