The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[chickiemomy]

I do have deep litter issues. Like I have stated. I have never deep littered and this is my first year. I have noticed it is keeping my floor damp. I have wood floors in the coop and now I worry about wood rot. Could I put sand on the bottom to prevent that? It just started when the weather got nice and the coop thawed out. All the talk of ammonia smells in corners had me digging out my corners and they are all damp wood under.

I have heard of people lining the floor of their coop with linoleum - making a waterproof barrier to start with. We used oil-based polyurethane - made for floors - I think we put 3 coats on the floor & up the inside 10 inches or so. (Walls have gloss enamel) Plus the floor of the coop is elevated 30 inches above the ground, no earth contact. Sand might help -for now - might want to do some remodeling come spring to keep it from becoming an issue??? Clear it out - dry it out & figure out a moisture proof base?

 

[DeesHens]

Quote:
Wow! I can't believe I saw your post.Thanks Chickiemomy. I am reading in two segments. Finished posts 1-58 yesterday. Then came back tonight and saw an additional 140+ new posts.

I'll never catch up. Kinda lost in posts 380's in the brine and bacon posts tonight. LOL. I'll figure it out tomorrow as I am too tired tonight and had a very busy day so didn't get a chance to read much.
Well, actually I am up in Clallam county with my feet in the Strait of Juan De Fuca and my head resting on the gorgeous snow capped Olympic Mountains.

Hey Everybody. I won't catch up for awhile so please let me know if I miss any posts for me. I hate not responding in a timely manner. Maybe can PM me with post #? Unless that is asking too much? OK if so. Have patience with me... I will get there eventually.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I do have deep litter issues. Like I have stated. I have never deep littered and this is my first year. I have noticed it is keeping my floor damp. I have wood floors in the coop and now I worry about wood rot. Could I put sand on the bottom to prevent that? It just started when the weather got nice and the coop thawed out. All the talk of ammonia smells in corners had me digging out my corners and they are all damp wood under.

When we turned the garden shed into a hen house I got a cheap piece of vinyl flooring and put it down for that very reason. Deep litter or not, I was thinking that I didn't want anything soaking into the wood and that was the reason I put it there. I wanted everything to be easy to clean.

We also lined most of the walls with a water proof metal type siding (the kind used on trailers) and painted anything that was wood. The siding was stuff my husband already had laying around for another project so we didn't go buy it. If he hadn't had it I probably would have just painted at least around the base of the interior. And if I couldn't get vinyl for the floor I probably would have painted that too if I could find a relatively non-toxic floor paint.

I had visions of cleaning out the coop and having areas where the floors and wall bases were wet and all kinds of things propagating in the wood. And my original motivation for doing the vinyl and painting everything else was that I know I'm lazy

and wanted everything to clean easily. Even painted the nest boxes - everything that was wood got painted.

I have wondered if the vinyl was smart. After I read more about deep litter I was the one that mentioned (on another thread) that I went out to the garden and put some dirt down on the vinyl as a base to get things going in the litter.

So far I haven't regretted the vinyl. And I'm glad I put the dirt in there too.

 

[stonykill]

I have heard of people lining the floor of their coop with linoleum - making a waterproof barrier to start with. We used oil-based polyurethane - made for floors - I think we put 3 coats on the floor & up the inside 10 inches or so. (Walls have gloss enamel) Plus the floor of the coop is elevated 30 inches above the ground, no earth contact. Sand might help -for now - might want to do some remodeling come spring to keep it from becoming an issue??? Clear it out - dry it out & figure out a moisture proof base?

poly is not going to hold up to prolonged moisture. I know people who use it on wood counter tops and it always fails miserably around the sink area.

 

[darkmatter]

I do have deep litter issues. Like I have stated. I have never deep littered and this is my first year. I have noticed it is keeping my floor damp. I have wood floors in the coop and now I worry about wood rot. Could I put sand on the bottom to prevent that? It just started when the weather got nice and the coop thawed out. All the talk of ammonia smells in corners had me digging out my corners and they are all damp wood under.

I built my Coop years ago in B.C. (before computers) around the concept of a deep litter composting pit. The coop is built on a brick foundation with a subground level dirt floor, all the wood is above the dirt level for rot prevent reasons. The ladder roost is pivoted so I can lift it up out out of the way for compost removal reasons. I clean it out in the spring for fertilizer for the garden and add lawnmower clippings, pine needles/cones, leaves, and anything else I can rake up or mow every couple weeks or so for a couple inches layers. The chickens scratch it up and add their ingredients all summer long. I rarely have to turn it by hand.
Other features of the Coop is that the roof overhangs all four sides and there is drip guards over the doors and openings---must be working, the Coop has held up over twenty years now.
I also collect the rainwater off the roof and only have to carry water during the deep winter when it stays frozen. I do not have water or electricity run to the coop---it's not needed in a well designed arrangement. I do know of friends with the raised coop on legs having their chickens freeze in the winter, mine stays warm.

 

[aoxa]

X4

Because it's fun x5

Congrats BDM!! I'd be so excited

I'm waiting on my silkies to start laying still. I just put two nesting boxes in their pen last night.

 

[aoxa]

So aoxa what sex do you think my chick is?

Jockey, 8 weeks?

I'm going with boy. That comb and wattles are just too pink and the whole type of the bird screams roo.

 

[Melabella]

I built my Coop years ago in B.C. (before computers) around the concept of a deep litter composting pit. The coop is built on a brick foundation with a subground level dirt floor, all the wood is above the dirt level for rot prevent reasons. The ladder roost is pivoted so I can lift it up out out of the way for compost removal reasons. I clean it out in the spring for fertilizer for the garden and add lawnmower clippings, pine needles/cones, leaves, and anything else I can rake up or mow every couple weeks or so for a couple inches layers. The chickens scratch it up and add their ingredients all summer long. I rarely have to turn it by hand.
Other features of the Coop is that the roof overhangs all four sides and there is drip guards over the doors and openings---must be working, the Coop has held up over twenty years now.
I also collect the rainwater off the roof and only have to carry water during the deep winter when it stays frozen. I do not have water or electricity run to the coop---it's not needed in a well designed arrangement. I do know of friends with the raised coop on legs having their chickens freeze in the winter, mine stays warm.

Nice coop darkmatter!

What do you do with all the babies that hatch from those broodies? Love the "idiot roosters" coop....llol

Nice to have you on the thread!

MB

 

[Miss Lydia]

This is a change of subject but for years around here (since before I was born) ichthammol drawing salve has been used for wounds that have gotten infected. It is used on all of the animals and
If a cow, pig, sheep, goat, dog whatever got in infection in a wound a big glob of ichthammol was put on and an old rag tied around it and a few days later all was good. I got a couple infection at times and the same was done to me. Smells terrible and we wore it to school but I don't remember any of the farm kids that did not smell of it at one time or another. So no one payed the smell no never mind. I used it on my kids and will use it on they're kids too or whatever gets hurt.

IMO It has way different uses than nu stock though and it is thick like grease and does not separate.

I get it at tractor supply.
Miss Lydia supplied me with this link. Hope this is ok.
http://herbs.lovetoknow.com/Ichthammol_Ointment

Hey maybe you should post the info about the Ichthammol ointment on here https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/729825/all-natural-herbal-remedies-and-recipes-for-chickens

 

[Leahs Mom]

I built my Coop years ago in B.C. (before computers) around the concept of a deep litter composting pit. The coop is built on a brick foundation with a subground level dirt floor, all the wood is above the dirt level for rot prevent reasons. The ladder roost is pivoted so I can lift it up out out of the way for compost removal reasons. I clean it out in the spring for fertilizer for the garden and add lawnmower clippings, pine needles/cones, leaves, and anything else I can rake up or mow every couple weeks or so for a couple inches layers. The chickens scratch it up and add their ingredients all summer long. I rarely have to turn it by hand.
Other features of the Coop is that the roof overhangs all four sides and there is drip guards over the doors and openings---must be working, the Coop has held up over twenty years now.
I also collect the rainwater off the roof and only have to carry water during the deep winter when it stays frozen. I do not have water or electricity run to the coop---it's not needed in a well designed arrangement. I do know of friends with the raised coop on legs having their chickens freeze in the winter, mine stays warm.

Wow...I'm really liking that setup. Good photos! Thanks for sharing!

I wish I had dirt floors!!!!!

What size is the overall hen house dimensions?

Also - It looks like you're using something like stair railing for roosts? What diameter are they?

Mine is an old garden shed 8ft x 12 ft footprint and it is raised up from the ground. The temperature inside stays the same as outside...but I sure wish I had it working in such as way that the deep litter and body heat made it warmer in there! I wonder if there's hope for the litter creating that much heat in a coop that's raised?