New to deep litter and ammonia smell - start over or just add more pine shavings?

[kaybiegirl]

Thanks!

 

[One Lucky Momma]

How soon before how many of your birds are rehomed?

Looks like the makings of a beautiful flock.

 

[kaybiegirl]

How soon before how many of your birds are rehomed?

Looks like the makings of a beautiful flock.

Aww, thanks. I got a surprise box from a hatchery, so there are all kinds of breeds mixed in! As a first time chicken mom, I'll admit I went overboard with excitement in getting too many. I'm making a spreadsheet of the best laying breeds of what I have and then going to whittle down from there. I'm hoping to significantly reduce them all in the next 6 weeks. By then, I think I'll know which are roosters and which are hens better, for selling purposes. As for numbers, I've read in several places that chickens need a minimum of 2-3 sq. ft per chicken, so the plan had been to reduce by approximately half.

 

[Folly's place]

Four sq. ft. per bird is better, and more space is even better!
Having the south wall mostly hardware cloth, and the upper part of the east wall also(assuming your wind comes from the north and west?) will be good most of the year. In winter, you can add rolled vinyl sheeting part way up those open walls, leaving the upper foot or so open for ventilation. @aart had a good article about coop ventilation, and there are good articles here for help.
Mary

 

[One Lucky Momma]

Do you know what your predator threats are?

 

[aart]

Wondering if rain water is seeping in under the coop walls, making dirt floor and bedding damp?
6wks should be prime time for separating out the males.

@aart had a good article about coop ventilation, and there are good articles here for help.

Articles about space and ventilation in my signature.
Phone/mobile users might have to go landscape to see them.

 

[kaybiegirl]

Wondering if rain water is seeping in under the coop walls, making dirt floor and bedding damp?
6wks should be prime time for separating out the males.

Articles about space and ventilation in my signature.
Phone/mobile users might have to go landscape to see them.

The rain has seeped in a small amount during two heavy rainstorms, one being when the edges of a hurricane came through our area. It hasn't seeped in much from what I can tell. My husband mentioned putting concrete at the front of the coop to divert that kind of rain water.

 

[kaybiegirl]

Do you know what your predator threats are?

Prime predators here are hawks, raccoons and foxes. We haven't had any issues yet, personally. Our neighbors have lost them to those predators on prior occasions.

 

[kaybiegirl]

Four sq. ft. per bird is better, and more space is even better!
Having the south wall mostly hardware cloth, and the upper part of the east wall also(assuming your wind comes from the north and west?) will be good most of the year. In winter, you can add rolled vinyl sheeting part way up those open walls, leaving the upper foot or so open for ventilation. @aart had a good article about coop ventilation, and there are good articles here for help.
Mary

I need to look at a map and figure out which way is which, as we just moved here last year and I'm terrible at knowing which way is N, S, E, and W. haha