New to backyard chickens! I need help!

[Ted Brown]

Deep litter, for sure. It’s the easiest and can help the coop stay a bit warmer in winter. You just turn it regularly with a shovel.

With respect.

Deep litter (ie. composting in place) is virtually impossible in a coop that has a floor; it can be made to work if the coop floor is dirt but still difficult. Moreover, any heat produced will be overcome by winter temperatures and the chickens are well equipped to deal with temperatures into the -30C/-22F.

 

[Lilybugchick]

Yes.

Mine are actually 10' long and 30" wide, boards because 10' long plywood is spendy. Anything can be used, depends on how many chickens one has (allow 1' per chicken for roost length).

I do not use sand with Sweet PDZ but sift often enough that consumption is low. $15US per bag. I have 26 hens in the coop, I use a bag every two months. PDZ is ground lava or Zeolite. It is porous and because of this absorbs moisture; chicken waste with no moisture is dust (ie no smell!).

Do your chickens eat The PDZ? And does it hurt them? I’ve used it twice and all 12 of my chickens eat it. They have a feeder full of grit but hardly touch it.

 

[Ted Brown]

Do your chickens eat The PDZ? And does it hurt them? I’ve used it twice and all 12 of my chickens eat it. They have a feeder full of grit but hardly touch it.

I do see hens on the drop board pecking away, I assume that some PDZ makes it's way past their beaks. However, not frequent.

Chickens are very good at taking care of themselves and will not eat anything that is not good for them,

 

[Larryslayers0927]

Hi everyone! I found this website after posting on reddit and finding it quite rough someone recommended i posted here, so here i am!
I live in the greater Montreal area, Canada, with my husband and 2 little kids (2 and 4). We're getting 4 hens in 4 days and are currently finishing up building our coop.

I need help with the bedding and all the other details.
My coop is 20 sq feet and the run is 50 sq ft. We can't have more than 5 hens in our town and they cannot free range.

The roof of the run was going to be just the metal wire (heavy duty) but now I'm wondering if I should put a roof?

What kind of bedding would you advise for the coop? I was looking into deep bedding.

What should I put on the ground in the run? I was thinking sand but I'm afraid it'll get gross and wet if there's no roof.
Ideally I want everything as low maintenance as possible. Deep litter possibly?

For feeding, the hens will be 12 weeks old when we get them. The farmer said to give them a feed for growth. Do you agree with that?
For water, i wanted to get a bucket with chicken water nipples. Are those good?

Any other tips would be appreciated! I feel so overwhelmed and pressed with time! View attachment 4134971View attachment 4134972thank you!

That looks great that's perfect for 4 hens they are going to love it. No suggestions still learning myself...