I have a mixed flock of 15 in southeast Texas, where winters are pretty mild with occasional freezes. The raised coop is 6'x8' and enclosed covered run is 10'x 20'.
- What bedding/material works best for the coop floor and the nest boxes?
Our coop is 6x8 and raised up and deep litter never worked well for me like it did over a dirt floor. The plywood floor is painted with a thick coat of roof sealant (Blackjack Rubr-coat #54) to keep it waterproof and durable. There's 2-3" of coarse sand mixed with sweet PDZ on the floor, which gets raked and scooped every morning. Dry as a bone and absolutely no smells, plus their feet and thus eggs are cleaner because of the sand. They don't hang out in the coop at all, only to sleep and lay so I don't worry about it being too cold on their feet. I have 2 communnal next boxes (size of 4 singles) and have a roll out floor covered in plastic nest pads. I added straw at first to to cozy it up... they no longer need it. Those stiff gray pads don't seem comfy to me but they all use it just fine and the eggs are super clean and never broken.
-How do you keep the coop dry?
The coop is raised up and windows are well covered by eaves. There are plexi windows I can put in when wet/cold. I only have a small container of water in the coop with a horizontal mount nipple (they never leak!) in case they get locked in the coop by accident. The pop door is always open since the run is predator proof. The run is covered and I use deep litter method with straw and leaves. During our frequent torrential rains, I add more straw to cover any muddy spots. In hindsight, the entire run should have been up higher a couple inches, so I had to put a drain in the lowest corner to help water out of the coop.
- Roosts and nest boxes - How many do you provide, how much space on the roosts, what do you use as nest boxes and how do you make them attractive for the hens, etc?
I have two 8' long 2x4s for roosts and two 12x24" communal style nest boxes for 15 hens. The boxes are painted a dark color and have privacy curtains with plastic nest pads in the bottom. They liked the hay but it keeps the eggs from rolling out so I only give them hay occasionally or when it's cold. I had to make the boxes "handicap accessible" and added a step for my silkie since she can't jump as high.
- What "boredom busters" can you provide to amuse and distract bored, cooped up birds when the weather is really bad?
Pulled weeds, hang up heads of cabbage/romaine, ears of corn, old fruit, squash/pumpkins, scratch in the run, new flakes of hay or straw- don't spread it, they LOVE that part. I try to let them out to forage for a couple hours a day. They have a natural branch jungle gym and swing, perches at all heights, dust bath, and get occasional empty boxes to poop and perch in/on.
- What else do you provide/do to make sure the flock is happy and comfortable in there?
I have huge coop windows for much needed ventilation over the summer. In the winter, We put in plexiglass windows to keep the drafts out. My kids and I go in the coop daily to dole out treats and love. My Easter egger and Banty cochin actually love to be held and pet. Half of them jump up to be in our laps. They're all going to be freeloaders in a few years, but I'm ok with that. They're my babies.
Here is the chicken version of sistene chapel.
