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Chicken advice please?
  • I know that some of you keep chickens and other birds or small animals, so I thought I'd ask you for a little advice before I dive head-first into the project of chicken coops. I've been hired as the designer for a "collapsible coop" business that seems to be a good solution for chicken-keeping in the city. Each coop will house four mature hens (because cities don't take kindly to roosters crowing) and have a large attached, enclosed run.

    I have a few questions that will influence the coop designs in a major way. What is the most important part of a coop to you? What makes your life easier and harder while tending chickens? I have pages of facts and statistics, but is there anything I should know that's NOT a statistic you can find online or in a book?

    Biased answers are fine. In fact, any and all opinions are welcome. Thank you all so much in advance for your help :)
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    ID 211323
  • ease of cleaning would be a big thing. I love my coop, but it's NOT easy to clean sometimes...lol. Removeable nest boxes or ability to put a standard sized liner of some sort would be a big help...I've got nest box sleepers that i've tried to deter many ways and many times and it's never worked longer than a few weeks. So I end up cleaning my nest boxes every 2 days.
    I do like that I have a "floor" that is not dirt. My cousins wanted a floor in theirs so they built a wooden floor (this is for the coop part, not the run), but my coop sits on concrete (the run does too, but they don't stay locked up except at night). This makes cleaning easier. I've had coops on dirt and they are messy and predators can get in there.

    sometimes I see a lot on manufactured coops and runs is the wire used isn't up to par to predators. They'll use hardware cloth, but a gauge that is easily chewed up or tore into.

    Other than size and ventilation...that's about all I can think of. A floor that is easy to pull out to clean or one that can be accessed to easily inside to scoop and shovel and nest boxes that can easily be cleaned...lol
  • I agree with Compass Point, making it easy to clean would be best. Before mine was redone you had to literally climb into the cage to get eggs, food, water, and it was a pain. We have their boxes on the side with a door. There are four little boxes and a flat top for their food and water.
    HJ1 ID #: 211869
    HJ2 ID #: 7595
  • easy to access boxes- we have to carefully pick the chickens out sometimes, or even leave eggs in the coop for a few days of they are sitting on them. also, if you're in a cold climate, poop can help keep them warm but make sure the door will open easily when there is about a half inch of poop on the ground :) Good luck!
  • Ventilation is the most important thing. More important then insulation. Ammonia fumes will kill them faster then the cold.
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    she/her


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  • It will for sure be well ventilated -- I don't want to suffocate the hens! A stack effect in the summer wil simultaneously allow for ventilation and natural air conditioning, since I have read that heat can be just as dangerous as cold. All you have to do in the winter to stop the active cooling is to close the bottom holes (while the top can stay open).

    Ease of cleaning is a must, and the coop itself will be fully enclosed (including a floor). It has to be able to be fully assembled and predator-proof in about an hour!
    Post edited by Helia at 2016-02-13 11:15:09
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    ID 211323
  • Compass point, I have found that a simple plastic dish pan placed in the box and filled with breeding is very easy to clean
    Player id is: 223523
  • My boxes are an odd size. My uncle built the entire thing for me and they aren't a standard size

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