I've looked as plastic is super easy to clean but have yet to find a large plastic coop available out here. You can get small ones for about 4 hens. No good for me.
Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.
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This is the feather forcast for Bristol East allotments.
There will be further outbreaks of dustbathing throughout the day with some tentative paddling between the main baths.
There will be further outbreaks of dustbathing throughout the day with some tentative paddling between the main baths.
That second picture is priceless!
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The-White-Elephant
Philippians 4:13
I know! I actually laughed out loud at Henry looking down at his puddle of hens.
Me too! Not sure if he's proud of them or wondering why the heck they're squeezing on top one of another!
Lovely girl though she does look slightly grumpy! What's her name and how old is she?
Seems like this was a lovely day at the allotments, and a lovely feather forecast! Interesting that I seem to notice grey and brown in the bath puddle. Are these two of the new comers mixing in ?
I do. I have three of these coops, two medium sized and one large size lodge. https://www.greenfrogdesigns.co.uk/chickens-ducks-geese/
The sizing info is there too, though I can add that, by choice and on occasion, twelve of my flock (and they're all large fowl) have packed into the large, and 8 into a medium, so they are comfortable fits (normally the birds distribute themselves more evenly). And the local govt inspector told me that if the birds can choose where to roost, and there is enough space for everybody, it does not matter how close they choose to be on any given night; regulations are designed to prevent abuse of animals that have no choice.
So, to mites. I've had two kinds occasionally over 5 years, little red spider mites when the coops were placed under some trees, and regular chicken mites both there and when they were on a concrete terrace next to a building for an AI winter. I think the red spider mites came from the trees and the chickens pick up regular mites when foraging, i.e. all the time. Most of the time the flock takes care of mites itself and mites are not apparent on them or in the coop. If they're there, red spider mites are easy to spot as they climb around outside when I take the back off the coop to poo-pick each day, and red stands out against the smooth black plastic or the green or yellow roof. An infestation of regular mites - which has happened when I had a broody - is pretty obvious too in the corners of a nest box when poo-picking, not because of colour but because there is tiny movement in the shavings (small shavings are better than large for this). The coop consists essentially of 6 sheets of tough plastic, smooth as a baby's bum on the inside, so there's almost nowhere for mites to hide. To dispose of them completely in one move, I disassemble the affected coop, wash everything with Jeyes fluid (a defra approved cleaner for poultry, good for AI too, and can be bought in a large supermarket or ironmongers for a sensible price). The nest boxes come apart the same way, and the roosts come right out. I stand them end on in the fluid while I'm cleaning other bits to ensure the holes (where the securing pins go) get thoroughly cleaned - it's one of the only places mites can hide out of sight.
Other pluses are: it's easy to move to fresh ground with 2 people (handles are built into the roof), it's well ventilated (the length of one side under the roof is crenelated, like a castle battlement, plus user adjustable holes the other side), it's rodent and predator proof (for UK predators; not sure about a bear!) - no animal has even marked the exterior. And should you have to break your chicken habit (heaven forbid!) it holds its value very well on the resale market. I've seen them go on ebay-type sites for as much as a new one! I got one of mine second hand and the seller said she was inundated with would-be buyers. And they're made of recycled agricultural plastic, so you're helping the planet! So, to conclude this lengthy answer to a very short question (!), strong plastic coops won't stop your chickens picking up mites if they free-range, but they make life very difficult for mites and very easy for chickens and their keepers.
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