New coop management - Where to keep what?

[FurAndFeathers]

Good morning fellow chicken peeps!

We are working on building our first chicken coop so our girls can get out of the brooder and start enjoying the chicken life. We are nearing completion and should have it complete by this weekend. I have a couple of newbie questions that I haven't been able to find solid answers to. I'll list them numerically to make it easier to answer.

1.) When the girls are locked up in the coop for the night, should they have access to food and water? In other words, should they have food and water located in both the run (sandy bottom) and the coop?

2.) How many days should they be confined to the new coop before they are released into the run to learn that it is their home?

3.) I have seen that some folks using Sweet PDZ for the poop trays. Would it make sense to use this in the bottom of the entire coop, not including the nesting boxes? At this moment, we are not planning to build poop trays under the roost.

4.) How many roosts should be provided for five chickens? Should roosts be available in the run as well as the coop?

Thank you in advance for your help!

FurAndFeathers

 

[ChickenCanoe]

1 Chickens can't see at night so won't move from the roost. Therefor they don't need food, water, nor will they lay eggs then.
I keep food in most of the coops and water outside but I do have nipple waterers in the coops.
2 About 3 nights.
3 It wouldn't hurt.
4 About 18" per bird (they won't eventually use that much but it keeps things calm). If there's space, a single roost is good. They will appreciate roost space in the run but not necessary.

 

[Judy]

1. It's true they won't eat at night, or lay, but they will wake up hungry and thirsty at the crack of dawn.
2. If they're never going to leave the run, I probably wouldn't confne them to the coop at all. You might have th bribe them into the coop around dusk a few times, though.

 

[donrae]

1.) When the girls are locked up in the coop for the night, should they have access to food and water? In other words, should they have food and water located in both the run (sandy bottom) and the coop? This is going to depend on your set up. I keep feed in the coop, and water in the run. But, my birds are never confined solely to one place, they come and go between the coop and run. Agree they don't eat or drink at night, but you'll need to decide how early you're going to go out and let them out. Every day. Or, are you going to install an automatic door? Or, are you secure your run is predator proof and you never need to confine them only to the coop?

2.) How many days should they be confined to the new coop before they are released into the run to learn that it is their home? I don't confine just to the coop. They have free run of coop and run from the time they hit the coop.

3.) I have seen that some folks using Sweet PDZ for the poop trays. Would it make sense to use this in the bottom of the entire coop, not including the nesting boxes? At this moment, we are not planning to build poop trays under the roost. No experience with that.

4.) How many roosts should be provided for five chickens? Should roosts be available in the run as well as the coop? Five birds should have around 10 feet of roost space. Better to have a little more than crowded birds.
I like to have roosts or other perches available in the run. It increases space, lets birds not be right in each other's face all the time, and here it allows the birds to eat down blackberry bushes they otherwise couldn't reach

.

Thank you in advance for your help!

FurAndFeathers

 

[mrchicks]

My birds have an auto door, so their food and water are in the run.

I did put my girls on a roost every night for the first few days, until they started going in by themselves.

I have at least 2' of roost for each bird just so they don't squabble. They actually all bunch up anyways.

My poop decks have PDZ, so does my floor.

I put branches, and other perches in the run just so they have different places to hang out during the day. We have a sun sail over the coop for shade.

And after all of that, last week I opened the door and let them run the yard during the day. It's tick and june bug season, so the birds are out there earning their keep. I do lock them in the coop at night due to predators.