I had a scare like @Simkie mentions, but local TSC had CoRid in stock.
I had 5 pullets at the time & still have most of the 8oz bottle left… Nearly 10yrs later.
My “poop containment” is just some 2X4s beneath the roosts & shavings covering the floor by their favored (too thin) roost that is over cement.
Thanks for the heads-up on Coccidiosis. Is it possible once the ground is swept and leveled, to spray the surface with a diluted bleach solution (far in advance of any living thing being in there of course) and then swept again before putting down bedding for the first time? Just trying to think of some way to potentially avoid killing the poor things before they reach adulthood!
Hadn’t thought about a chicken being able to get in the rafters. LOL So, they can fly that far off the ground? huh… hadn’t considered that! I’ll have to give that some thought. I found one of my books - Barnyard in your Backyard. It has some basic info on chickens and building a roost. I will look further at this, as their design struck me as hard to clean underneath (unless you move it).
It’s my understanding coccidia is pretty tough to kill, and it’s everywhere–wild birds carry it, it’s in the soil anyway–maybe try the bleach, but still buy the corrid and keep an eye out. Your birds will be exposed to coccidia and develop immunity; it’s just the young ones that have problems, because their immune systems are still learning.
I really like my roosting set up, and find it super easy to clean. I have a hip high shelf below a couple 2x4s. The 2x4s pop out to clean underneath and to clean them (birds will poop on your roosting bars!) The shelf is covered with vinyl flooring and then sawdust. I guess it only works if that’s the highest thing in your coop? But it’s really worked well. I could take some pics of you want? My coop is also 8x8 
Sure @Simkie - take some photos. So the chickens like to be higher up to roost? That makes sense - higher up means safer I suppose. I guess I don’t think of chickens as good flyers - kind of like the wild turkeys all over the place here. They aren’t very coordinated when flying!
Yep, ch well. I have hens who often pop over the run fence, and it’s 7’ high. I clipped a wing on the three worst offenders, and they still went over. Some breeds are better at flying than others.
Here’s my coop. You can see the roost bars and shelf on the right. The milk crates are nest boxes. I’ve really liked this set up.
Neat! Is that water or food that is hanging down under the roosting area? Great way to keep the saw dust or bedding out of the containers.
Question - on the shelf under the roosts, could you put down newspaper, add a little bedding - them simply remove it all to “clean” it? Like the bottom of a bird cage? Just thinking out loud. And do the younger birds, before they are full grown need something smaller to roost than a 2 X 4?
I have quite a few milk crates - what a great way to re-use them. Back in the day (had them since 1981 going off to college) they were perfect size for records. But my records are all packed up now, using the crates in my office.
Oh - and are your walls insulated?
That’s food there in the back corner. You definitely want to raise up your food and water, to keep bedding out and also to keep the birds from scratching in it. My water is to the left and on a little stand. I found hanging water too easy to spill everywhere.
You can try newspaper. The hens might try to eat it? I only remove and replace bedding about once a month, but the roosting shelf gets scooped daily with a cat litter scoop, and I use a kid sized basket manure fork covered in 1/2" hardware mesh to scoop the floor maybe once every 10-14 days. There is really very little chicken poop on the floor of the coop unless the weather has been icky. The chickens prefer to be outside. But you can really clean as much or as little as you like. There are a LOT of ideas about bedding and poop handling online! If you’re looking for lower effort, check out the deep litter method. Some people really like it and you pretty much just stir the poop back into the bedding and let it rot in place, occasionally adding fresh, and then a massive cleanout a couple times a year. Since I clean stalls and cat litter every day, it just didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but is popular and has a vocal following!
You can definitely give your younger birds smaller stuff to roost on, but they’ll also do fine on the 2x4s. They don’t really grab with their feet to secure themselves. They’re really resting on their keel bone and stabilized by their feet, not the other way around. They might not even roost until they’re bigger, choosing to sleep on the floor when they’re young (or in your nest boxes–which is a good reason to not add those until they’re very close to laying!)
I did insulate the whole coop with foam board: walls, roof, doors. Not sure it helps keep the coop warmer in the winter–there’s a ton of ventilation, but might help a little?–but it definitely helps to keep it cooler in the summer. I figured I might as well get it in there before closing up the walls.
When I was setting up my coop and starting with the chickens, I found ALL of the choices really overwhelming. There are 1000 ways to do everything, and huge fans of everything, and those who disagree with everything :lol: It was really tough to sort through it all. How I set it up is by no means the best or only way to do it, but it has worked really well for me. :yes: One thing that I expected to like but really didn’t is the nipple waterers. They have a ton of fans out there because they keep the water clean and accessible, but I just didn’t think the birds could get enough to drink. There’s so much trial and error and finding out what works for YOU. So much more than with horses or dogs or cats. So many roads to Rome with chickens! :lol:
Not sure if it’s been mentioned, but definitely visit backyardchickens.com It has a lot of excellent information especially regarding chicken health. Your veterinarian might not be comfortable working on a sick chicken, and you’ll have to do a lot of care on your own. And that comes from someone that works with 5 Vets!
I bought several chicks from TSC in 2011, and I’m happy to say that I still have quite of few of those birds!
Some of the best roosters I’ve ever gotten came from the sex-linked pullet bin!
In my experience, chicken enemy #1 is dog. Whether it’s your own or your neighbors.
Chickens are a lot of fun, and chicken math is real (I started with 14 and now have around 50)!
Good luck!
@Megaladon - thanks for the website. I’ll definitely check it out. Our Black & Tan Coonhound is what I’m most worried about. Hopefully the 6 or so weeks the chicks are in the house will be enough to convince her that they are additions to the family. Fingers crossed!
@Simkie - I noticed your coop doesn’t have windows (or maybe they just don’t show in the picture?) Is it important to have natural light inside the coop? Or is that just a human thing to like to have natural light? Foam board was what I was thinking of - it should fit perfectly between the wood posts and the metal, before adding an interior layer of wood to make a nice interior surface… That wall between the barn and the overhang faces due east, so wind (which we are getting with increasing frequency) might be an issue and I thought that foam board insulation would help, especially in winter.
I’m so excited about my new project! I love planning and building things. Now if it would ever STOP RAINING, I could at least get started on the outside. This may take me a year to do. I’m not able to work outside or inside where there is no air conditioning after it gets up over 75°, especially in high humidity. But, one thing at a time! 
There are w
This is the outside:
[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/7BoMh16.jpg)
The little dutch door is open during the day. That’s the south facing side, so it gets quite a lot of sun. I thought I’d put the top part of the door back on for winter, but haven’t. Ventilation is so important. Chickens also have run access every day, although if there’s snow on the ground, they’re not super keen on being out.
I agree that you might as well put in some insulation now. Far easier to do it as you build instead of deciding you want it later, and having to rip everything apart to add it :yes:
Definitely visit the Backyard Chickens website. It’s the chicken version of COTH. Tons and tons of information.
I have a completely predator proof coop and run. When I’m home they get to range in a 30’ x 50’ area with 6’ fencing to keep the dogs out.
Biosecurity is a big deal with poultry. Unfortunately there are a few rather common diseases which are incurable and can be fatal. Be very careful purchasing birds. Hatching your own, or day old chicks are safest.
Most vets don’t really treat poultry. I highly recommend that you keep Corid (for coccidiosis), wormer, and a broad spectrum antibiotic like Baytril (enrofloxacin) on hand. Poultry vitamins and probiotics can also be helpful.
Chickens are stoic, once they start showing symptoms there isn’t much time. Unfortunately layers are quite susceptible to reproductive issues, many of which can’t be treated. Just prepare yourself. I lost a pullet on Wednesday to an aggressive ovarian tumour.
It’s worth it though. They each have their own personalities. Mine will kill you for mealworms. My speckled Sussex likes to help me clean the coop. Both of my cream legbars are bossy girls. My late barred rock was very good at watching for predators. And my double laced barnevelder hops up on my shoulder for extra goodies.
So, I just ordered the book you suggested @Simkie “Storey’s Guide to Raining Chickens”, It has a 4th edition now. Should be here Wed. Your chicken coop looks like a tiny house! How pretty! My poor hog barn looks, uhm, well, seriously deficient! LOL It won’t ever win a beauty prize!
But looking at your pictures, I’m thinking maybe I should change my plans a little and put the coop all the way forward in the barn. The only wood wall of the barn is the front and it does have two “windows” - one on either side of the door. They are cutout from the wall, and on hinges and fold down. They are held closed with a wood latch on a nail. I could put the 1/2" wire cloth over the window opening on the inside. This would provide better airflow, especially in summer. The “front” of the barn faces due south. I just can’t see a way to get openings in the actual metal sides of the barn - well, not without loosing a finger in the process.
@GoodTimes - yes,I will keep various medical necessities on hand for the Chickens. Do chickens require regular worming? Hadn’t really thought about it until you mentioned wormer. Are chicken feeds not fortified with appropriate vitamins/minerals like complete horse feeds/balancers? I have a call into my vet to ask about chickens.
Very sorry to hear about the loss this past week of one of your hens.
Haha, thanks! But I’m honestly a little jealous of your barn because you have SO much space and flexibility. Lucky you! :yes:
Moving the coop up to the front to take advantage of the windows sounds great!
Do note that there are very few medications that are technically permitted in laying poultry. If you’re just consuming your own eggs, it probably doesn’t matter what you use, but stuff like ivermectin, praziquantel and enrofloxacin have lifetime egg withdrawal, and it would be illegal to sell eggs from hens treated with those. (Enro really should not be a first line antibiotic choice at all–fluoroquinolones are black boxed by the FDA for people with increasingly strong warnings on use, it’s kinda scary thinking about that one in food animals!)
Here’s an article about what is permitted: https://articles.extension.org/pages/66983/drugs-approved-for-use-in-conventional-poultry-production
Well, my ramshackle pig barn is like everything else on this property - OLD! :winkgrin: Horse barn was built around 1900/1910, house contains original log cabin built in around 1875 + additions added in 1904 and then in the 1980’s. Hell I still have an OUTHOUSE! :lol: Its a double-seater. Nothing like sharing a bathroom break with a friend!
Talked to my vet. They do anything with fur. LOL So, no chickens. But they did give the name of a vet that DOES treat anything with feathers. Evidently around here, treating birds is considered “exotic”. So when the time comes, I’ll definitely consult with them regarding what to keep on-hand. Definitely don’t want to give them anything that might make us sick from eating the eggs! That would not be good.
We deworm with Wazine liquid, added to their water.
Flock Raiser is a good all around feed. I also offer oyster shell separately.
All are available at TSC.
This is true. I should have added that I always have Sulfa on hand for the horses, so depending on what I’m treating I have that option as well. The enroflaxacin is more of a last resort to keep a bird alive. Such as a possible bacterial infection causing Salpingitis, etc. At that point they usually aren’t laying and may never lay regularly again.
As far as the worming goes, Waxine (Piperazine) doesn’t kill tapeworms. Valbazen (albendazol) is only available through a vet in Canada. Since I don’t sell my eggs I’ll risk the small amount of residue.
You Americans should be thankful. We can’t get any antibiotics without a prescription unless we order from the US and risk it being seized at the border. Virtually everything used in backyard Canadian flocks is off-label.
Some states even offer free necropsies, in Ontario it will run you between $150 and $400.
By regulating the big commercial operations it gets harder and more expensive to treat small flocks. Many vets don’t seem to want to deal with poultry, they’d rather you just cull and start over.
You buy enrofloxacin in the US without a script? Wow, really?
The latest problems in the US sure aren’t big commercial operations. Hygromycin-b just got pulled from the market because hobbyists were abusing it. The Virulent Newcastle Disease and euthanasia order for ALL domestic birds in that area in California was 100% hobbyists, and escalated to the euthanasia order because people couldn’t abide by the quarantine order. And that didn’t even get the severity through to people–now it’s popped up in Utah…through hobbyists. It’s also spread into commercial flocks.
It’s like if we had a billion dollar industry in horsemeat and hobbyists were selling horses with EIA willy nilly and trying to treat it with garlic and apple cider vinegar. It’s terrifying, really.
Guessing things are going to get a lot more locked down in the coming years.
I have chickens in my 2020 plans, garden is this year and maybe break ground on arena… but no chickens. We have roving cats I plan on catching, especially one ballsy orange and white tom cat who is starting to like my front porch, but we also have bald eagles who looooove the taste of chicken. I did run a juvenile bald off my pet rooster about 12 years ago (don’t ask), so they can be deterred. My concern is my own dogs. Two Aussies, and my old man dog (13 or 14 this year, the ex and I can’t agree on age) especially thinks anything smaller than him is “food.” Ever seen a dog low crawl toward kittens, then low crawl away when called out on it? Yeah him :lol: So even with leave-it well installed, once it’s in their brains… I yelled myself hoarse this morning at the other dog going in to bark at my WB, so he’ll be wearing his e-collar tomorrow morning.
I plan on a large chicken tractor and locking them up in the coop at night, and parking the thing close to the house in the winter for heat lamps. Unless someone has better ideas?
Since we are talking about chicken illnesses and such, what about salmonella? Do you wash your eggs or do anything special to them prior to refrigeration? I’m fastidious about washing my hands after being outside - be it in the garden, or after feeding the horses, etc. Just wondering if there are methods to protect against salmonella. I do have to be extra diligent, as I have MS, and do poorly when I get sick from anything.
From what I understand, it’s pretty easy: wash your hands, keep your coop clean, collect eggs frequently and don’t kiss your chickens.
Washing your eggs can actually drive pathogens through the shell. If you must, make sure the water is warm. (I only wash if they’re dirty beyond what can be brushed off. It’s not common.)
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