Question???

[bridgetteanne]

these might be question you guys have heard 100 times but..... im going to ask anyway. I have a big coop and about 26 chickens. we used an old shed cut a hole, put up a fence and some netting. It is NOT off the ground. question. why dose a chicken coop have to be off the ground? i muck out the coop once a week. Do you muck out your coops? Also i see a lot of coops have windows in these is that just for looks or ventilation. because we dont have any! just want to make sure im doing right by my chickens. your input is appreciated.

 

[Judy]

I have a dirt floor coop that gets mucked out maybe once a year. No odor. This is not an unusual way of keeping chickens. Lots of pine shavings and occasional pelletized lime does the trick.

Ventilation is another matter, though. They do need it, and quite a bit of it, to let out the ammonia, and also the humid air in cold weather. They should also have natural light in there, for rainy days and to see dark come naturally; they will go to roost at the right time this way, if nothing else. Your ventilation for ammonia needs to be high, as high as you can make it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

 

[LindaJean]

I'm a newbie as well, but my coop is on a platform about 6 inches off the ground - just for stability since I used a 7x7 resin shed. I think the elevated coops are so the chickens can get out of the weather, as well as a place to put their outdoor feed to keep it dry. But the ventilation thing is really a big deal, and one I am going to have to increase myself. Already it is obvious to me that they generate a lot of ammonia, and respiratory humidity. I put eave vents in the shed, but I do plan on keeping the double doors open this nice weather, but come fall, I'll have to have an additional plan. None of us want our birds to get sick from something we could take care of. For me it just amounts to more research and asking questions on this site. Lots of good advice from people who are doing it. Good Luck

 

[Ridgerunner]

You'll find that a lot of us have coops on the ground. In some situations and elevated coop makes sense. There is no real right or wrong answer to this. We all have different circumstances.

My coop has a dirt floor. I have not cleaned it out for over three years. It stays dry and I have a lot of wood shavings in it. It's large for the number of chickens I have and I use a droppings board under the roost to catch and remove a lot of the droppings so they don't build up. Those pure droppings are great for my compost. My chickens have a lot of room outside, so they don't spend a lot of time inside the coop during the day.

I fully agree with Flockwatcher on the ventilation. I have a lot at the top of the walls on all four sides that stay open all the time, plus I open a window at their roosting level and have vents at ground level I open in the summer.

You do need some natural light. It helps if you can see what you are doing in there plus it does help them to be able to go to bed at the right time. If you don't have light inside, it may be too dark for them to be able to see how to go to bed while it is still fairly light outside.