Things you've learned while building your coop...

[SimplyForties]

Quote:
A poop board is a removable surface (board, old baking sheet, etc.) that goes under the roosts, making it just a little easier to clean up. A nest box with a slanted top will keep your chickens from roosting (and pooping) atop your nesting boxes. Making your roosts higher than your nesting boxes will also help as chickens tend to roost on the highest surface.

Hope that helps.

 

[mechagrue]

A poop board is a removable surface (board, old baking sheet, etc.) that goes under the roosts, making it just a little easier to clean up. A nest box with a slanted top will keep your chickens from roosting (and pooping) atop your nesting boxes. Making your roosts higher than your nesting boxes will also help as chickens tend to roost on the highest surface.

Can I just mention at this point how much I love this site? I'm sure "poop board" has been explained a million times already, but I'd never heard the term before. Thank you for explaining it, again, for the millionth chicken newbie to show up on this site during the spring chick madness!

I have two seedling trays sitting unused in the shed - even though it's after dark and pouring rain, I'm so excited by this whole "poop board" thing, I'm going to suit up and take them out there right now!​

 

[kathyinmo]

Newbie here.. OK, We have the coop built. We live in southwest Missouri. We have 2 week old chicks (44, so far). We thought we could handle more?? Anyway, It is 12 ft (sides) x 16 ft. It has a "shed," type roof (front high, back low) 8 ft front, 6 ft back wall. Metal roof, over OSB. We have 2 windows on the (west) back wall, and the front is 4 ft opening for the door (not done yet), and a large window. On the sides (north and south) we left the top triangular area (where the 8 ft goes down to the 6 ft) open, covered with chicken wire), for ventilation. No plan to cover, even in winter. We used OSB, and have covered it all (inside and out, floors and walls, in oil based glossy porch paint, as recomended on another thread. No insulation and no inside walls, just lots of paint. My questions are: Plan is to build the nests on one of the side walls. How many and what size? How about bookshelf looking nests, 3 high? No nests open to the outside. Is it wise to have the roosts along the back wall (3 - 18 ft long roosts made of 2x4s, about 16 inches apart??)? How would we do a poop board? I don't understand how that works. Is it a board on the floor, or close to the roosts? Is it a board covered with linoleum or tin or what? If it is 18 foot long, how could I move it? No electricity, as it is quite aways away from the source. Also want to have a storage area for supplies on one side, should it be a room, or just a big box with sloping lid? Do we need to cut out little "chicken doors?" We will have a very large outside run. Please advise. Thanks in advance.

 

[Intheswamp]

kathyinmo, regarding the absence of interior walls you might want to install a 1-2 foot tall border around the walls. This will keep the litter from getting between the wall studs and making you have to dig the litter out from between the studs during cleaning. Especially helpful if using the deep litter method. If you have a wood floor, cover in with linoleum.

Ed

 

[SportTees]

You need to make at least 2 and make them big enough for at least 100 chicks

 

[Chick_a_dee]

1. Realize what you're getting into before you start tearing apart a 90 year old ice shed that is infested with bees LOL
2. Use PUCK BOARD or tile board for your walls, its expensive but it makes a big difference on the inside and its washable

 

[JakRat]

Plastic nesting boxes are removable and easy to clean.
A frames are hard to paint.
Chicken wire hurts.
Chickens run into chicken wire in a hilarious fashion.

 

[Dancing]

Kathy, I'm in south east Kansas and our weather gets really bad at times. I would suggest some way to cover the windows or you will end up with the inside soaked during one of our infamous thunderstorms. Also, our winters do get cold enough and stay that way long enough you need to consider a heat source. Their water will freeze pretty quickly during the winter so a heated water source is going to be needed.

 

[d_cat88]

If you have cats, those big plastic buckets that cat litter comes in make excellent nest boxes. And always make sure you position your coop and run so that you can enjoy watching your new lawn ornaments

 

[chickens3]

Water proof the roof.