Small flock, pre-fab coop help needed!

[KaneCoop]

I am new to backyard chickens. We've been raising three chicks indoors that are now ready to be moved outside. We have our prefab coop built from tractor supply, but I'm not sure what to put as a bedding/litter inside the coop. There is a pull-out drawer beneath the roost that is metal and takes up 2/3 of the space, and three nest boxes adjacent. What do I put down on this flooring? Do I need something different in the tray versus in the nest boxes? Do I leave the tray empty so I can scrape the poop off everyday? If I put the same material down in the whole coop, what's easiest? Sand? Pine flakes?

Thank you!

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC and the whacky, wonderful world of chickens. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters, especially when it comes to hatching.

Large-flake pine shavings are probably the most popular chicken bedding because they are absorbent, easy to handle, and readily available.

Can you show us a photo of the coop? I'm afraid that the description sounds like one of the ultra-tiny dollhouse coops that aren't at all suited to really keeping chickens and no kind of bedding will prevent it from becoming damp and stinky -- because it's probably too small (almost all prefabs claim to hold 2-3 times the number of chickens they actually should have in them), and almost certainly hasn't sufficient ventilation.

Let us know what you have and what kind of climate you're in and we can help you get off to the best possible start with your birds.

Some basic info:

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

4 hens

• 16 square feet in the coop. 4'x4' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber.
• 4 feet of roost
• 40 square feet in the run. 4'x10' or 5'x8'. 6'x6' is a bit too small, 6'x8' is more generous and easier to build than 5'x8'.
• 4 square feet of ventilation. A 2'x2' window is theoretically enough, but in practice doesn't create any air FLOW so better to spread the venting around (and even better to exceed the minimums, especially in warm climates).
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

 

[townchicks]

For a pull out drawer in a prefab, the easiest would be pine shavings, and just scoop out the poop daily. You can also use pine shavings in the nest box. Another option that I like, and what I use in my pooptray, is Sweet PDZ. Easy to scope out with a cat litter scoop, it absorbs moisture and helps with odor. I still use pine shavings in the nest box. You can get Sweet PDZ at tractor supply. I would recommend blocking off the nest boxes until the chicks are using the roost bar, so they don't sleep in them.

 

[aart]

Slide out drawer floors seem like a great idea, but in practice they don't often work well...
...especially once their poops are too big to clear the drawer slot.

 

[ihatedarkroast]

I found that a layer of absorbent pellets under the perches and some hay in the nesting boxes worked best for me. And yeah, like the other poster said, I have never used the pull out floor feature. It's too much of a pain. But it's a moot point now because I can no longer get the chickens to sleep inside the hen house. They prefer outside on the roof. And thus, they don't poop in the hen house.

We are upgrading to a pallet-built walk-in style coop though because the prefab one I have is not ideal.

 

[gtaus]

What do I put down on this flooring? Do I need something different in the tray versus in the nest boxes? Do I leave the tray empty so I can scrape the poop off everyday? If I put the same material down in the whole coop, what's easiest? Sand? Pine flakes?

First and foremost, welcome to the BYC community!

I see that Tractor Supply sells a variety of prefab coops. Which one did you get? Sounds like you should be OK with any of the coops if you have 3 chickens.

Since you have a pull out tray for cleaning, I would recommend pine shavings based on the shallow depth of the pull out trays I have seen on prefabs. You could also use pine shavings in the nest box. Another option that I have currently had success with is using shredded paper I make at home for free. I used shredded paper for deep bedding in the coop and also in the nest boxes. I would say that shredded paper works just as well as pine shavings, but pine shavings do look better. On the other hand, paper shreds are free, so it's hard to beat that aspect.

I have never owned a prefab coop with a pull out tray for cleaning. I suspect that you will be cleaning out the coop a lot as the chicks get older and their poo gets bigger. Although pine shavings are relatively inexpensive, paper shreds are free (for me) and if you end up using them for only a few days, then you will save money using paper shreds.

FYI, I bought a couple of paper shredders for less than $5 each at our local thrift store. There is some satisfaction used paid bills as chicken coop litter, if you know what I mean. I was shredding all our bills anyway, so I just started shredding all our junk mail, newspapers, and light cardboard food boxes. It all makes good litter.

Although I live on a lake, and can get all the free sand I could ever use, I am not a fan of using sand at all. In my experience, sand needs to be cleaned out all the time because it will get wet and smelly really fast. It is also much heavier than pine shavings or paper shreds, and that might be a consideration for your pull out cleaning tray. Also, I would not put sand in the nest boxes.

If your prefab is new, I would suggest you take a good look at that pull out tray and see if you can reinforce it now before it breaks. From what I have heard, that is about the first issue chicken owners experience with their prefab coops.

I hope to hear more from you and see some pictures of your birds. Everyone loves pics. Show off your birds.

 

[vblrn]

I am new to backyard chickens. We've been raising three chicks indoors that are now ready to be moved outside. We have our prefab coop built from tractor supply, but I'm not sure what to put as a bedding/litter inside the coop. There is a pull-out drawer beneath the roost that is metal and takes up 2/3 of the space, and three nest boxes adjacent. What do I put down on this flooring? Do I need something different in the tray versus in the nest boxes? Do I leave the tray empty so I can scrape the poop off everyday? If I put the same material down in the whole coop, what's easiest? Sand? Pine flakes?

Thank you!

I have a prefab from TSC too I use construction sand and just reach in and scoop it each morning. I thought about putting nothing on the tray but it is slippery for them Sand is working for me right now

 

[Mjvl]

My first coop was a prefab from TSC. I lined the metal pullout floor with a piece of laminate flooring. Originally I used hemp on the floor but switched to Sweet PDZ. Once the tray was filled, I found it difficult to pull out the tray so I simply scooped the poop daily. I also added a different roost bar that was higher than the roost bars provided.
I’ve since upgraded to a larger Amish-built coop and started the deep litter method. Don’t have to scoop every day which is a plus.

 

[vblrn]

I am new to backyard chickens. We've been raising three chicks indoors that are now ready to be moved outside. We have our prefab coop built from tractor supply, but I'm not sure what to put as a bedding/litter inside the coop. There is a pull-out drawer beneath the roost that is metal and takes up 2/3 of the space, and three nest boxes adjacent. What do I put down on this flooring? Do I need something different in the tray versus in the nest boxes? Do I leave the tray empty so I can scrape the poop off everyday? If I put the same material down in the whole coop, what's easiest? Sand? Pine flakes?

Thank you!

I have 2 TSC coops I use construction sand in the pull out tray but just reach in and scoop poop with a cat litter scoop My chicks are not ready to lay yet so I took out the nest dividers and that gives them more room as they are really small coops. I also sprinkle agricultural lime and mix it in the sand Not having a fly problem anymore

 

[AnnPann]

My coop (Omlet Cube) has a tray and I love using Sweet PDZ. I have 4 hens in there and clean it daily, and a $13 bag from TSC lasts me at least a month. It dries the poop out fast and makes scooping with a cat litter scoop easy. Smell is almost non-existent if I clean daily, even in this hot humid weather!