Killer Tomato
Songster
Ok, firstly, wow! You are an incredible planner -- that's the first, and best step, and you are way ahead of the game. Great job with that.
With how much land you have, and the woodsy area, I'd say go with as much predator security as you can afford. I know that hardware cloth was the most expensive item for us, but it's worth it. Do as much as you can -- if you can do the screws/washers, it's more secure, right? I'm *somewhat* in town, surrounded by national forest, so we have some wildlife around. Only raccoons, and they are more interested in the fruit trees than the chickens (so far).
I can't tell you anything about wood rot, deep litter, drainage in the run -- we let our chickens cruise the back yard (we only have .25 acres). We have a really large coop, and my chickens spend zero time inside, except to sleep and lay their eggs (this is their choice). Even on the coldest days, they are cruising the yard, or sitting on the patio furniture, on the covered porch when it's raining. It's not that they don't like the coop, they just want to be out doing their chicken thing. I do know that any substance you put down in the run, will be scratched down a lot -- chickens know how to dig! My chickens like to dust bath in flower pots of soil, and depending on your space, why not have multiple sites for them to bathe, inside and out? Maybe give them a "patio area" in the run that is sheltered from the wind, blowing rain, (and summer sun) where they can kick back outside too? Some crates and roosts that abutt the coop, for a wind break?
For the coop, I am a huge fan of using washed construction grade sand. It takes seconds to scoop up, and is so clean in muddy Oregon. I tried pine shavings, and it was a soggy mess in just days. I sprinkle some sand on the poop boards to dry any wetness, and don't use diatomaceous earth (I feel it's dangerous for respiratory health, but that's my opinion). I don't use any thing else for smells -- when I scoop poops daily, it doesn't smell in the coop, and there are no flies. If I didn't use sand, I would do deep litter method. I'm all about the easiest, cheapest, way to do the coop, and that sounded best to me. (I have 9 chickens -- 2 minutes to clean poops, daily, for comparison)
I hope this helps a bit, and welcome to Backyard Chickens!
With how much land you have, and the woodsy area, I'd say go with as much predator security as you can afford. I know that hardware cloth was the most expensive item for us, but it's worth it. Do as much as you can -- if you can do the screws/washers, it's more secure, right? I'm *somewhat* in town, surrounded by national forest, so we have some wildlife around. Only raccoons, and they are more interested in the fruit trees than the chickens (so far).
I can't tell you anything about wood rot, deep litter, drainage in the run -- we let our chickens cruise the back yard (we only have .25 acres). We have a really large coop, and my chickens spend zero time inside, except to sleep and lay their eggs (this is their choice). Even on the coldest days, they are cruising the yard, or sitting on the patio furniture, on the covered porch when it's raining. It's not that they don't like the coop, they just want to be out doing their chicken thing. I do know that any substance you put down in the run, will be scratched down a lot -- chickens know how to dig! My chickens like to dust bath in flower pots of soil, and depending on your space, why not have multiple sites for them to bathe, inside and out? Maybe give them a "patio area" in the run that is sheltered from the wind, blowing rain, (and summer sun) where they can kick back outside too? Some crates and roosts that abutt the coop, for a wind break?
For the coop, I am a huge fan of using washed construction grade sand. It takes seconds to scoop up, and is so clean in muddy Oregon. I tried pine shavings, and it was a soggy mess in just days. I sprinkle some sand on the poop boards to dry any wetness, and don't use diatomaceous earth (I feel it's dangerous for respiratory health, but that's my opinion). I don't use any thing else for smells -- when I scoop poops daily, it doesn't smell in the coop, and there are no flies. If I didn't use sand, I would do deep litter method. I'm all about the easiest, cheapest, way to do the coop, and that sounded best to me. (I have 9 chickens -- 2 minutes to clean poops, daily, for comparison)
I hope this helps a bit, and welcome to Backyard Chickens!
