New climate/area, need advice!

[Stitragus]

Agreed! I would always compost the bedding/poop first. I built it last spring and this was supposed to be our first gardening season with the finished compost. It wasn't broken down at all.

Definitely a fabrication issue. I wouldn't have it swing inside again. Learned a lot building that one.

 

[Ted Brown]

Fantastic information! That kind of insight is much appreciated.

That is a good point about drainage. I won't have much of an idea until I move it and get to watch for a bit. It seemed rather dry but I won't know for sure until we get a rainy spring.

The appeal of the dirt floor, and deep bedding/litter is the compost for my garden. I want to create my homestead to work synergistically and efficiently. The compost happening in the coop so I can remove and apply quicker to the garden, was what I was hoping for.

Maybe it was just the 6x10 wood style, but I was unable to have more than 4 inches or so of bedding without issues with the human door. It was already tiny and I would hit my head, but bedding kept causing issues with opening it up. My bedding always stayed too dry to break down as well. Which was thankful over the alternative I suppose.

I know compost needs mass to occur and the dirt floor access would hopefully assist with microbe access. I'll do some more research in existing threads on the Deep Beddings effect on the wood structure over time.

The elevated coop also just was obnoxious when retrieving birds when I had poor planning and needed to grab some for butchering extra roos or gifting birds. So if I could get a benefit and remove an annoyance, it seems great.

If you build a Woods start with a 10x16. Sufficient for 40 birds. If you want more build a second... If you want storage build a back half.

The design is brilliant.

 

[elorraine52]

i live in the Houston MO area and got one of those pre-built buildings (12X16) for a coop this last time. It is raised about a foot to a foot and a half off the ground, but i keep the chooks from running under it with 2X4 wire around the outside. i use the deep litter method too and clean out every spring to a compost heap, but it does stay too dry to compost in the coop, however, it helps keep warmth in for the chooks. The only real problem i have is mice. i've tried nipple waterers, a grandpas feeder, traps, and peppermint sachets, but i still have them. i guess a warm dry place in winter is too much of a temptation.

 

[Debbie292d]

i live in the Houston MO area and got one of those pre-built buildings (12X16) for a coop this last time. It is raised about a foot to a foot and a half off the ground, but i keep the chooks from running under it with 2X4 wire around the outside. i use the deep litter method too and clean out every spring to a compost heap, but it does stay too dry to compost in the coop, however, it helps keep warmth in for the chooks. The only real problem i have is mice. i've tried nipple waterers, a grandpas feeder, traps, and peppermint sachets, but i still have them. i guess a warm dry place in winter is too much of a temptation.

We border a forest on one side, and farmers fields on two others. Places like this, and maybe yours, we'll never be rid of them entirely. Killing them is but a dent. We have barn cats that help, but still, it's just a dent. Remove 10, 20 move in. So deterring them is the only way.

We bought commercial sachets and those worked. They have to be replaced every three months though and that's expensive so I came up with these. They work great!