Hi all. I'm starting to plan for when my chicks move out into a coop, and just want to make sure I'm making the correct decisions in doing so. Would love some advice here. Here's all the context:
I live in an urban area with a backyard that's half concrete and half grass. There's enough of either ground to place a coop and a small run, but that's about it. The chickens most likely will not be able to free range, and will live within the confines of the coop and run. Not ideal, but I have to work with what I have.
I'm thinking of placing the coop and run on the grassy portion, so the chickens can reap the benefits of scratching through grass and soil. However, an issue I foresee is that, because this grassy area is essentially a garden where my other family members water and sprinklers sometimes go off, I assume that with all this watering, while inhabiting chicken poop, is a recipe for possible diseases (e.g. bumblefoot, coccidiosis, etc.). Plus I assume that the chickens will eat the grass faster than it can grow back, so it would just leave a patch of dirt, and when that's watered + inhabiting poop, I assume things will just be even more dangerous for the chickens.
So knowing this, and definitely correct me if I'm wrong about the above assumptions, would it be better to just have the coop and run placed on concrete? If so, what's example of good beddings for the concrete-grounded run? I plan on using pine shavings as bedding in the coop, so could I just do the same in the run?
Thanks,
Derek
I live in an urban area with a backyard that's half concrete and half grass. There's enough of either ground to place a coop and a small run, but that's about it. The chickens most likely will not be able to free range, and will live within the confines of the coop and run. Not ideal, but I have to work with what I have.
I'm thinking of placing the coop and run on the grassy portion, so the chickens can reap the benefits of scratching through grass and soil. However, an issue I foresee is that, because this grassy area is essentially a garden where my other family members water and sprinklers sometimes go off, I assume that with all this watering, while inhabiting chicken poop, is a recipe for possible diseases (e.g. bumblefoot, coccidiosis, etc.). Plus I assume that the chickens will eat the grass faster than it can grow back, so it would just leave a patch of dirt, and when that's watered + inhabiting poop, I assume things will just be even more dangerous for the chickens.
So knowing this, and definitely correct me if I'm wrong about the above assumptions, would it be better to just have the coop and run placed on concrete? If so, what's example of good beddings for the concrete-grounded run? I plan on using pine shavings as bedding in the coop, so could I just do the same in the run?
Thanks,
Derek