Run flooring advice

[Silkie7]

If it can get below -20 F, you will probably want a larger coop to keep your silkies comfortable.

Chickens will typically stay inside the coop (sheltered area) in very cold weather, but the coop (upper sheltered area) that you have is not big enough to hold 6 silkies, and their food and water, and give them enough room to comfortably stay there for days at a time. It probably does not let in enough light either, for them to spend days inside.

A common guideline is 4 square feet per chicken inside the coop. That would mean 24 square feet for 6 chickens (so a space 4 feet by 6 feet, or similar)

Silkies are usually bantams, and bantams can usually get by with half that much space. So 2 square feet times 6 chickens would make 12 square feet (3 x 4 feet) But the Eglu Cube is only about 3x3 feet inside the top area (9 square feet is too small), and part of that space is taken up by nestboxes (so smaller yet), plus you still need a place to put the food and water.

So I would suggest you get a bigger coop. Or else be prepared to turn that run into a more sheltered area so they can keep using it in the cold parts of the winter. I see you have already covered part of it, but I think it will need more as the winter progresses, to keep out snow (drifting in or blowing in), and wind (chickens do much better if they can stay out of the wind.) You still need to leave some amount open for ventilation, but try to make it areas that will let air move gently rather than blowing hard on the chickens (pay attention to which direction the wind usually blows in your yard, to see where you can best leave ventilation without the wind blowing straight in.)

@NatJ I will have to find a way to close up the run area for the winter. It's been raining a lot here, so my chickens are in my garage now. It has windows. Worst case, can I keep them in the garage for the winter? It's an attached garage, so it's warmer in there.

 

[NatJ]

@NatJ I will have to find a way to close up the run area for the winter. It's been raining a lot here, so my chickens are in my garage now. It has windows. Worst case, can I keep them in the garage for the winter? It's an attached garage, so it's warmer in there.

Keeping them in the garage for the winter might be an option.

Garages are usually pretty good at being weather-proof and predator-proof. Yes, that would provide much better shelter (and maybe more space) than the outdoor pen.

But there is the question of how much mess they make, and how much ventilation they need. Chickens produce large amounts of dust and smells. These are usually not welcome in a garage, definitely not welcome in the house attached to the garage, and aren't good for the chickens to breathe either.

Depending on how many windows in the garage and where they are, you might be able to get enough ventilation by opening them. But do remember to cover them with something predator-proof. You don't want a cat or raccoon or any other animal climbing in to kill your chickens. Typical window screens (that keep out insects) are probably not strong enough to keep out the kind of predators that might try to come in.

 

[catballou]

I would put something down on the coop floor, at least.

I started using free paper shreds as my coop litter a couple years ago. It's the best litter method for me. Plus, all that paper now gets shredded up at home instead of being hauled out to the recycle center. Later, it all gets composted into soil for my raised bed gardens.

I live on a lake, but never had much luck with sand. It gets wet and smelly and needs to be replaced all the time. Straw can also get wet and moldy and needs to be replaced frequently. Also, I have to pay for straw, so that is a disadvantage. I prefer just about any coop litter I can get for free. Free wood chips and dried leaves work well, but I still prefer paper shreds for my setup.

I started a thread on Using Shredded Paper for Coop Litter - As Good As Wood Chips? which has my experience with switching over to paper shreds along with lots of comments by other members.

I use wood shavings for horses. A big bag is about $6 now but should last you a year.
I'm worried about plastic floor tho. That's going to be frigid in coooold weather. Can you find a dog crate bottom that would fit? And cut a couple of pieces of cardboard to fit under it? That would insulate it a bit. The plastic walls worry me too, but anything that you could put there will be pecked to pieces.

 

[gtaus]

I'm worried about plastic floor tho. That's going to be frigid in coooold weather. Can you find a dog crate bottom that would fit? And cut a couple of pieces of cardboard to fit under it? That would insulate it a bit. The plastic walls worry me too, but anything that you could put there will be pecked to pieces.

My inexpensive linoleum flooring has lasted about 4 years, but I will have to replace it, or repair it, next spring. I spent less than $25 for about an 8X14 foot remanent on sale. That's pretty good for 4 years of service in a coop.

I have considered just using some sacrificial scrap wood on top of the flooring next time. With my deep bedding used in the coop, I think another layer of sacrificial scrap wood would work OK. The linoleum is easy to clean out because it is all one piece - until I got rips - whereas I don't think scrap wood would be as even and easy to clean out.

With a good deep bedding layer of litter in the coop for the winter months, I think my coop has plenty of floor insulation. The chickens don't really peck the flooring if it is covered with deep bedding. Most of my rips in the linoleum are coming from aging outside in our cold northern Minnesota winters and I have nicked and rip the floor in a few places when cleaning the coop.

 

[Bananabread]

i may have missed it but will you let them free range most days? That space seems somewhat tight for 6 hens, even if silkies.

 

[Silkie7]

i may have missed it but will you let them free range most days? That space seems somewhat tight for 6 hens, even if silkies.

Yes, I let them free-range in the daytime.

 

[gtaus]

I will have to find a way to close up the run area for the winter. It's been raining a lot here, so my chickens are in my garage now. It has windows. Worst case, can I keep them in the garage for the winter? It's an attached garage, so it's warmer in there.

But there is the question of how much mess they make, and how much ventilation they need. Chickens produce large amounts of dust and smells. These are usually not welcome in a garage, definitely not welcome in the house attached to the garage, and aren't good for the chickens to breathe either.

I don't know if you still are considering putting your 6 silkies in the garage for the winter, or not. But I thought I would respond with a few things I have learned that might help.

I also have an attached 2-car garage to my house. When I get a new group of 10-day old chicks in early spring, I brood them out in my garage under heat lamps. I use deep bedding in the brooder, and just add fresh litter on top of the old litter as needed. There is little to no smell from my brooder, because of the size of the chicks I suppose. But also the cold temperatures in the unheated garage helps to keep down any smells. Big garage, small brooder. Not a problem for me.

I have switched to using paper shreds as my coop litter. It is practically dust free. No bad smell to clean paper shreds either compared to native smells of something like straw litter.

I don't think I would consider putting full grown chickens in my attached garage, but maybe silkies would be OK? I agree that you definitely would want to stay ahead of any bad smells, which might require more frequent cleaning inside the garage, even with a deep bedding litter system.

Anyways, smells from my chick brooder in the attached garage has never been an issue for me. If using you garage is your best option, just plan on frequent cleaning and you might be able to get through this winter with your silkies. You would be the best judge of how well it works for you.

On the other hand, you might want to ask an honest friend about any bad smells from the chickens. I think those of us keeping animals can easily go nose blind to smells of our animals that others might find offensive!

 

[Silkie7]

I don't know if you still are considering putting your 6 silkies in the garage for the winter, or not. But I thought I would respond with a few things I have learned that might help.

I also have an attached 2-car garage to my house. When I get a new group of 10-day old chicks in early spring, I brood them out in my garage under heat lamps. I use deep bedding in the brooder, and just add fresh litter on top of the old litter as needed. There is little to no smell from my brooder, because of the size of the chicks I suppose. But also the cold temperatures in the unheated garage helps to keep down any smells. Big garage, small brooder. Not a problem for me.

I have switched to using paper shreds as my coop litter. It is practically dust free. No bad smell to clean paper shreds either compared to native smells of something like straw litter.

I don't think I would consider putting full grown chickens in my attached garage, but maybe silkies would be OK? I agree that you definitely would want to stay ahead of any bad smells, which might require more frequent cleaning inside the garage, even with a deep bedding litter system.

Anyways, smells from my chick brooder in the attached garage has never been an issue for me. If using you garage is your best option, just plan on frequent cleaning and you might be able to get through this winter with your silkies. You would be the best judge of how well it works for you.

On the other hand, you might want to ask an honest friend about any bad smells from the chickens. I think those of us keeping animals can easily go nose blind to smells of our animals that others might find offensive!

I don't know if you still are considering putting your 6 silkies in the garage for the winter, or not. But I thought I would respond with a few things I have learned that might help.

I also have an attached 2-car garage to my house. When I get a new group of 10-day old chicks in early spring, I brood them out in my garage under heat lamps. I use deep bedding in the brooder, and just add fresh litter on top of the old litter as needed. There is little to no smell from my brooder, because of the size of the chicks I suppose. But also the cold temperatures in the unheated garage helps to keep down any smells. Big garage, small brooder. Not a problem for me.

I have switched to using paper shreds as my coop litter. It is practically dust free. No bad smell to clean paper shreds either compared to native smells of something like straw litter.

I don't think I would consider putting full grown chickens in my attached garage, but maybe silkies would be OK? I agree that you definitely would want to stay ahead of any bad smells, which might require more frequent cleaning inside the garage, even with a deep bedding litter system.

Anyways, smells from my chick brooder in the attached garage has never been an issue for me. If using you garage is your best option, just plan on frequent cleaning and you might be able to get through this winter with your silkies. You would be the best judge of how well it works for you.

On the other hand, you might want to ask an honest friend about any bad smells from the chickens. I think those of us keeping animals can easily go nose blind to smells of our animals that others might find offensive!

Thank you for sharing your experience. I now have a coop inside of a greenhouse with pine shavings on the ground. I’m thinking about adding some straw when it gets cold here.

 

[gtaus]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I now have a coop inside of a greenhouse with pine shavings on the ground. I’m thinking about adding some straw when it gets cold here.

So, you have them outside for the winter?

FWIW, I'm not a big fan of straw. I'd just put more pine shavings on the ground, if needed. Of course, it all depends on how much you pay for litter. I use free paper shreds I make at home and that works great for me.

I have not bought coop litter in the 4+ years I have had a backyard flock. I have used free wood chips, leaves raked up on the lawn, dried grass clippings after mowing the lawn, and now paper shreds. They all worked better for me than when I bought straw bales and used that as litter. But I do like pine shavings, so if I had to buy my coop litter, that is what I would buy.