The shed is here.... OMG NOW WHAT!

[jrsckn]

You could always give them a box full of fine dirt and DE for a dustbath so they leave the floor alone.

 

[canesisters]

Coop space question.
The shed is 8x8. The 'rule' is 4sq feet/bird inside the coop (right?). So that would mean that I have 64 sq feet and could house 16 full grown hens... So why does it seem that my 6 half grown girls can't stay out of each other's way in there? I know that having them live full time in there isn't helping and I'm working on that this week, but they look sort of crowded in there. I think that I need to get those next box/roosts built and hung and get the pvc pipe feeder & nipple waterer hung up asap. Right now there are a lot of cinderblocks sitting around - holding up roosts, raising feeders and waterers, one for me to sit on. They're taking up a good bit of floor.

Any opinions on feeders and waterers? What do you use? What do you like about it? What do you hate?

 

[jrsckn]

You'll find things will be a LOT roomier when your run is done, my 17 chicks are 14 weeks and are only in my 8X8 coop when they sleep so don't worry about it being too small. I could probably keep 100 of them in there right now, they all roost in the same 3' section of roost space lol. Makes my job scooping the poop board easier though! It'll open up once everything is done and off the floor.

I have a gravity 5 gal waterer and I hate it! I can never get it open by myself, the first time DH opened it for me but the next time he wasn't home so my 14 year old daughter and I both had an end and were twisting and turning (while the chichens stared at us lol) for 5 minutes before it budged. I'm getting 5 gal buckets with nipples as soon as I can afford it.

Feeders, I feed fermented feed which cuts way down on chicken smell so I use glass bread pans right now and plan on switching to a pvc trough as soon as money permits.

 

[Hamstery]

We have a 5 gallon bucket with nipples for the waterer. It's great for keeping the water clean. We love it. Our feeder is unique. It feeds from the outside of the coop through a wide elbow type pipe. ( I need to get a picture) It falls into a round bowl type area that was constructed just small enough that they have a hard time scratching it out all over the place. Works great for us.

 

[amenfarm]

You asked about what goes on top of the crush/run, in our stable we have the crush stone and then they put a mesh barrier then rubber mats. The mesh barrier looks like the kind of mesh used for grass reseeding. Any liquids seep into the crushed stone, and the pine shavings stay in place and dry quickly. I use sweet PDZ horse stall freshener sprinkled through out for smells, and we have a 3 inch deep poop deck filled with sweet PDZ that I scoop daily--No chicken smell--the ammonia gas is broken down instantly and you can use it in your cats litter box, under for clumping litter, on top for non-clumping.
It may be a little late but I'd watch the tops of the block and the bottom of the shed walls for rot, usually you would put a moisture barrier along the tops where it's in contact with the walls.
I think you got a marvelous coop, your girls should settle in better when they leave the "teenage" months.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Don't you measure sq feet, not cubic? Install some intermediate roosts to help them climb down...alot of heavy jumping on a hard surface can cause bumblefoot as well as ovarian problems in heavy layers....or pad it with straw.

 

[canesisters]

Don't you measure sq feet, not cubic? Install some intermediate roosts to help them climb down...alot of heavy jumping on a hard surface can cause bumblefoot as well as ovarian problems in heavy layers....or pad it with straw.

Do I owe Mrs. Horton (elementary math teacher) ANOTHER apology???? Isn't sq feet length x width? So wouldn't 8' long x 8' wide be 64 sq feet?

Right now, they're jumping down from about 10" high. I'm betting that even with something between the perch and the ground, they'd still be going "THUMP!" when they jump off - little heifers!

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

No, I think I must apologize I think I must have been on a different thread!! You know, if you add some vertical height, you can use that cubic foot theory.

 

[brocknash]

Just found this thread and read the whole thing. You should post pics of the finished product!
I am in the process of building one and am about 3/4 the way done and so ar i am at $15.00 spent.
I think I will start a thread as well cause I have a few questions. Looks like you got alot of good input here.

 

[canesisters]

Oh yeah! Folks have been great with ideas and advise. I'm still a long way from finished yet. Once it's all done, I hope to be able to figure out how to do one of those 'coop pages'.

Ha ha - $15.00 Just wait till you have to go buy hardware cloth. That stuff is ridiculous.

Looking forward to seeing picts of yours.