Woods-style house in the winter

[Jenny Loves Chickies]

Hi Jack, I LOVE your post - you inspired me to build our own Woods style house just about identical to yours. Question for you, what do you think about putting down that black rubber stuff on the floor once finished? Do you have any recommendations or input now that you have had the coop for awhile? Thanks so much and Happy Holidays

 

[WthrLady]

Love my blackjack floor in my woods coop

 

[Jenny Loves Chickies]

Love my blackjack floor in my woods coop

I think I posted on your coop too!! Yours inspired me too, I love them both! Ok, I'm doing it....did you go just up the sides and cover the entire bottom? My chicks are going to be so happy when it's done

 

[WthrLady]

I went up about 12 inches. Jack uses sand in his coop. I use stall sweet.

 

[JackE]

Hi Jack, I LOVE your post - you inspired me to build our own Woods style house just about identical to yours. Question for you, what do you think about putting down that black rubber stuff on the floor once finished? Do you have any recommendations or input now that you have had the coop for awhile? Thanks so much and Happy Holidays

Thanks, and congrats on your new coop. If you are talking about Blackjack #57 for the coop's floor. Well, I was the first on this forum, to use it. The Blackjack I put down on my coop's floor almost 9 yrs ago, today, looks pretty much like it did when it was first done. IMO. it's the best stuff you can use, to protect a chicken coop's wood floor. In my coop, I just poured on on the floor, and pushed it around with a paint roller. I did not go up the walls with it. But it does cover the bottom 2X4"s of the walls.

I use pine shavings in my coop. I do, however, have sand up by the open front. I figured if any rain blew in past the wire, I rather have damp sand, than soggy pine shavings. As far as any recommendations. One thing I have found, depending on how many birds you have in the coop, is in the winter months if the temp is above 25-30 degrees, cracking open the top monitor windows a couple of inches, helps clear up the air inside. In the winter, I found, that my chickens would spend a lot of time in the coop if there was snow on the ground. And if there 20 or more birds in there, the coop can start to stink. So I cracked open the top windows. The air cleared up quickly, and there was still NO drafty air movement in the coop.

 

[WthrLady]

Ditto what Jack said! 4 years on my floor and it's great. I only went up the wall because i splashed by mistake pouring, and i was evening out the look! Stall dry cuts down on all smell. Even in a hot humid summer with 28 birds it never smells worse than a camper chem toilet. I scoop clumps once a week with a stall rake and into the hot compost bin it goes.

I add a new bag about every three months.

The run is deep mulch method.
From WINDY dry Warm nebraska (today)
Hi Jack

 

[JackE]

Ditto what Jack said! 4 years on my floor and it's great. I only went up the wall because i splashed by mistake pouring, and i was evening out the look! Stall dry cuts down on all smell. Even in a hot humid summer with 28 birds it never smells worse than a camper chem toilet. I scoop clumps once a week with a stall rake and into the hot compost bin it goes.

I add a new bag about every three months.

The run is deep mulch method.
From WINDY dry Warm nebraska (today)
Hi Jack

Another thing to help with any smell, is to keep the litter turned. Can't let big piles of crap build up under the roosts. Usually, the chickens take care of turning the litter themselves. But, if they don't do a good enough job, I'll throw a handful or two of scratch in there. That gets them busy. But for the most part, the Wood's coop is so open and free flowing, it would take a lazy owner to have one really stink. I don't use any kind of additives for the litter in my coop, just shavings.

And Hello WthrLady.

 

[aart]

One thing I have found, depending on how many birds you have in the coop, is in the winter months if the temp is above 25-30 degrees, cracking open the top monitor windows a couple of inches, helps clear up the air inside. In the winter, I found, that my chickens would spend a lot of time in the coop if there was snow on the ground. And if there 20 or more birds in there, the coop can start to stink. So I cracked open the top windows. The air cleared up quickly, and there was still NO drafty air movement in the coop

So you crack the top windows for just a few hours(?) to 'flush' the coop air?

 

[JackE]

No, They stay open, if the temps are above 25, 30 or so degrees. And still, the coop runs 10 or so degrees higher, than the outside temp.

 

[Jenny Loves Chickies]

Thanks, and congrats on your new coop. If you are talking about Blackjack #57 for the coop's floor. Well, I was the first on this forum, to use it. The Blackjack I put down on my coop's floor almost 9 yrs ago, today, looks pretty much like it did when it was first done. IMO. it's the best stuff you can use, to protect a chicken coop's wood floor. In my coop, I just poured on on the floor, and pushed it around with a paint roller. I did not go up the walls with it. But it does cover the bottom 2X4"s of the walls.

I use pine shavings in my coop. I do, however, have sand up by the open front. I figured if any rain blew in past the wire, I rather have damp sand, than soggy pine shavings. As far as any recommendations. One thing I have found, depending on how many birds you have in the coop, is in the winter months if the temp is above 25-30 degrees, cracking open the top monitor windows a couple of inches, helps clear up the air inside. In the winter, I found, that my chickens would spend a lot of time in the coop if there was snow on the ground. And if there 20 or more birds in there, the coop can start to stink. So I cracked open the top windows. The air cleared up quickly, and there was still NO drafty air movement in the coop.

Perfect I’ve made up my mind we are doing it! Thanks so much for all your help and inspiration.