Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[chickenlindz]

Mines not on the ground but still compost just fine!

 

[lindz8504]

Deep litter is definitely the way to go! Mine doesn't smell at all except for an earthy smell. Mine is also not on the ground but has a wooden floor.

 

[mortie]

Mine is 20 inches or so off the ground. I'm hoping 6ish inches of litter is enough. I can do 8 if I had to.

My garage doesn't smell. I can't smell them in the garage until I stick my head right in the box and then it smells like....poop. But the birds themselves are stinky. probably from laying in their dirty shavings. They don't roost yet. I want to get the chicken wire on my run so I can move them OUTSIDE for good.

 

[cheeka]

on the smell factor... proper ventilation and adequate space is essential. y'all know I use deep litter, and I don't smell anything but earth. occasionally, the apple coop smells like ammonia, but it's tucked in the corner of the house, between the house and the dome, so it does have a lot of protection from the wind - and therefore is not as well ventilated. as long as I pull out the majority of the litter in there and change it over, it's never a problem. over the winter, I had to change it 2ce a week. now that it's nicer out, and dryer... it's once a week. everything else composts and I just add to it. I only pull all of it out at this time of year. I take my time and do it over a month or so...but I use a full 12" so it's a LOT to move. I've had visitors remark on how it doesn't smell at all considering how many birds are inside...

and it does get stuck in your nose. cats are worse. I am so fed up with the cats... I am at a loss. I can't get the smell out of the living room after all, so I have to pull the carpet. I called handyman this morning to make arrangements for some help. the real problem is Min Min won't stop going back there. I've caught her several times, carried her to the litter box only to have her dash back to the living room! Senility has set in I think. I actually blocked her in the litter room last night by putting a 16 lb bag of cat food in front of the hole in the door, she was attacking that bag - it took her 30 minutes, but she managed to knock it over and escape! the "litter room" is a "workshop" between the attached garage and the main house. it's got a nice workbench with huge drawers and a bunch of shelves... but I don't have hobbies that require a room like that, so it was a good spot to tuck the cat's boxes... it's not really "in" the house... it doesn't exactly stink in there, but it has it's own soupcon of aromas... so since she couldn't use the living room and refuses to use her boxes, she pooped and peed all over the floor under the bench. so gross. I may have to redo the linoleum in there too... I've lined the floor behind the TV with plastic and put newspaper on top to prevent any more seeping into the carpet and sub floor...but I can't have the house shown like this! cat stink will surely put off any buyers, and it will drive the price down!

rant over.

today I had to take my elderly friend to the lawyer to do her will, a power of attorney and a health care proxy. it took quite a while as she kept bursting into tears. it's gotta be rough... she's 86 next week, going blind and wanting to stay in her home, independently, but it's getting to be very difficult. by the time I got home, I found 3 broken eggs - yolk covered eggs from the Fosters, and 2 nests in the dome. the other 3 nests that contained eggs were fine. so I should have had 21 altogether, and am left with 18 for the day.

 

[Scrambles55]

I got my 2 Red Star chicks today. Now I am second guessing myself. Maybe it should have been a Red Star and a Golden sexlink. Ah Heck!!

Oh well.... Anyway, when I got home, I walked out to the coop to check on the kids and I had the box o chicks with me. The chicks were screaming! Then Rumples started squawking. When I peeked into the coop, I could see Rumples frantically running around looking for the chicks. I thought to myself... lets see what happens if I put a chick in. I was ready for quick intervention. As soon as I put chick#1 in, it ran to Rumples and snuggled up to her. Chick #2 did the same thing. Rumples then gathered up her brood and all was quiet. It is like they were her very own.

 

[Scrambles55]

Whee Whee....We got THREE!! Tomorrow is when I move Rumples and her chicks to the dog crate.

 

[mortie]

Cat pee smell is the WORST. Sorry you are dealing with that.

Space wise I have 16 sq ft in the coop. 4 sq feet of space per bird if I stick with 6, little less if I go with 6. The coop is 4 x4 with the nest box built externally so it doesn't take up any real estate inside.

Ventilation is where I have issues, as so many people. I put about an 8 inch tall vent along the top front of the coop that is about 3 feet long. I needed to put it high enough that the birds won't be exposed to much draft in the winter because it gets REALLY cold here. Can be as low as -30. I tried to position the roost so the opening is far enough over their heads that they won't get too cold in winter. The pop door can be left open if needed but as much as I tried, I"m not sure the run is secure enough from night predators. The fence is chicken wire which is not as secure as hardware cloth but HC is soooooo much more expensive, hubs would not agree to it. I could put in another window on the back but that would have to be shut in the winter so their 3 foot by 8 inch vent is going to be it in the winter. I guess we'll see how it goes and if it's a problem I will have to address it. What is there is probably not enough but it's more than most of the retail coops I have seen have.

We got most of the run fenced in. One more day of work and we'll be ready for chickens to move in.

 

[Scrambles55]

@cheeka ..I feel your cat pain. I have my male cat spraying the wall in DHs man cave. That is also where Snuggles likes to poop on the carpet. She used to poop in the downstairs bedroom, so we now keep that door closed. That is when she decided to poop where Squish likes to spray. But.... (and I know I am jinxing myself) since I put a new BIG litter box in the man cave where the spraying happens.... there has been no poop or spraying. Its only been 3 days, but it had been a 2-3 times a day thing. I also changed litter. I use the new super clumping stuff that comes in the silver box..... OK. Done with cat talk. Hey Cheeka... we BOTH need Jackson Galaxy to help.

 

[Scrambles55]

Cat pee smell is the WORST. Sorry you are dealing with that.

Space wise I have 16 sq ft in the coop. 4 sq feet of space per bird if I stick with 6, little less if I go with 6. The coop is 4 x4 with the nest box built externally so it doesn't take up any real estate inside.

Ventilation is where I have issues, as so many people. I put about an 8 inch tall vent along the top front of the coop that is about 3 feet long. I needed to put it high enough that the birds won't be exposed to much draft in the winter because it gets REALLY cold here. Can be as low as -30. I tried to position the roost so the opening is far enough over their heads that they won't get too cold in winter. The pop door can be left open if needed but as much as I tried, I"m not sure the run is secure enough from night predators. The fence is chicken wire which is not as secure as hardware cloth but HC is soooooo much more expensive, hubs would not agree to it. I could put in another window on the back but that would have to be shut in the winter so their 3 foot by 8 inch vent is going to be it in the winter. I guess we'll see how it goes and if it's a problem I will have to address it. What is there is probably not enough but it's more than most of the retail coops I have seen have.

We got most of the run fenced in. One more day of work and we'll be ready for chickens to move in.

 

[lindz8504]

Cheeka, try putting a litterbox where she is going potty.... it may help