My DIY Chicken Coop

[gtaus]

Thanks for the tip about the old leaves for the ground on the snow! That's a genius idea!

Yeah, it only took me four winters to figure that out! I'm a real genius!

Having said that most people that I know that have chickens around where I live just keep the hens in the hen house all winter. So, I did the same. Never gave it much thought and the chickens did fine. However, this past winter I wanted to see what I could do to make it enjoyable for the chickens to get outside and get some fresh air and sunshine. I'm not sure, but I think the chickens enjoy the option of going outside in the dead of winter. They just won't walk on white snow. But a thin layer of leaves on top of the snow is all that is required, and they are happy to spend some time outside even on the coldest days.

I thought about putting a roof on a small part of the outside run, right over the door they chickens will come out of to help protect from rain and snow. Then of course then can go under then hen house as well.

Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. You have the great advantage of an elevated coop with a nice space underneath for the chickens to hang out. I would take advantage of that. A partial roof may be all you would need to get everything winter ready.

I had considered building a partial roof, or some kind of tunnel system, for my chickens in the winter. But I converted my entire chicken run into a chicken run composting system, so I did not want to cover the run. Plus, as you know, to build a big roof strong enough for our expected winter snow loads would have cost me a lot of money. In the end, tossing some leaves on top of the snow in the run just worked out great for me and cost me nothing. Plus, now when the chickens do go outside, they get some direct sunlight in the run.

FYI, I built my chicken coop big enough to setup my metal water fount on a heater base and hanging feeder inside the coop. So, my chickens never really had to go outside in the winter at all, and they would be well taken care of. I don't know what you have planned for fresh water in the winter, but I think freshwater access is probably the most important thing to the health of my chickens.

Like me, you saved a lot of money by using pallet/salvaged wood in your project. I recommend you spend some of that savings on your winter water setup. That's one area that I bought the best system I could for my setup, and I have never regretted it. My water stays fresh and flowing even down to -35F in the dead of winter.

Looking forward to more pictures of your project. It's coming along great! Thanks for posting your progress.

 

[wildrose41]

Let me make a suggestion if I can. I would skip the pallet floor, and use earth, or cement pad. Make your coop a walk-in .
Use the salvaged boards to make walls, and everything else.
Ask anything else you may have.


WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[wildrose41]

ALSO with a dirt floor, you can allow a deep litter base to develop. It involves using a thick layer of organic material (like wood shavings, straw, or shredded paper) that absorbs waste and creates a natural compost pile. This method offers benefits like reduced cleaning time, natural temperature regulation, and the creation of valuable garden compost.

 

[cavemanrich]

ALSO with a dirt floor, you can allow a deep litter base to develop. It involves using a thick layer of organic material (like wood shavings, straw, or shredded paper) that absorbs waste and creates a natural compost pile. This method offers benefits like reduced cleaning time, natural temperature regulation, and the creation of valuable garden compost.

I agree with you, But the OP has different needs, so raised coop is favorable in his situation.

 

[gtaus]

ALSO with a dirt floor, you can allow a deep litter base to develop. It involves using a thick layer of organic material (like wood shavings, straw, or shredded paper) that absorbs waste and creates a natural compost pile. This method offers benefits like reduced cleaning time, natural temperature regulation, and the creation of valuable garden compost.

OP has already decided on an elevated coop. That's no longer on the table.

You can still have a deep litter system in an elevated coop, but there would not be the beneficial ground contact. I have an elevated coop and use dry deep bedding in the coop. When I clean out the coop litter, it all gets tossed into the chicken run to turn into chicken run compost for my gardens.

Dry deep bedding has the advantage of reduced cleaning - I clean out my coop twice a year. Composting takes places after the coop litter gets dumped into the chicken run.

I prefer the dry deep bedding because I live in northern Minnesota, where our winter temperatures can get down to -40F. I want my coop as dry as possible. I don't think a moist deep litter system would be the best option for where I live. My dry deep bedding works for me, so I guess I'll stick with that. OP lives in Michigan, IIRC, so I think he made the best decision for what he needs.

There are a number of advantages to the elevated coop that OP is building. He has added enough room under the coop to provide a nice, sheltered snow-free space for his chickens to enjoy in the winter months. And, OP will not have to worry about snow blocking his doors or access to his elevated coop.

FYI, my doors on my elevated coop are about 3 feet off the ground and I have never had them snowed in - yet. If my coop was at ground level, I might have a lot of work keeping my access free and open. My garden sheds and storage units are pretty much blocked from access from Nov-Mar most years. That's part of the reason I went with an elevated coop. It's just easier for me.

 

[Copperhead1969]

Since you're doing a pallet project, I'm sure folks on this thread would appreciate your efforts..

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/show-me-your-pallet-projects.1541562/page-349

the problem with a pallet on the floor will be manure build up which will lead to maggots. Chickens eating maggots can lead to the maggots eating them from their craw outwards from the inside. While it won't happen often i have seen it first hand.

 

[Dduell2]

the problem with a pallet on the floor will be manure build up which will lead to maggots. Chickens eating maggots can lead to the maggots eating them from their craw outwards from the inside. While it won't happen often i have seen it first hand.

What's the difference between a floor made of pallet wood and a floor made of plywood??? Especially once I covered it with vinyl flooring??

Wood is wood

 

[Molpet]

Chickens eating maggots can lead to the maggots eating them from their craw outwards from the inside. While it won't happen often i have seen it first hand.

I have seen fly strike where flys lay eggs in wounds and fecal stuck around vent and maggots eat into the animals.
And bot flys laying eggs in skin. Both times it was in the chest area.
Botulism is the usual concern of fly maggots.
I can't find anything about fly maggots eating out of craw of birds. I would think the crop would empty into the gizzard and they would be grounded up before they could
But I know it's a problem with feeding pet reptiles live beetle larvae if they don't kill it.

 

[gtaus]

the problem with a pallet on the floor will be manure build up which will lead to maggots.

Not sure that is what OP has in mind. I think he is using pallet wood to make a sealed floor. Not having pallets, with gaps in it between the planks to collect manure, sit on the floor.

What's the difference between a floor made of pallet wood and a floor made of plywood??? Especially once I covered it with vinyl flooring??

Wood is wood

FWIW, I am thinking the same as you. When I built my coop, I used plywood for the floors, and then covered it with vinyl. That was before I ever got into pallet wood projects. Today, I think I would just use pallet wood for the floors and maybe cover it with vinyl like you did.

As I mentioned earlier, my vinyl flooring lasted just over 4 years without any damage. This last flock of chickens I got, for some unknown reason, has pecked up a lot of the vinyl and ripped sections. I'll have to repair/replace the vinyl. Not sure what I will do this time but have considered just laying down pallet wood planks like a wood floor and not even covering it this time with vinyl. If the pallet wood becomes manure soaked and rotted, I would just replace the boards as needed.

The vinyl flooring made cleaning out the coop very easy. But now that sections have been ripped, it is no longer a smooth surface for easy cleaning. My only concern at this point is that the pallet wood planks are different thicknesses, and that might catch the shovel or broom as I clean out the coop, slowing down the cleaning out process. But I only clean out my dry deep bedding twice a year so that might not be a real problem anyways.

I have seen fly strike where flys lay eggs in wounds and fecal stuck around vent and maggots eat into the animals.
And bot flys laying eggs in skin. Both times it was in the chest area.
Botulism is the usual concern of fly maggots.

I think that is a separate issue and not related to using, or not using, pallet wood flooring. But if there is a connection, I would like to know that given I am currently planning on using free pallet wood planks to repair my coop floor. Thanks.

IIRC, OP has already purchased vinyl flooring for his coop, but for anyone considering alternatives, I have heard good reviews on using BlackJack 57 rubber coating...

I have never used it, but I think one advantage of painting on the rubber coating is that you can more easily repair any damaged area of the flooring, whereas I might have to replace all my vinyl flooring to fix my problem with rips in it.

Like OP, I bought my vinyl flooring remnant at a discount and saved money. When I priced out the cost of using BlackJack 57 for the floor covering, it would have cost me more than 2X as much. Saving money at the time was more important to me, not knowing if keeping a backyard flock was going to be a long term project, or not. But now, 5 years later, with ripped vinyl flooring that needs repair, I wonder if I might have been better off with the BlackJack option?

Having said that, I am to the point where I think I would just put down a floor of pallet wood and cover it with another layer of sacrificial free pallet wood planks and replace those boards as needed. With my dry deep bedding, I think a sacrificial pallet wood floor might have worked just as well as covering it with vinyl flooring.