the floor of the coop

[Gifa]

, Gifa, your coop/run setup is beautiful! I'm going to have to try the wood pellets- how do they hold up? I really need to put a run up if only for the winter. It would be nice to give the chooks some "outside" time while the ground is covered with snow.

As for a non-stick coop floor, pond liner works well too and you can get it in big sheets. Also, you can do the deep litter method without fear of your plywood floor rotting over time.

I get the hardwood fuel pellets, versus the pine pellets... They're like a third the price, and in my state, they're tax exempt.

I like to break the pellets down with water so that they fall through 1/4" mesh. I of course let it dry out for a couple of days before putting the bedding in the coop. This makes daily coop maintenance a lot faster and easier. I am literally able to scoop the coop, fill the feeders, take out their water, and collect eggs in about 10 minutes. They last 4-5 months with daily cleaning... and I only use 2 bags at a time. So I literally only spend 8 dollars on bedding every 4 or 5 months.

So I opt to not keep any water in the coop at night... Because I don't add supplemental lighting to the coop, once they go up to roost for the night the chickens don't come down until morning.
So I carry their water, along with a few scoops of feed in a small bucket and set it out in their run. And I also throw down a handful of scratch... While the girls are busy with their fresh water, feed and scratch, I go to the next task... tidying their coop. Here's my cleaning tools and routine...


I gather the tools which I keep behind the coop under the roof overhang, I swing the door on the front of the coop open, and hook their small feeder up and out of the way. This is what I see. This is 7 chickens having pooped in a line directly under their roost all night long.



So these are the tools. A deep dustpan attached to a PVC handle. The scraper tool from a dog poop scooper set, and the 1/4" sifting screen frame I use to process the pellets (which I do over a wheelbarrow, hence the size of the frame).


I use the scraper tool to float the poop, which is just sitting on top of the bedding, into the dustpan, and I drop it into the sifting screen.


Once I have it all in there, I give it a shake to let the bedding that's still perfectly usable fall through. Then I set this outside of the coop.


The last thing I do, is push the scraper tool through the bedding from front to back, which churns the bedding. Any poops I missed magically come to the top of the sawdust. I scoop those out and toss them into the screen which is just outside of the coop on the ground where I put it. Then, once I've gotten all of the big obvious poops out, I use the scraper to smooth the bedding back to front.


When I am done, I lower the little feed can to the appropriate height, close the door, and then carry the poop over to the compost bin and dump it in there. Then I put my tools away, collect the eggs and I'm done. It's a small coop, so it's literally an 8 minute affair from start to finish.



This last photo was what the bedding looked like brand new on October 30th. The other photos that show my cleaning process were taken on December 5th. So you can see that they last a good long while. The black bin has Stall Dry in it. It's meant for them to take dust bathes in, but they never do... so I am nixing it in March when I change out their bedding again. BTW, the used bedding makes really awesome compost in a relatively short amount of time. As in... the bedding I threw in the compost Oct 30th was done cooking by thanksgiving.

Daily maintenance is key... But again... I'm already out there to feed, water and collect eggs anyway... and it takes less than 10 minutes because it's done everyday. The benefits are... it saves the floor, it extends the usefulness of the bedding, it prevents ammonia buildup, keeps humidity low and it's just a more sanitary environment for the chickens... Just 8 minutes of my time for all that? Pfft! Sold!

 

[Melabella]

I get the hardwood fuel pellets, versus the pine pellets... They're like a third the price, and in my state, they're tax exempt.

I like to break the pellets down with water so that they fall through 1/4" mesh. I of course let it dry out for a couple of days before putting the bedding in the coop. This makes daily coop maintenance a lot faster and easier. I am literally able to scoop the coop, fill the feeders, take out their water, and collect eggs in about 10 minutes. They last 4-5 months with daily cleaning... and I only use 2 bags at a time. So I literally only spend 8 dollars on bedding every 4 or 5 months.

So I opt to not keep any water in the coop at night... Because I don't add supplemental lighting to the coop, once they go up to roost for the night the chickens don't come down until morning.
So I carry their water, along with a few scoops of feed in a small bucket and set it out in their run. And I also throw down a handful of scratch... While the girls are busy with their fresh water, feed and scratch, I go to the next task... tidying their coop. Here's my cleaning tools and routine...


I gather the tools which I keep behind the coop under the roof overhang, I swing the door on the front of the coop open, and hook their small feeder up and out of the way. This is what I see. This is 7 chickens having pooped in a line directly under their roost all night long.



So these are the tools. A deep dustpan attached to a PVC handle. The scraper tool from a dog poop scooper set, and the 1/4" sifting screen frame I use to process the pellets (which I do over a wheelbarrow, hence the size of the frame).


I use the scraper tool to float the poop, which is just sitting on top of the bedding, into the dustpan, and I drop it into the sifting screen.


Once I have it all in there, I give it a shake to let the bedding that's still perfectly usable fall through. Then I set this outside of the coop.


The last thing I do, is push the scraper tool through the bedding from front to back, which churns the bedding. Any poops I missed magically come to the top of the sawdust. I scoop those out and toss them into the screen which is just outside of the coop on the ground where I put it. Then, once I've gotten all of the big obvious poops out, I use the scraper to smooth the bedding back to front.


When I am done, I lower the little feed can to the appropriate height, close the door, and then carry the poop over to the compost bin and dump it in there. Then I put my tools away, collect the eggs and I'm done. It's a small coop, so it's literally an 8 minute affair from start to finish.



This last photo was what the bedding looked like brand new on October 30th. The other photos that show my cleaning process were taken on December 5th. So you can see that they last a good long while. The black bin has Stall Dry in it. It's meant for them to take dust bathes in, but they never do... so I am nixing it in March when I change out their bedding again. BTW, the used bedding makes really awesome compost in a relatively short amount of time. As in... the bedding I threw in the compost Oct 30th was done cooking by thanksgiving.

Daily maintenance is key... But again... I'm already out there to feed, water and collect eggs anyway... and it takes less than 10 minutes because it's done everyday. The benefits are... it saves the floor, it extends the usefulness of the bedding, it prevents ammonia buildup, keeps humidity low and it's just a more sanitary environment for the chickens... Just 8 minutes of my time for all that? Pfft! Sold!

Beautiful! Well done! Do you think the wood pellets are easier to sift through than conventional pine shavings? When the water is added, and they fluff up, do they feel just like pine shavings? I know the wood pellets break down for compost far quicker than shavings, so that is one perk. I am considering going to this for my horse stalls when I set up my compost for that.

Just a bit of a suggestion on the stall dry bin. I set up the same thing for my chicks with Stall PDZ and DE. They hated it,, never used it. I had a container with my fireplace ashes that I was going to put out in the compost pile, and wouldn't you know it ,, they dove in there and were dusting up a storm. If you have any plain wood ashes from a fireplace or wood stove, switch it out to the bin,, worth a try before you take it out in March.

Nice setup!
MB

 

[Time-Out]

For a dustbath, mine love a mix of DE, soil and wood ash from the fire pit.

This sounds like a fabulous idea for my little coop. How do you dry the pellets out? Living in England, outside is out of the question...

 

[Melabella]

For a dustbath, mine love a mix of DE, soil and wood ash from the fire pit.

This sounds like a fabulous idea for my little coop. How do you dry the pellets out? Living in England, outside is out of the question...

If it is the product I believe he is using you add a gallon of water per bag, or just spray lightly with a hose. They fluff up to look like regular pine shavings but a bit finer, and much flufflier. I don't believe they stay wet for very long.

 

[The Bird House]

Yeah, I think it's super cool to build a structure that blends in with the local charm.

I read in a lot of places that 10 square feet per bird is the minimum... but I went with just over 20 square feet per bird... seems to stay cleaner for a lot longer... I literally just go in there once a week and give the straw a good churn... things desiccate a little more quickly, the chickens love to dig around in the freshly churned straw, and after 4 months, I just till it all under and let it mother earth take care of it. Other than the freshly dealt cecal poo, there's no real chicken odor wafting out of their pen. I do have a little vanilla car freshener tree hanging in there to keep the flies away in the summer... so, my set up actually smells sweet.

I also like that the run is pretty deep. I've seen a lot of runs that are long and narrow... but I always feel like the chickens really only have room to pace back and forth. So I like that the end is a 7'x7' square, the middle angles back in toward the coop, and the area under the coop is a 6'x6' square. And I like to change the furniture in there seasonally... in the winter, straw bales, in the summer, logs... Keeps it interesting for them.

I love your rooster painting. Very graphic and perfect for a sign on a restaurant. I like his squinty-eyed expression... a total Roo 'tude. =)

It's totally off topic, but here's a few examples of my poultry and fowl work. =) I made them really tiny so they wouldn't be obnoxious in the grande scheme of this thread, but you can click to see them bigger if you're into it.

Nice Work Gifa! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks again for the info on your coop and run set up. Looks like you have a very successful living space for your birds. (I've taken notes)

 

[bellgirl99]

Just getting started here, and trying to research as much as possible before starting. My coop doesn't have a floor. It goes straight to earth. Do I need to install a floor. I thought they would like the dirt. The coop is movable, so i was planning to move periodically, and keep a good layer of bedding down in the winter. There will be a run as well (when finished) and a perimeter fence. The run will be floorless.

 

[Melabella]

Just getting started here, and trying to research as much as possible before starting. My coop doesn't have a floor. It goes straight to earth. Do I need to install a floor. I thought they would like the dirt. The coop is movable, so i was planning to move periodically, and keep a good layer of bedding down in the winter. There will be a run as well (when finished) and a perimeter fence. The run will be floorless.

Dirt is way wonderful! The one risk though is predator digging under at night. This is the main reason to floor in the coop. I have a dirt floor run of course, but dug wire a foot down all around it.

Are you in a high predator area? Also, if you are raising young birds, a lot of dampness and moisture can come through a dirt floor which would lead to considerable chill at night.

Food for thoughts
MB

 

[bellgirl99]

Dirt is way wonderful! The one risk though is predator digging under at night. This is the main reason to floor in the coop. I have a dirt floor run of course, but dug wire a foot down all around it.

Are you in a high predator area? Also, if you are raising young birds, a lot of dampness and moisture can come through a dirt floor which would lead to considerable chill at night.

Food for thoughts
MB

Yes, definetly coyotes in the area. We were planning on chicken wire around the base of the perimeter fence, but these are all good points. Thank you!

 

[Melabella]

Yes, definetly coyotes in the area. We were planning on chicken wire around the base of the perimeter fence, but these are all good points. Thank you!

Oh and
To BackYardChickens! Happy to have you! Make sure you let us know how it's going, and we LOVE pictures of birds here!


MB

 

[Melabella]

Bellgirl99

PS..love the pic in your avatar,, what a cutie,, but was going to say,,, if that huge pile of leaves is on your property the CHICKENS will ADORE that! Put a layer of that and some good soil from the woods in your run, it will entertain them for hours! It is the base for a wonderful Deep Litter floor in the run. Lots of great bugs and organisms to help them get acclimated to your surroundings!