The start.... Help :)

[smithills55]

Hello BYC!
I have been reading about chickens for a while now and have ordered a Sussex Hen house which will be delivered this week. This weekend I intend to turn a section of my garden into the hen house area / improved area feature of the garden

One key question is what do I put on the floor? The actual house is raised and the run extends out and under the house. What goes both inside the house and on the very floor? Or shall I just leave it as mud? Any advice would be great so I can prep it all this weekend before I even think of getting my first chickens


Many thanks in advance

Tom

 

[gryeyes]

I use pine shavings inside the coop section, nice and deep. If all you've got is mud, my first idea is to use concrete pavers for some of the run space where the ramp hits the ground. Then either pile leaves, pine needles, or even wood chips for the rest of the run.

The chickens will be able to scratch in the soil through the ground cover mulch but there will still be a non-mucky area for them to nap in the sun. Until they muck it up, of course... But with less mud available to them, it might be doable.

 

[bobelot]

The most popular seems to be pine shavings and straws . i have straw and its amazing how much. Chickens poo so I have to clean it out once every two weeks and I only three

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, Tom, and

! Great to have you here! If I understand you correctly, you are asking what type of flooring is good for your coop? I use painted plywood. I know some folks go to their local carpet and floor covering store and pick up a remnant of vinyl floor covering for cheap. This makes for easy clean up in the coop. If you are asking what kind of bedding, I use chopped hay or straw. Some use pine (not cedar) shavings. For the run, some folks use sand for less mud getting tracked into the coop. You might post your question in the Coops & Run thread below - you will get lots of good ideas. Best wishes to you!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/9/coop-run-design-construction-maintenance

Also, do a BYC search for "deep litter" and you will get a lot of good information!!

 

[thasista]

Hi from Kentucky!

 

[sourland]

Hi, Tom, good luck with that coop, and welcome to BYC.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

Welcome to BYC!!!

Glad you joined us!!

 

[liz9910]