Will this coop fly?

[bigoledude]

My coop will have 4 walls. Only 3 sides will have removable slats at floor level for me to be able to hose out the coop. The 4th wall will be the wall that faces inside the run and, I figured I could get it plenty clean enough hosing from both sides and the very back.

These two set-ups are gonna be tractor rigs. The coop is gonna sit off the ground a couple of feet to provide more shade.

I don't know what "plastic boot trays" are either.

ddawn;

200 feet above sea level!!! I'd get nose-bleeds. We are 3-feet BELOW sea level. This may have contributed to Katrina pouring 13-feet of slop into our house. But, point well taken. I will ventilate at every logical location and, probably install fans for the hottest days.

gsim

Removable, easy-to-clean poo boards is what I did a poor job of describing. Your BYC page gave me some great ideas though. Especially, of how to intercept the poo before reaching the floor!

There was an abundance of those plastic corroplast campaign signs everywhere. I will use this to lay on top of my poo boards and won't need to carry out the actual heavy boards and, the corroplast is waterproof to boot.

I figure I should be able to fly my coop. Since, I overheard some ladies talking of their friend's husband. They said "He flew the coop". So, why can't I fly mine?

 

[NanaLantana]

I was looking into keeping rabbits for meat (don't have any yet) and one of their very good ideas is a slanted poo-catching device under the cages. You know, high at one end, low at the other, exiting into a bucket. That can be worked for under the roost - use a piece of tarp, even. You can cover the under-roost area with some chickenwire so they can't get into the mess. Then just hose from the top, and pick up your bucket, dump into compost.

I hope I explained it well enough - hope it helps!

 

[Jim from Cincinnati]

My only concern would be the height of the roost and nests. Have heard that high roosts with no cushion on the floor can hurt the bottoms of the chicken's feet? Also, I use a finetine pitchfork....works great and extends the time between my changing shavings.

 

[gsim]

If I built a coop too small to enter, I would do a slide-out poop board/tray. I would pay a sheet metal shop to cut/brake it to spec needed. The dimensions do not change for a workable poop board tho, no matter the size of the coop. Roost needs to be 12" from wall and poop board must be 24" deep and equal in length to roost pole. That and a few other things is how you can get to where you change litter only once a year. Works for me. Really small coops are not as big a pain to do tho, so if have to be changed quarterly, that is bearable.

Gerry

 

[bigoledude]

Hey gsim

Why does the roost need to be 24-inches from the wall?

Jim from Cincinnati

If I had the roost say, only 3-feet off the floor. Would the chickens not use it? Do they prefer a roost that is higher off the floor?

 

[gryeyes]

I'm not gism and would not even pretend to be as knowledgeable, but am compelled to butt in, here.

Chickens don't just jump up to roosts and sit RIGHT THERE where they landed, in that orientation. They turn around, they nudge others, argue over The Best Spot, flap their wings, all sorts of movement which requires space around them. Too close to the wall, poop gets on the wall. Also, tail feathers brush up against the wall surface and can get raggedy from that contact. Chickens don't sleep upright, but slumped down in a sort of melted horizontal fashion. They need space in front and in back for that slumbering posture.

Here is a link to one source for boot trays.
http://www.gardeners.com/large-boot-tray/31-286,default,pd.html

Chickens like to roost in high places. Some like it really high. You want your roosts higher than the top of the nest boxes at the bare minimum. Some love to roost in rafters.

 

[bigoledude]

I really like it when I get great answers. Thank you gryeyes. Although, it seems I have always gotten knowledgeable responses to my questions here.

I swear I never thought "boot-trays" were gonna be BOOT TRAYS. I thought it was gonna be a chicken thing! But, at $20.00 bucks a pop, I'm going with something else. Just can't swing that for catching poo. There's a guy I graduated with, who owns a sheet metal company, very near me. He could easily provide me with a removable sheet-metal cover that could be removed and replaced easily.

I suspected the roosts were gonna need to be higher. Just because I saw all of y'alls pics with high roosts. Never realized so much jostling went on during the roosting though. I did, however, kinda guess that some distance from the wall would help keep the walls cleaner.

You're right, raggedy tails are ugly. It is certainly an easy thing to prevent.

My friend is a Cracker-Jack carpenter. He drew out an example of how I could have one whole side-wall fold up for cleaning and maintenance. Even with the structural demands of being a mobile tractor, it will be plenty-strong!

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

I am not a fan of water for cleaning coops. In winter, water is a chill hazard. And at all times, spraying chicken poop with a hose will create a poo mist for you and your chickens to breathe.

Does your property have the ability to absorb that much water? Every day? Even when it rains or freezes?

But for me, the overriding factor is the risk of pooticles in my nose.

 

[Jim from Cincinnati]

So, it seems that high roosts will not hurt their feet, when landing on a soild surface?
Quote:

 

[TomsChickens]

I think I would be afraid of too much moisture might end up with a sauna in the summer and freezer in winter