Newbie questions, just moved chicks into their first coop

[mistydbowen]

Our coop is finally done! Well done enough to live in. The coop is 8x8 with an 8x16 run for 7 chickens, 3 turkeys and 2 ducks. They seem very happy so far. I hope it's big enough.

Anyway to the questions. We still need to paint. Is there a certain kind of paint I should buy, are there kinds that can be harmful to chickens? Is there a reason why people don't normally paint the inside of coops?

And about food and water. Should they have it available inside and outside? Right now I only have 1 feeder and 1 waterer. The ducks have a swimming pool outside that I keep seeing everyone drinking from. Maybe I should just move the one feeder I have outside during the day.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[canesisters]

Watching to see the responses you get. I did the same thing, got my coop to the 'livable' point with lots more to do later. One of the things left till later is to paint. I'm hoping that once summer gets here, I can shut them out in the run for a day and paint the inside. It'll be dry in no time and by the evening, should be fine for them to come in.

 

[Jakoda]

I painted the inside of mine with exterior semi glossy paint. My chickies aren't out there yet, so it has had ample time to dry and smell out of there.

I also painted the inside of the nesting boxes a kind of chocolate brown, (heard they like dark nesting boxes?)

as for feeders/waterers. I am leaving a feeder/waterer inside the coop , and will leave another waterer outside for now.

 

[crazychickenwom]

I painted the inside of my coop, used an exterior semi gloss paint, easier to clean. While I did mine before my chickens moved in I would say that if you did it in the morning that by bedtime it should be dry enough, if the coop is well ventilated. It might not hurt to run a couple of fans in the coop after painting to make sure it is dry and the fumes are gone.

I also recently moved my feeders and waterers outside, my chickens have access to the run 24 / 7 though... Remember if you move them outside you need to get up early to let them out, chickens will need the fresh food and especially the water frequently. Moving them outside created more space in the coop, much needed, and also cut down on waste. Make sure you have a way to keep the food dry.

 

[mistydbowen]

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to think about painting the inside. If anything it would probably make the wood last longer.

I was wondering about letting them have access to the outside all the time. My husband thinks I can just leave the door open all summer. But I'd feel safer if I closed it at night. I'm not too worried about predators, but since my chickies are so young (6 weeks) I'm worried they'll get outside and not be able to find their way back in at night. Maybe I'm just being silly.

 

[Tigertrea]

I left my wood bare. I plan on white/lime washing 1-2 times a year. I "might" do a clear stain before I lime wash the first time but, I doubt it since It will be after my first clean out. I "plan" on using deep litter for now and hope to not clean until spring.

 

[crazychickenwom]

I let my 6 week olds out into the run all day and night, but they only get out of the run if I am there to watch them. There are 13 six week olds and 7 twelve week olds, that is a lot of chickens to watch, so I mainly just let the 12 week olds out to free range and pick weeds, grasses, and old hay for the little girls and put it in the run. I think that the little ones get more bugs and grasses than the older ones when I do this, lol. I will fell better about letting all 20 of them out when they are a bit bigger and the roos do a better job of protecting them. I have another 11 two week olds that will be added to the coop in a couple weeks... I have no idea how I will watch them all! LMAO! Although at that point I am sure the roos will be better at protecting their families.

 

[sidetrack]

I put my girls out last week with the coop not quite finished also. I went away for a few days with them still in the tub in my kitchen while my brother looked after them for me. When I got home, they all escaped from the tub and came running to meet me when they heard my voice.LOL......

there was no putting them back in the tub. so, my boyfriend and his son had to go out and make the coop safe to put them in it that evening. 8 chicks free ranging in the kitchen for about an hour left me a pretty big mess to clean up.

A couple of nights ago we rigged a temperary run for them to get in and out on their own. I had been putting them under the coop to be out for a few hours during the day, but it was a hassle getting them in and out. They had so much fun going up and down the ramp and trying out their wings.
I didn't put any food out with them except scattering some scratch for them. I wanted to be able to lure them back in the evening. I left the waterer in the coop and a little food in there and when I went to put them in for the evening there was one of the chicks in there helping herself, It didn't take them long to figure things out. They ran right in when I put a food dish by the door and everyone was happy happy!! This weekend will be spent getting the run done and then redoing the quick fixes to get the out of the kitchen!!

 

[Tigertrea]

So far mind stay in their run and don't free range. They have access to their run from the time my hubby lets them out in the morning (usually around dawn) until they put themselves to bed in the copp at night (then I go close the pop door) I simply have too much to do so am unable to watch them closely free ranging. I also 11 chickens and a highway in front of the house, I worry about them getting close to/on the road. Intellectually I know the traffic will scare them and keep them away but, I still worry. Also, I have to come and go from home 2-4 times a day. If I can't get them into their run when I have to go pick up my son.....well.....what then? Anyway, for me letting them free range just is not feasible right now for me. I do hope to have more confidence by fall or next spring though because it will be much easier than picking weeds for them to have fresh green!

 

[CorlyB]

Our coop is finally done! Well done enough to live in. The coop is 8x8 with an 8x16 run for 7 chickens, 3 turkeys and 2 ducks. They seem very happy so far. I hope it's big enough.

Anyway to the questions. We still need to paint. Is there a certain kind of paint I should buy, are there kinds that can be harmful to chickens? Is there a reason why people don't normally paint the inside of coops?

And about food and water. Should they have it available inside and outside? Right now I only have 1 feeder and 1 waterer. The ducks have a swimming pool outside that I keep seeing everyone drinking from. Maybe I should just move the one feeder I have outside during the day.

Thanks for all your help!

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to think about painting the inside. If anything it would probably make the wood last longer.

I was wondering about letting them have access to the outside all the time. My husband thinks I can just leave the door open all summer. But I'd feel safer if I closed it at night. I'm not too worried about predators, but since my chickies are so young (6 weeks) I'm worried they'll get outside and not be able to find their way back in at night. Maybe I'm just being silly.

We have our 3+ weekers in their coop, which also hasn't been painted yet. We'll wait until the cockerels go to...a nice farm up north, yeah, that's it

...before we paint the outside. My husband sheathed the inside of the coop with the plastic-coated panels they sell at home improvement stores and the floor is concrete, so no painting necessary on the inside. Painting the wood or sealing it with something like polyurethane (stinks to high heaven, bad for respiration until it is well cured) will help preserve it and make it easier to keep clean. I suggest low-VOC paint (which you can get anywhere they sell paint) and maybe even moving your crew to secondary housing until the coop airs out, a day or two at least.

Chickens need a lot of water in all weather, even more when it's hot, so we have fresh water both inside and outside. We leave the feeder inside, which helps to eliminate wild birds stopping over for a snack (and bringing who knows what with them) and keeps their food from getting wet if a rogue thunderstorm passes by. It also reduces the scattering of food outside the coop which attracts rodents and predators. The chicks so far seem quite happy foraging around their yard for grass and insects and occasionally stepping inside for a meal.

I don't see any advantage to allowing your flock to have 24-hour access to the outside, but I suppose it depends upon your lifestyle and how much you are willing to do to protect them. I actually enjoy going out in the evening and shooing everybody into the house. I give them some spinach or a handful of nuts to scratch for in the coop, so they like coming in for the night. If it's warm enough I leave their windows (screened with hardware cloth) open as well as the coop's vent holes, and then I can sleep easy knowing they're protected from owls, roaming dogs, coyotes, cats, possums, snakes, and that darn skunk that walks under my bedroom window every night

.

Sounds like you have a nice group of birds! I bet they're fun to watch. Ducks are on our agenda for next year, but we want to make a pond first.