More Newbie Questions!!!

[IndigoChicken12]

Ok, so I posted a couple questions earlier, but I have some more now...

1. Should I put the feeders/waterers in the coop? PROS/CONS...
2. What do you guys think about sand in the run? How about the coop?(vs pine shavings) PROS/CONS...
3. How tall is the average hen?

Thanks a ton you guys! Love this website!!!

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, IndigoChicken, and

! I'll give you questions a shot.
1. I don't think there are a lot of pros to food and water in the coop - if it spills it's messy and the food attracts rodents.
2. Lots of folks are using sand in the run - really cuts down on mud getting tracked into the coop.
3. Unsure on average height - likely depends on breed.

Good luck to you and your flock!

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[520farmer]

I wouldnt put the feed or water in the coup, chickens look for food for fun so I just through a few handfuls of scratch out in the morning and evening and my girls are happy all day. are you free ranging your birds?
sand is fine in the coup, i think what you put in just depends on what you can get the easiest, i always use pine shavings.
I have a bantam (miniature) chicken now. her and her sister were about 8 in. tall. i had a number of breeds when I first started keeping chickens and the average height seemed to be about a foot to a foot and a half.

Enjoy the forums there is an answer for any chicken question you could have in the pages

 

[wsmith]

Ok, so I posted a couple questions earlier, but I have some more now...

1. Should I put the feeders/waterers in the coop? PROS/CONS...
2. What do you guys think about sand in the run? How about the coop?(vs pine shavings) PROS/CONS...
3. How tall is the average hen?

Thanks a ton you guys! Love this website!!!

Lots of different opinons for these questions. Here's what I do:

1. I have a waterer in the coop along with a feeder. The feeder is a high capacity one set up on some blocks. It is available for them to eat whenever they want. We also have mouse trap boxes inside the coop to keep vermin under control. The food always stays dry, they haven't made a big mess with it either. The waterer in the coop is there always as well. It provides cool water in a shady location, plus I have the heater under it for winter use. The heater isn't plugged in right now.
2. Personally I'm not a fan of adding sand. Just my opinion. We also use the deep litter method for coop bedding. Sand transfers heat and cold really well. This makes it a poor insulator. Though it's easy to clean daily, with deep litter you only clean out the coop twice a year or so, with NO stink. My chickens go outside at will into a fenced area, with nearly 3000 square feet for them alone. 6 ft wood with chain link fencing skirting all around the perimeter, and 2 ft high chain link nailed to the bottom of the fence all the way around. The chickens dust bath wherever they want to. Inside the coop I use dry leaves, old hay, straw, whatever is cheap and on hand. It does great and makes wonderful compost.
3. The height of a mature hen varies with the breed and line. Also, it will vary as you may be measureing ground to back, or ground to the tiop of the comb. My American Dominiques average about 7-9 inches to the top of the back. When mine go through the chicken door on the main hen house, I built it tall enough that the hens don't have to duck. My Dom rooster ducks a little, but he is much bigger than the hens. The chicken door on my breeder coops are a little shorter, but the chickens go through just fine.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Welcome to BYC!!!

Glad to have you aboard!!