All about coops Pt.1

Good morning!

Ok so let’s talk about what your chickens need as far as shelter.

It may strike you as odd, but this is actually a very controversial issue amongst all backyard flock owners.

Well, that’s silly you might say, why would that be controversial?

LOL, well because you care more about their housing than they do. It’s true!

Chickens are a little crazy, and well sometimes a little dumb, and some just have an apparent death wish. We will talk about that later.

In all honesty a hen wants a place to lay eggs that is “secure” (at least in their eyes) and a place to perch that is off the ground at night. And those two places just need to be relatively close together.

Now that secure place to “nest” does not need to be fancy. A hen is looking for a place with wind blocks and camouflage from predators to lay her clutch of eggs. If it has a roof to protect her from the rain, well that is a bonus. Again, they are not that picky.

I have seen hens’ nest in 5-gallon buckets turned on its side, under gaps in a pile of lumber, under rose bushes, etc.

Since the main reason that you are probably keeping chicken is eggs, let’s talk about nesting boxes first.

Nesting boxes are pretty straightforward but believe it or not folks have a lot of opinions on these as well. And look just like anything else on this journey to food security that you are on, nesting boxes can be just as expensive or as cheap as you want. Well, what does that mean? Let me explain.

You can buy stainless steel nesting boxes that dispense your eggs out of the back, so you don’t have to go inside the coop. Very nice but also very expensive too. Also, if you go this route that is fine as long as you make sure that you are routinely going inside the coop and looking around to make sure that it stays sanitary and to check for any issues. In other words, don’t let convenience replace good animal husbandry practices.

On the opposite end of the spectrum your nesting box can be as simple as a milk crate with the front cut out of it, a little straw for nesting and fastened to the wall of the inside of the coop about 2 feet from the floor.

The nesting box at its core is a 12”x12”x12” box with pine shavings, straw, shredded newspaper, etc. placed in it for a little padding to prevent cracked eggs.

The next common question asked is how many nesting boxes do I need? Well, this too is argued over, so I’m going to give you information based on my experiences.

For most of you keeping backyard flocks, 2 nesting boxes will be plenty. In all honesty unless you are keeping over 20 hens, 2 nesting boxes are going to be all you will need. Chickens have a pecking order and they follow the leader. In fact, they will all follow the leader to the point of wanting to use the same box! I have seen two hens both crammed in a box trying to lay at the same time, when there was an empty box right beside it.

So, what if I build a few more nesting boxes? Well okay sure, but be prepared, because all they will do in it is poop and take naps, it will just be another mess you will have to keep clean and who has time for that? I certainly don’t.

Whatever you decide to do for your nesting box, size, number, or bedding there are a couple of things that I highly recommend.

1.       If you use wood shavings, use only dry pine shavings, NOT CEDAR! I know, I know, it smells really good, and chicken coops don’t (p.s. your coop shouldn’t stink, if it does, clean it!). I get it, but it will literally make your chickens sick and could kill them. The cedar oil in the chips that smells so good to us irritates the respiratory system of the chicken and can cause a variety of sicknesses that will eventually lead to a miserable death of the bird.

2.       Mites. Mites are a concern for chickens but can be easily controlled by providing a dust bath (we will discuss this later) and by sprinkling food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) on the floor of the coop and nesting boxes and then putting the bedding media on top.

In a chicken coop, diatomaceous earth (DE) is primarily used as a natural pest control agent, specifically to combat external parasites like mites and lice by disrupting their exoskeletons and dehydrating them, essentially killing them when they come into contact with the powder; it can also help absorb moisture in the coop, keeping bedding drier and reducing odor buildup. It is completely nontoxic but do take care to protect yourself when putting it out because it can cause lung and eye irritation if inhaled. Also, remember to always use food-grade diatomaceous earth when applying it to a chicken coop, not the kind used in pool filters.

Well, that’s probably a good place to put a comma on the conversation for today. Next time we will get into the wide variety of designs and types of coops out there and how to pick the one that best suits your needs and desires.

Any questions, comments or concerns? You can reach me at thenolackfarm@outlook.com.

Until next time, Stay strong in your faith, love your family and support your local community farmers!

And remember those who fear God will Lack nothing! Psalm 34:9

Kevin