Easy to Clean Suburban Chicken Coop - FAQ
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- Опубліковано 9 тра 2015
- Over the past year I have received overwhelming support and feedback on my chicken coop design and construction. There have been so many wonderful comments and so many have copied this coop and made it one of their own. During this chicken coop building season (yes there is a season for these things) I have received quite a few questions on various aspects of the coop and so I thought it would be nice to run through and answer a few of the ones I hear most frequently.
Does the feed get stuck in the feeder? Does the feed spill on the ground? The feed has no trouble gravity feeding down the center pipe and into each trough on the sides. While the chickens eat they shake it a bit and the feed gently falls down where they can get to it with no trouble. Some feed does spill out, especial when the feeder is full. This has not been an issue as they scratch and peck and get at it off of the ground and also get some needed grit in the process.
Does a lot of water drip on the ground? In short, yes, however this has not really been an issue outside the coop as I have sand under it and it drains right away. Inside the coop I have a deflector that direct the extra drips into the cleanout pan and bedding.
What about ventilation? I have a small window above the nesting boxes that was not shown in the construction video. This provides good airflow in the summer. In the winter, we have the door open tot he coop all day and there are enough cracks and gaps in the siding to allow for decent air to get in.
Why don't you let them free range? We have tried letting them out in our yard a little at a time and they just do too much damage too quickly. They tear into the garden, scratch through the mulch around the trees, poop all over the grass, and eat anything we have growing in the garden. We designed the chicken tractor to move them around and let them scratch through the grass in a contained area. We also let them loose in the garden in fall when we are done growing.
How do you prevent freezing? This year we used heat tape and insulation to wrap the outside portion of the watering system. This was not sufficient to keep the inside portion thawed as well when we had sustained temps below 0 degrees. I will redesign and only heat the inside portion this year. video to follow.
What would you do differently? First I would make the cleanup tray access door about 2 inches larger to allow for a heaping pile of bedding to fit out on top of the tray when I pull it though (suggested by a subscriber, thanks!). I would also have used larger door latches instead of those cheap bolt locks on the chicken run door. Lastly, I would have raised the nesting boxes up about 4 inches from the main coop floor.
Is the cleanout tray needed and worth it? This is completely up to you. I personally love it and I think it makes it so easy to just pull it out on the wheel barrow and take it back to dump it. You can just leave it out and pull up the wheel barrow next tot he coop and sweep the bedding out. Either way it is still super easy to clean.
I hope that helps answer some of the common questions. If you have any comments or questions I did not answer please let me know!
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I built a coop like yours because I really like your design, thank you for your time and effort putting videos out. I do have a set run and a separate 4x8x2 light weight tractor I use to let them forage in controlled areas of my yard. This is my first year raising chickens and loving it so far. P.S. I am also a fellow aquaponics gardener and enjoy those videos as well.
thomas messinger Awesome, glad to hear you are getting into the chicken business:) I think that both chickens and aquaponics make a whole lot of sense so it doesn't surprise me that many people are getting into both. Let me know if you ever need anything and thanks for following along!
I made the best feeder out of a plastic gallon milk carton. cut some square holes in the side half way up about 4x4 inches squares. screwed a 2x6 board on the bottom so they cant knock it over. they stick their head in and eat and they cant claw it and spill feed. works perfectly try it it wont cost you a thing. I came on the idea by accident I wanted to make a quick feeder for temporary. But I ended up keeping for good.
I never let my chickens out of the tractor they will get eaten by predictors for sure. No doubt in my mind a skunk or a possum or dog will get them or even a chicken hawk. they are free ranging in the tractor I move it everyday and they get nice clean green grass and clover to eat. They love the chicken tractor.
Great videos! As me and the wife (she's a chicken nut!) started the videos from the beginning, each time either of us had a question you would answer them either right then or in another video. This video capped all the rest with very direct and easy answers. She wants one now! Thanks... :-)
One suggestion, if I might be so bold, is that you could use an insert for the laying boxes (the whole box could be an insert) to get a front sill and take care of the cleaning issue that the sill will cause at one time.
We (in Florida) have problems with snakes and squirrels, so my wife kept hammering me with, "what about the spaces at the top between the rafters. Thank you, thank you, thank you for adding a shot of the finished job in this video. When I saw the fix and knew that she saw the fix, I looked her square in the eye and said, "BAM!" :-)
dantco lol, my wife and I had a good laugh with your comment:) I hope that you found the videos helpful and we would love to see what you guys come up with down there when you get started on the project. Your suggestion with the nesting boxes is spot on. I am planning something like that here shortly as it will make the cleanup much easier. Share pictures with us at facebook.com/simplesuburbanliving if you decide to build one. Thanks!!
thanks so much for posting. just trying to decide what to build for myself. so many good ideas,,, God Bless!!
I am making you coop and i brought some lanoliiome on the wood floor to pretect it from moisture. Wee are also raising the nesting boxes a little higher so it isn't floor level.
We are going to build this coop but we are not going to use the slot and just going to make the door open directly with no slot and put flooring down so we can scoop it right out the door. Also heavy duty hinges and door closers
For your nesting boxes I suggest putting a 2in tall piece of would where the floor meets the boxes.
Texas BowHunter53 That is exactly what I plan to do, just need to get the nesting level up an inch or two above the floor so it will stay cleaner. Just wish I would have moved it up to start with:)
Amazing coop, wish we had you when we built ours.
What I want to do is have the back of the netting box drop down instead of lifting the lid up. That way there wouldn't be any leaks between the coop and nesting box.
Those chicken are looking big an healthy. I want to get chicken too. There are way to many raccoon where I live. Have locked them up each night. Thinking about down the road. All the things you put are really need. I never thought of using PVC like. Seeing it using for more then ordinary plumbing.
Sound good, I'll look into it and give it a try.
I just finished building this chicken coop. I love it, and my neighbors were pretty impressed since I'm not a builder. Thanks so much for your simple videos! I don't have the feeding or watering systems in yet. I'm toying with a couple of ideas including using a gutter to collect rain water into a system like yours. What do you think?
Just curious about what you are feeding your hens and how much? Maybe you could do a short video on that.
passengerintime I am working on a homemade mix of feed that I can get from local feed stores but haven't had the time to get into it yet. Right now we are experimenting with different feeds, mostly just stuff from TSC or Home and garden stores. Trying organic, non-gmo, and just plain old cheap feed. Once I get a good feed mix to share I will surely do a video on it, thanks for checking it out!
Be really careful with the insulation. I had my chicks in a greenhouse for awhile because I was finishing the coop. They ate my foam insulation!
Dolly Perry That is good advice, I am not sure how I am going to insulate the inside but might have to cover it with paneling to prevent them from eating it, silly chickens!
I would love building plans! Please upload a video when you upload them!
+Tobin Shields Will do!
+SSLFamilyDad Try putting something on the pvc pipe that vibrates. This will prevent the water from freezing.
Have you had any issues with rodents getting in the coop and feed? Also, we've noticed that there is a lot of feed dust that accumulates at the bottom of the feeder we are currently using with the chick feed for your little girls. Do you find the same problem with the adult feed and do you have to clean the dust/debris out your feeding system? Thanks for the update video!
Ryan Howell I have not had to clean anything out yet and with the larger feed I don't think that is an issue. We have not had any issues with rodents just a few birds that get in before we let the chickens out in the morning that like to steal some food.
Have you had any issues with algae building up in your watering system? Or have you had to clean it?
Thanks!
Lauren Sunderman Algae requires light to grow so that is not really an issue. I have not had to clean it out yet and as far as I can tell it is still as clean as when I put it together. Thanks for checking it out!
Oh man !
I don't know if you have come up with a solution for the nesting boxes as of yet but you could put a 2x4 across the bottom, that is what I did. It stops the eggs from rolling out and the other chickens from scracthing bedding into the boxes.
+Dwight Kalezra honestly I never really did anything about it. I suppose one day I will get our there and raise up the floor of the nesting boxes by adding some scrap plywood or a 2x4 as you said but it has been ok as it is, just more annoying to clean wh3n I have to scoop out the bedding
The build plans say this coop is good for up to 8 chickens. I really like this coop, but it does seem like it would be cramped for 8 birds. Or even 6. I am very new to this and trying to do it right the first time (and do what is best for my hens). I have read that I should have 3 square feet per bird inside the coop and 10 square feet per bird in the run.
I don't want to stray from your plans if I don't need to, but wonder if it would be better for my girls if I scaled it a little larger. Your thoughts?
Thanks for the videos!
I agree that 8 birds is pushing it for this design. It would be ok as long as you let them free range most of the time. 6 fits pretty well and with 40 square feet in the run it is fairly close to the recommended. With that being said, you can't have too much space and they will be happier with more so if you have the room, build it bigger!
+SSLFamilyDad Thanks for the quick response! I have plenty of room, so I guess the smart thing to do would be to scale it a little larger. Thanks again!
Does anybody know what type of chickens he has?
ISA brown
I want to get chickens but I am worried about coyotes. I feel confident that I can protect the chickens from the coyotes, but I also have two small dogs. I fear that if I get chickens, then they will attract coyotes that will kill my dogs. Do you have any suggestions on how to resolve this problem?
+WeekendWoodworker this coop design would protect them from the cyotes, as far as your dogs, not sure about that
+SSLFamilyDad Thank you. I have decided that I am going to get 6 hens this summer and make a coop very similar to yours. With 6 hens, how often do you clean out the nesting box, the run, and the main section of the coop? Thank you.
Are the plans for this coop out yet? If so could someone send me a link?
Check the description or our website www.sslfamilyfarm.com
what is the breed of the chickens you have, they look big.
Ziad Tariq These are ISA Brown chickens. They are considered a multi-use bird (meat or eggs) but they are best for eggs as they lay a lot!
Healthy looking chickens _indeed_! I don't recall seeing chickens like that here in Barbados. I guess chickens fare better in temperate zones than tropical ones.
Fun Fact: Barbadians are said to have the highest number of chicken eaters (per capita) in the world. So, you can imagine how well KFC does here. lol
Did you ever get plans up?
Not yet. Will have them ready for this coming years chicken coop building season.
+sanner400 Discover how to easily build an attractive and affordable backyard chicken coop... * PLs. visit here --------->> www.chickencoop.ml
So, maybe in the next month or two? :)
When exactly is chicken coop building season? I'm contemplating promoting a ClickBank product and my keyword research suggests that there's been hightened interest in chicken coop plans over the last 3 months or so. Roughly, when does the season begin and end?
Thanks
P.S. Interesting video, by the way. Definitely a thumbs up from me.
whats that for? prntscr.com/qls7e5 also will you ever rebuild a new one if so please video step by step with links and parts
This is a nesting box. When the chicken tractor is detached they can still jump up and have a place to lay. I have full free plans for this on our site at www.sslfamilyfarm.com.
@@SSLFamilyDad I watched all of your chicken videos for 3 days and your pig accident so all up to date on you chicks 😊 and the pig i'm sure it was the best bacon ever eat glad everything was back in action little scary !! didn't know it was a boar thought it was a normal pig