maintaining floor of chicken coop in urban situation - help

[quailyroo]

Hi all, I am hoping that y'all might have some advise as I am a bit unsure what to do. We have 6 hens (light sussex,australorpe,araucana,barred rock,barneveldor, white leghorn - one of each type) which live in a fully enclosed run full time , they have a nesting box that is raised off the ground and then a two meter run by 1 miter which connects onto a 2 meter by 2 meter larger run - so 4 meters long in all , 6 square meters I think floor space. In their nesting box/roost they are bedded on wood shavings which are changed every week (or if it has been raining heavily and a bit of water has gotten in , then changed if it is a bit damp - we have one corner that leeks a little when it is absolutely pooring).

we currently live rural and have a large garden so are able to move the coop onto fresh grass every couple of weeks so that it dose not get too muddy in there or smelly (not bad smell , just 'chicken' smell) but are soon to be moving back to suburbia and will not have the huge garden space we have now - still some , just not enough to move the coop all the time. I have checked with the local council by-laws regarding chickens and we are allright there - allowed 6 hens no roosters , coop must be located 2.5 meters from any boundary fence etc etc , but I am worried that it will get too muddy in there for them (I dont like the idea of them standing in mud - I worry that they will get thrush or somthing - can chickens get this??, and I also worry about the 'chicken' smell bothering the neighbours.

Do you have any ideas as to what we can do to keep the mud down - we are going into winter here very wet! , and also what can keep the chicken smell away - it isnt their nesting area that smells as that is cleand often , it is the ground that smells a bit once they've been on it and scratching it into mud.

I was thinking that I can put the lawn clippings in for them to scratch on , so theyre a bit off the ground itself - we have a push hand mower , so no fumes or oil in the grass clippings and also thought that if I give them the 'V' trough with the bars across it might stop them scratching at the grain so much which would save the ground a bit but hoped you might have some other suggestions.

I don't really want to use chemicals or anything as I dont think it is very healthy for the birds - or us eating the eggs , but wondered if there might be some other solution , I know onion is supposed to absorb smell - but I dont want it stinking of onion either!!.

I fully intend to win over the neighbours with fresh eggs

I thought maybe putting the coop ontop of bark , or atleast the bigger portion ontop of bark might help , but then I diddnt know if that would be suitable?? or if it would even help at all??

any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[cyrixlord]

Look up Terrastone. it is a concrete lattice paver that allows moisture to go through it, yet strong enough to drive on. My chicken run uses them to keep the mud down. I also have a covered area above my coop that keeps 1/2 my run dry all the time.

 

[quailyroo]

I've just this minute had another thought - I read in another thread somewhere about somebody using lavender to help the smell - would eucalyptus work also do you think?? or is it poisonous to hens?? if I sprinkled that in the dirt every so often it might help with the 'chicken' smell - or ti tree maybe??

also , I read in another thread here that somebody uses pineneedles as a base for their litter , is that in the coop floor , or inside the house do you think??

 

[hallerlake]

It's rainy where I live. I've heard people recommend sand for the run.

 

[BrattishTaz]

I have been researching the same topic. A lot of people on BYC have been using sand as flooring with much success. It coats the poop and holds down odor, you just rake every now and then. If the area is holding water, you could put a layer of gravel under the sand for drainage.

 

[quailyroo]

I cannot put in a perminant base as we are renting so , would a sort of trough maybe with a taro as the base and then a wooden frame , with sand inside work do you think?? - then we can take it with us when we move again (hopefully not for a few years!) and put grass seed down.

We would like to let them out to free range in the little garden but our australorpe is a jumper/flyer - would clipping her wings prevent her from flapping over a meter high fence?? Ive seen other peoples coops and they just have this smaller fence and the hens seem to stay inside it! but Bernadette is a houdini chicken. the house backs onto the moterway , it is house , fence , road , fence motorway and so would equal flat chicken very fast if she lept the fence! - but if we could stop her from leaping and flapping then she could wander around the little yard which would solve alot of the problem.

 

[BrattishTaz]

I suppose you could use framing to create a "sand box" but if you are going to do that, you could just build an elevated floor using screws. Then you could use any type of bedding and still take it apart as needed.

I know what you mean about the flying Australorp. I had a big rooster that could clear our 7 foot fence.

Unfortunately a hawk got him before we could try clipping him.

 

[quailyroo]

she just goes up and up and up and over - little Beasty!! is amazing how high she can get her rotund self!!, and the others dont bother at all - they're happy enough just scratching around doing chickeny things but she obviously thinks life holds greater things for her than laying eggs

 

[wolfandfinch]

there's someone on here called Pat with a fantastic muddy runs page on her personal blog. i'll see if I can find it...

 

[wolfandfinch]

Quote:
wow that was easy. BYC rocks!



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