Trailer Coop Build (Pic heavy)

[ColoradoPip]

Outdoor hinged ramps complete. I'll add a hook and bungie, or something similar, to keep the ramps up while I move the trailer. Tomorrow I might be done with everything except painting trim. Which will have to wait until the weather is better.

The ramps are 4ft long, 2ft high to the door entrance.

 

[ColoradoPip]

Today so much was finished!

I added little ramps inside leading up to the pop doors

Added a bunch of steps to the brooder ceiling

Reconfigured ramps for ease of access to things while the brooder/grower area is setup

Added a couple of mini roosts for the little ones

Which happened to be the last pic of the somewhat clean floor

Finished fencing and netting the temporary enclosure. They'll be here while I work on setting up the rest of the portable infrastructure

Next up, move the older girls in, maybe tomorrow!


@aart, do you mix sand and pdz for your poop trays? If so what proportions? How deep? Thank you!!

 

[Ted Brown]

I expect that aart will reply as well but straight PDX no sand (I asked the same question). PDZ absorbs moisture and by doing so eliminates smell, sand does not. Mixing reduces the effectiveness of the PDZ. I go through somewhere between 1/2 to 1 bag of PDZ a month with a dozen birds, it clumps together as it gets wet and needs to be disposed of into the compost or thrown out.

You need more shavings in the coop, mine is close to 6" deep packed down. I add straw to the mix things up, I just dump whatever I add in a pile in the middle, the birds have a blast spreading it around. I have yet to change it out, with that depth droppings just disappear, no smell, no obvious accumulation (however all my birds use the higher roost and I clean the drop board every day).

You will also need a board across the bottom of your entrance door, otheriwse shavings will be falling out every time you open it.

 

[aart]

You don't really need those little ramps to the pop doors.
How are you going to walk around in there, so much stuff!?!
Well, you can change stuff once coop gets some 'birdtime'.
Can't wait to see the birds in there!

@aart, do you mix sand and pdz for your poop trays? If so what proportions? How deep? Thank you!!

I used to mix sand to PDZ at about 3:1, but, then I could not get the 'good'(washed and kiln dried-so not dusty) sand anymore so went to straight PDZ granular. I keep it thin (<1-4") and completely sift it all daily.

Here's some posts about my boards, they're kind of old, but changes are noted.
...and the thread these posts are in has a ton of examples of poop boards.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-poop-pictures.621363/page-111#post-13179595
Updates:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-poop-pictures.621363/page-178#post-18966048

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/...ch-x-9-inch-mesh-drawer-organizer-silver.html

 

[skyshredder]

Yeah me too now.

I used a sawsall on the nails and left them in but ruin some sawblades later on

 

[ColoradoPip]

I expect that aart will reply as well but straight PDX no sand (I asked the same question). PDZ absorbs moisture and by doing so eliminates smell, sand does not. Mixing reduces the effectiveness of the PDZ. I go through somewhere between 1/2 to 1 bag of PDZ a month with a dozen birds, it clumps together as it gets wet and needs to be disposed of into the compost or thrown out.

Perfect, thank you!

You need more shavings in the coop, mine is close to 6" deep packed down. I add straw to the mix things up, I just dump whatever I add in a pile in the middle, the birds have a blast spreading it around. I have yet to change it out, with that depth droppings just disappear, no smell, no obvious accumulation (however all my birds use the higher roost and I clean the drop board every day).

This is my plan as well. Figured I would need to add more once I get in stomping around. I bought a ton of flakes so that will not be a problem!

You will also need a board across the bottom of your entrance door, otheriwse shavings will be falling out every time you open it.

haha, I realized this last night as I was filling it and some came out. In the 4th picture of the last post you can see a piece of plywood in the forefront of the pic, that's the piece to block shavings from the back. Not pictured is the piece for the front door.

You don't really need those little ramps to the pop doors.
How are you going to walk around in there, so much stuff!?!
Well, you can change stuff once coop gets some 'birdtime'.
Can't wait to see the birds in there!

LoL! I know, there's a lot in there now but once the brooder area is removed it will open back up.

Those little ramps, I did not think the girl "needed" them but being the softie I am, while looking at the jump they'd make from the floor through the door, I felt like it would be nicer to have a little ramp to walk up and down. I also didn't need a small platform outside of the door and could have attached the ramp just under the door, but added the platform to make it a bit nicer for the chickens

I am super excited to get the birds in there!

I used to mix sand to PDZ at about 3:1, but, then I could not get the 'good'(washed and kiln dried-so not dusty) sand anymore so went to straight PDZ granular. I keep it thin (<1-4") and completely sift it all daily.

Here's some posts about my boards, they're kind of old, but changes are noted.
...and the thread these posts are in has a ton of examples of poop boards.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-poop-pictures.621363/page-111#post-13179595
Updates:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...s-poop-pictures.621363/page-178#post-18966048

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/...ch-x-9-inch-mesh-drawer-organizer-silver.html

Awesome, thank you!!

 

[aart]

I also didn't need a small platform outside of the door and could have attached the ramp just under the door, but added the platform to make it a bit nicer for the chickens

I think that one is a good idea.
Figured the small ramps were just because you can't stop building stuff!

 

[ColoradoPip]

Figured the small ramps were just because you can't stop building stuff!

That's funny!! I was just telling someone else how I might buy a quail breeding pen because I have no interest in building anything else for a little bit!!

When I started putting tools away last night and not just laying them inside the door, it hit me that I might actually be "done". As done as done ever is.

 

[aart]

When I started putting tools away last night and not just laying them inside the door, it hit me that I might actually be "done". As done as done ever is.

I had 'design/build fatigue' when done with coop and run, took me like 3 months....
...but also was glad when things needed to be tweaked and added.

 

[ColoradoPip]

Move in day 1, only the older chickens. They went right in to check things out without encouragement

Sure enough, just before dark I found all three frantically pacing the fenceline wanting to get back to their old coop. So a few mealworms plus a helping dad later and they were closed inside. Just before dark I checked on them again and they were all huddled in a corner on the floor. So I put each one on the roost bar

And I had to check again after 30 minutes or so of darkness

They look so tiny with all this space!! Hope they enjoy it before the chicks move in!