Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[feistychick]

Thanks you guys! I've been feeling awful about my coop for the last two weeks!  Here we put so much time and money into it and I thought we'd mucked it all up!   Yay Washingtonians!  And yes, catface, it sounds like I need a field trip to your place! 

Your coop looks wonderful! Mine have a secure area in our run-down barn and seem happy with it - I'm sure yours will do great in there I'm new to chickens this year and have been adjusting things as I figure out what works and what doesn't. One thing I've definitely noticed is that I'm way more worried about my setup than my chickens are lol. My ladies seem to think......Food & water - check, roof - check, roost - check, human to give me treats and clean up after me - check.....all good

 

[Bridebeliever]

This is where I second guess myself all the time. A post from someone experienced that says I need ventilation at the floor level.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1037791/cement-floor-coop-and-stink#post_16018033

 

[catface]

Quote:
Exactly! The chickens don't really care nearly as much as we do.

 

[catface]

This is where I second guess myself all the time. A post from someone experienced that says I need ventilation at the floor level.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1037791/cement-floor-coop-and-stink#post_16018033

I think most of us learn what works best for us by trial and error. I know I did.

 

[Bridebeliever]

I'm just going to keep working on it till I knock the smell down. It's not like I'm gonna quit with the chickens!

 

[catface]

I'm just going to keep working on it till I knock the smell down. It's not like I'm gonna quit with the chickens!

It's just a lot of shoveling sh*** and pine or fir shavings. I like pine because they smell strongly. Chickens stink, you just gotta stay on top of the poop. You'll find out pretty quickly what works for you.

 

[Bridebeliever]

Yeah and the new Chocolate Orp...yeah, she has grown up poop! Like triple size of the little guys!! I don't think she turds as often as them though.

 

[feistychick]

Yeah and the new Chocolate Orp...yeah, she has grown up poop! Like triple size of the little guys!! I don't think she turds as often as them though.

Poop...For a new poultry person, I got broken in quickly in that department....I got baby turkeys with my pretty baby chicks. They all started out the same size and I thought "no problem" to clean up after them ...then the turkeys grew...

I agree that pine shavings are wonderful for keeping smells down. I always use them and I have to keep up on my cleaning with the turkeys being such, um, 'enthusiastic contributors' to my chores.

 

[ochochicas]

There are more than 2 dozen chickens in my coop, and yes they can get stinky. For the most part they roost in the same spot each night and that is where all the poop is. I clean the big piles out once a week and it keeps the smell down. It only takes a half hour or less to clean and inspect everything. The time commitment isn't that bad. A thorough cleaning is needed periodically, but getting the piles out once a week really helps keep everything tidy. I use pine shavings (not deep) and grass hay on the floor.

 

[Cockatrice6420]

You're probably thinking of Janelle, Diamond Dust here on BYC. She took champion large fowl at her last show.  Just curious if there are others in your neck of the woods. 

I'm not sure, is she in Mason County?