DEchicken
In the Brooder
Flock: 1 Buckeye, 1 Buff Orpinton, 2 Australorps and 2 Cuckoo Marans. NO ROOSTERS! They are 18 weeks old. These are my first chickens since I was a small kid.
Chicken Coop: Coop is 5’ x 4’. It has a roost with a “poop box” filled with PDZ. The floor of the coop is covered with flake pine shavings purchased from Tractor Supply. The nesting boxes are external to the coop for easy egg gathering and cleaning. The nesting boxes are also lined with flake pine shavings.
Chicken Run: Run is 5’ x 14’. Runs under the coop. It is tall enough to stand up in. The sides, floor (under the sand) and roof are covered with ½” hardware cloth making it predator proof. To increase the protection from predators, 18” of hardware cloth is buried around the outside perimeter. The roof is currently covered with a tarp. I plan to improve to a hard cover for the winter. The floor is covered with 5” of construction sand over a dirt base. Drains well.
Coop and run maintenance: Daily I scoop out the “poop box” and rake the run. I have attached a ¼” screen on the rake so that poop is raked into a pile for scooping. This takes about 5 minutes per day. Monthly I do a more intense cleaning. Change out the flake pine shavings from the coop. Sprinkle PDZ on the floor before putting down the new pine shavings. Spray the coop with Permethrin. Turn over all the sand with a “hula hoe”. Sprinkle 5 cups of “agricultural lime” on the sand and turn it into the sand with my hula hoe. Lime really “sweetens” the sand. Total of about 20 minutes. There is absolutely no odor. Not even during 100-degree weather or after a rain storm.
Watering and Feeding: Modified a 5-gallon pail with horizontal nipples. Modified a 5-gallon pail with 3” PVC for feeders. Chickens have enough food and water to last 5 to 7 days. I can easy safely leave the chickens without concern. All that is required is for someone to gather the eggs (when they start laying) via the external nesting boxes. This does not require anyone to come into the coop or run. It is always easy to find people to gather eggs as they love the eggs.
Free Range: My back yard is covered with trees. They roam freely in the afternoon. They have plenty of low bushes and trees for protection. They go into the run in the late afternoon.
Training Chickens: If you want to train your chickens to come when called, train them with mealworms. They quickly get addicted and will come running, when called, no matter how far they are away. Just give them a few. They will be eating out of your hand in no time. Mealworms are expensive, but you can buy a 32 oz. bag of Central-Kaytee Mealworms for $27.30 from Walmart on line. Sounds expensive but 32 oz. of mealworms is a large bag and the price per oz. is the best available. (I purchase chicken feed, mealworms and oyster shells from Walmart Online.)
Remarks: Chickens are a lot of fun. I am sure that the eggs will be great. Grandkids love them. Important: My set up is LOW MAINTENANCE! Read everything you can. Backyard Chickens has information to anything you might want to know.
Chicken Coop: Coop is 5’ x 4’. It has a roost with a “poop box” filled with PDZ. The floor of the coop is covered with flake pine shavings purchased from Tractor Supply. The nesting boxes are external to the coop for easy egg gathering and cleaning. The nesting boxes are also lined with flake pine shavings.
Chicken Run: Run is 5’ x 14’. Runs under the coop. It is tall enough to stand up in. The sides, floor (under the sand) and roof are covered with ½” hardware cloth making it predator proof. To increase the protection from predators, 18” of hardware cloth is buried around the outside perimeter. The roof is currently covered with a tarp. I plan to improve to a hard cover for the winter. The floor is covered with 5” of construction sand over a dirt base. Drains well.
Coop and run maintenance: Daily I scoop out the “poop box” and rake the run. I have attached a ¼” screen on the rake so that poop is raked into a pile for scooping. This takes about 5 minutes per day. Monthly I do a more intense cleaning. Change out the flake pine shavings from the coop. Sprinkle PDZ on the floor before putting down the new pine shavings. Spray the coop with Permethrin. Turn over all the sand with a “hula hoe”. Sprinkle 5 cups of “agricultural lime” on the sand and turn it into the sand with my hula hoe. Lime really “sweetens” the sand. Total of about 20 minutes. There is absolutely no odor. Not even during 100-degree weather or after a rain storm.
Watering and Feeding: Modified a 5-gallon pail with horizontal nipples. Modified a 5-gallon pail with 3” PVC for feeders. Chickens have enough food and water to last 5 to 7 days. I can easy safely leave the chickens without concern. All that is required is for someone to gather the eggs (when they start laying) via the external nesting boxes. This does not require anyone to come into the coop or run. It is always easy to find people to gather eggs as they love the eggs.
Free Range: My back yard is covered with trees. They roam freely in the afternoon. They have plenty of low bushes and trees for protection. They go into the run in the late afternoon.
Training Chickens: If you want to train your chickens to come when called, train them with mealworms. They quickly get addicted and will come running, when called, no matter how far they are away. Just give them a few. They will be eating out of your hand in no time. Mealworms are expensive, but you can buy a 32 oz. bag of Central-Kaytee Mealworms for $27.30 from Walmart on line. Sounds expensive but 32 oz. of mealworms is a large bag and the price per oz. is the best available. (I purchase chicken feed, mealworms and oyster shells from Walmart Online.)
Remarks: Chickens are a lot of fun. I am sure that the eggs will be great. Grandkids love them. Important: My set up is LOW MAINTENANCE! Read everything you can. Backyard Chickens has information to anything you might want to know.
