Small backyard coop

[KayChickMom29]

I'm debating on what the best type of flooring to put in my chicken run. It was grass at first, but I was worried about it getting muddy. I'm in the Southampton, VA area and while we don't get much snow, it gets pretty rainy, and temps right now for spring range from lows in the 30s to anywhere from the 50s-70s. So, then I put bricks and pea gravel in the run for drainage. I'm wondering if I should also put shavings or something in there. My coop overall is pretty small.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

How many chickens in there? You're right that wood chips are good for drainage and also easier to rake out/clean up... Are they going to free range at all? I use big pavers for humans to walk on but that'll be awkward for chickens and might even cause bumblefoot, not sure. It's really cute.

 

[KayChickMom29]

How many chickens in there? You're right that wood chips are good for drainage and also easier to rake out/clean up... Are they going to free range at all? I use big pavers for humans to walk on but that'll be awkward for chickens and might even cause bumblefoot, not sure. It's really cute.

There's 5, 2 ISA Browns and 3 Rhode Island Reds. I do plan on letting them out to roam the yard a couple times a week. I was wondering if I might use the deep litter method if possible inside th coop and the run.

 

[p4PaDuck]

Imma be real honest here
For starters the coop is kinda small for 5 chickens not tiny or huge but for 5 full grown chickens it’s small. Also there might no be enough nest boxes. Also also in my experience Rhode Island’s can get aggressive as adults to newcomers and other flock members. I haven’t had Isa browns before. If it was up to me I would sell two RIRS and keep one isa brown and get more docile breeds like orpingtons, australorps, Sussex, buckeye, or bantams. I am not saying I don’t like Rhode Island’s but they tend to start problems in the flock, like egg eating, cannibalism. They just thrive in a more spacious area.

I really hope this doesn’t discourage you.
I agree on wood chips. They fluff up better and absorb a lot of mess.

Lovely set up!

 

[Kentucky Fan]

Deep litter is a great idea. I’d say one bag of the tax white bag pine shavings would do that coop for at least a week if you shuffle it around a couple times.

 

[p4PaDuck]

Deep litter is a great idea. I’d say one bag of the tax white bag pine shavings would do that coop for at least a week if you shuffle it around a couple times.

yup! I would love to do deep litter but I have ducks and that gets very complicated!

 

[aart]

Gravel might be good drainage, but it will gather poop and reek.

 

[rosemarythyme]

There's 5, 2 ISA Browns and 3 Rhode Island Reds. I do plan on letting them out to roam the yard a couple times a week. I was wondering if I might use the deep litter method if possible inside th coop and the run.

Realistically you do not have the space needed for deep litter, which is requires volume in order to work. When you see folks talking about never having to clean out their deep litter it's because they're usually using several inches of mixed organic matter with a bird-to-run ratio well above the recommended minimum.

Gravel is not recommended as a substrate as poop gets lodged in it and can start stinking as it builds up, plus the sharp edges it can lead to cuts that get infected and turn into bumblefoot. The pavers are also a problem - chickens are natural diggers and the pavers are preventing them from acting on that instinct.

If you do have mud or drainage issues, you need to address those separately of the litter issue. There's no form of litter that will fix mud problems if water has nowhere to drain off to.

I strongly suggest you consider getting a larger run, or move to full time free ranging. This entire unit can be converted into a larger coop and placed inside the run. Right now your birds are still tiny, but as they grow older they're likely to chafe at the tight quarters, and being let out an hour here and there won't make up for it. Best to avoid behavioral problems rather than trying to fix them later.

 

[KayChickMom29]

Imma be real honest here
For starters the coop is kinda small for 5 chickens not tiny or huge but for 5 full grown chickens it’s small. Also there might no be enough nest boxes. Also also in my experience Rhode Island’s can get aggressive as adults to newcomers and other flock members. I haven’t had Isa browns before. If it was up to me I would sell two RIRS and keep one isa brown and get more docile breeds like orpingtons, australorps, Sussex, buckeye, or bantams. I am not saying I don’t like Rhode Island’s but they tend to start problems in the flock, like egg eating, cannibalism. They just thrive in a more spacious area.

I really hope this doesn’t discourage you.
I agree on wood chips. They fluff up better and absorb a lot of mess.

Lovely set up!

I really appreciate the honest feedback. I figured it would be too small for them. It has 3 nesting boxes as of now. I have been making my own adjustments and alterations to the overall coop, to include giving them a larger run. That's definitely something I have to consider though about my RIRs. I'd read mixed reviews about their behavior that it's really luck of the draw as far as their personalities go with people and other flock members. Thanks again for the advice! I will also go ahead with the wood chips in the run

 

[Justicedog]

I agree with p4PaDuck. My RIR was a real jerk, though each chicken is different.

To me, it seems way too small, both the coop and the run. In the run, think about what you'll want for them, water, food, dust bath or two and how much floor space is that going to take?

I wouldn't think the roosting bar would hold them all when they're older. They say 12" minimum per bird. I don't think you've got 5 feet there. I think the ramp runs right into the water cups. I guess they'd have to hop up from the side.

I'd also suggest that the roosting bar be wider so they don't have to wrap their feet around corners and can just stand on it.

My run was grass and became dirt, that's going to happen. Even if they have a whole yard to roam in, they'll pick a spot and make it a dust bath spot. My run is around 10 feet by 17 feet. I consider it too small for my 5 girls without being let out into the yard. I've not been letting them out as the neighbor's dog has gotten into my fenced yard twice, once killing a chicken and the second time harassing them and getting a mouthful of feathers, so I have to figure something else out to let them have more safe room.

As I said, the run was grass, became dirt (mud when it rains). I've added sand to it, I toss leaves in it. I've also thrown in the wood shavings that go inside the coop when I had extra or if it was really muddy.

I don't live in Texas, but my motto is the bigger the better.