Chicken coop help for new enthusiast

nellybly · **Joined:** Thu Jan 17, 2008 12:49 pm **Posts:** 18

Hi Everyone

My name is Janelle and my husband and I recently moved to a small acerage that has an existing chicken coop and we are about to embark on our first experience with chickens. We are looking at getting Silkies (as I have always loved their look and temperament) and would like some advice please!

The coop that we have is a colourbond shed on a concrete slab, which is enclosed in a 25sqm pen that is fully secured with strong metal mesh and bird netting on the top. It is quite large and will definitely keep predators out.

I have bought some laying boxes, feeder and waters, plus some shavings for the concrete slab. What I would like to know is, what is the best material to use for the actual outdoor/pen area as at the moment it is just dirt which gets muddy when it rains. I have heard Silkies dont like the mud so would I be better laying shavings or straw over the dirt or just leaving it?

Also, I assume the colourbond shed would be quite hot in summer and cold in winter, can anyone suggest ideas for temperature control or will it be ok as is?

Finally, the previous owners had chickens but the coop has been empty for nearly 12mths, should I still disinfect it or spray it with anything or would any parasites be well dead by now???

Thanks for your help and patience with a learner!

Cheers
Janelle

Muscovy J · **Posted:** Tue Feb 12, 2008 9:08 am

hi there.
your coop sounds great . i also have tin sheds for all my ducks , i think the main thing is that the birds will have shade like a tree, trees are the best shade, in the outside run i would use river sand or some other sort or sand. sand will keep things nice and dry in wet weather . and you only need to give it a rake every now and again, the less work the better , . if the shed hasent been used for a fair while i woudlnt worry to much , try some surface spray from the supermarket . hope this helps im shore that other members will have a better idea for you .
regards jase

Deans' Poultry · **Posted:** Tue Feb 12, 2008 9:13 am

Hi nellybly, welcome aboard :-D

Silkies are great :-D

Not the biggest eggs in the world if you intend to eat them, but a very cool breed none the less. They make great broodies

Your chookhouse sounds great!

You'll need to get a fully ducted aircon system for your silkies in summer.....just kidding

they'll be fine just make sure there is plenty of ventilation in the house so the cool air can pass through and of course ensure they always have fresh,cool water

You can use diffrent things for your litter in the run. Some folk like to use hay,straw,rice hulls etc.

My runs are a mix of sandy deco kinda stuff(there naturally) so thankfully they don't get muddy so i don't need to use any type of litter

Cheers n chooks

Darren

County Lodge · **Posted:** Tue Feb 12, 2008 10:18 am

HI Nellybly, Welcome

I keep silkies but mine are totally under cover in the pen but they free range in the vegie garden on days it is not raining. Although I have one little white hen that just finds the dirtiest corner to bath in so is nearly always a yellow/brown hen. She is such a grote.

I have outside areas for my other chooks and use the used sawdust from my horse stables when I do a complete change with fresh sawdust. So I have a never ending supply of sawdust.

I would sprinkle some lime (Limil is a good brand and finer and lighter than Ag lime but both will work)around the pen as this sanitizes/disinfects and helps to sweeten the soil and keep bugs down such as lice and flies.

A whirly gig in the roof of the shed may help or growing a tree near it to shade it from the afternoon sun. :-D

Where abouts are you situated :?:

Deans' Poultry · **Posted:** Tue Feb 12, 2008 10:59 am

You've just reminded me of something CL

Shadecloth is a great idea for the run. Especially with the white breeds as direct sunlight can cause a yellow stain over the white plumage

Will cool things down heaps too :-D

nellybly · **Joined:** Thu Jan 17, 2008 12:49 pm **Posts:** 18

Thanks everyone for your ideas!

There are some shrubs in the pen for shade but some shadecloth is a good idea, so is the whirlybird in the roof of the shed!

I think I will try a few different types of litter in the pen to see what works best and see what they like, there is already some straw I have laid down but will try the sand idea in one corner as well and see if they like it.

Thanks again everyone, I pick up my pullets on Sunday so hopefully they will enjoy their new home, I will post some pics once they have settled in.

Oh and we are in Glenorie which is on the outskirts of Sydney

County Lodge · **Posted:** Tue Feb 12, 2008 3:18 pm

Deans' Poultry wrote:

You've just reminded me of something CL

Shadecloth is a great idea for the run. Especially with the white breeds as direct sunlight can cause a yellow stain over the white plumage

Will cool things down heaps too :-D

I use shade cloth and a couple of old bamboo blinds to shade parts of the outside pens. Even though I have some trees the morning sun in summer can be quite hot so it protects them a bit from the heat.

jo-chicken · **Posted:** Tue Feb 12, 2008 4:10 pm

Hi there, welcome.

I personally think grass is the best for outside areas, however this may take some work. It will take some time to grow so if you do choose this option I would suggest simply partioning off half the area and doing it in two parts if you can't wait to get your Silkies. Given you have chosen Silkies you may need to decide what you will do when they go broody as they are quite susceptable to this. Are you going to put fertile eggs under (yipee the cycle begins) or are you going to put them off the brood. If it's the latter create a cool place, small, to put the hen so that she can stay for a couple of days, till she goes off the brood. Sorry probably telling you stuff you may already know.

Anyway back to your outside bit, I would recommend shade cloth over the top and a couple of trees against the outside of the pen, one east one west, to give shade throughout the day but positioned so that they do not keep the yard too damp in winter.

Shavings are perfect for coop, I would sprinkle some mite and lice powder (Quite cheep at your rural store) "Pestene" is one brand, to prevent mite and lice as birds landing on the top of your coop is enough to bring them. They crawl down into coop and onto poultry, the powder or surface spray will prevent any problems. Always a good idea to disinfect, even after 12 months.

The pen is huge, you could fit a nice bunch of silkies in that! :-D

Well have fun and I hope this helps!

jo-chicken · **Posted:** Tue Feb 12, 2008 4:16 pm

I just had a thought (and no it didn't hurt :lol:

) If your enclosure is muddy without anything in it then you might just need to make sure it has good drainage. Throw some grass seed down if it will be a couple of weeks till silkies arrive, you'l be surprised what will keep growning. I would probably steer waay from putting shaving or saw dust in the yard area, mud will come up through it. Better just as it is if you don't want grass. Maybe a couple of flat rocks and some logs so that your girls can get off mud when it raining. And surprisingly they like this sort of thing. Mine sit on their log under the tree frequently. :-D

nellybly · **Joined:** Thu Jan 17, 2008 12:49 pm **Posts:** 18

Thanks Jo, I have tried to get some grass growing in the pen so the chooks have some greens as well, although i have heard that grass doesnt last long with chooks around as they scratch it and eat it away.

I do have some raised areas with logs and have put pavers down incase it gets muddy but I have been watching it with all the rain we've had lately and it doesnt seem to mud up, although there arent any chooks in there yet scratching it up so will have to wait and see!

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