New to all this :-)

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
  • Start date Start date
A

Anonymous

Guest
Hi
I'm Clare. I'm starting chicken keeping as a new hobby and focus as I have Fibromyalgia. We are preparing for new arrivals on Saturday. I have been looking at this forum over the last few days, and thankyou for some very informative posts.
I have a couple of queries. I'm wondering how many birds I can keep in my coop (pic attached) Suggestion with coop was 5 birds or up to 6 banty sized. I'm thinking 3 or 4 at maximum. Coop size is 7'3".
Also I have a working sawmill next to me, and have ample access to sawdust for free. Is sawdust a good option for bedding, nest boxes and run?

Thankyou

Clare x
 

Attachments

  • PICT0004.JPG
    PICT0004.JPG
    150.5 KB · Views: 2,696
Sorry to hear you have fibromyalgia - they thought I might have it recently but fortunately not, but if it's anything like what I get from time to time it must be very painful and debilitating. I'm sure chickens will take your mind off it though - hours of endless amusement, and I warn you, very labour intensive if you become as obsessed with them as I have!
I am not an expert as have only had my pekins since last August, but I wouldn't put more than 4 in the house you have - the more space the better. And they do poo a lot so the more you have, the more frequently you will have to move the coop. I guess it also depends on whether they will be free ranging during the day too. I think sawdust is considered too dusty, which could cause respiratory problems. I use dust-extracted wood shavings which you can buy in big bales from places like Countrywide. Good luck!
 
Thanks Elmdene. Yes Fibromyalgia is very debilatating and painful. I still manage to work, but it is always there, and often flares too. Keeping chickens will be therapeutic i'm sure and hubby is happy to help with the cleaning up etc. Yes I think 4 would be the defo maximum. I never gave it much thought about dustiness. It doesn't matter, I just thought it was a free and ample option. I'll go for the dust extracted wood shavings then.
How many pekins do you have? I dont even know what we are getting yet? My cousin has recently acquired poultry when she moved house and has quite a lot. She is not sure of the breed.

Clare x
 
Agree with elmdene, would not put more than 4 large fowl in this coop/run especially it they will not be free ranging some of the time. I have 6 Wyandotte bantams on the allotment. Use newspaper for the coop floor which is rolled up, removed and replaced every day. On the floor of the run I use woodchip. They love to scratch around in it and it is easy to shovel out and replace when more fresh material becomes available. In the afternoon they are let out onto the allotment to free range. Of course I have to protect anything I am going to eat with nets! I do hope you enjoy your new hobby, it will not be long before you are hooked!! :D
 
Thanks Bantie keeper. Do you put rolled up newspaper in or flat for them? we may try to let them out for roam when we are in the garden, but not left unsupervised...we live in countryside so foxes etc a potential problem. I'm hooked b4 i get them lol x
 
Hi Clare,
Sound advice so far I think. We have a slightly smaller version of this coop and run (6 feet x 3 feet) and two Wyandotte hens or one Cockerel is all we ever put in it. Three hens would be too much even for a short time. I think you are right and 3 hens in your larger one is a sensible limit. To increase the run space we removed the ramp as well as they can jump the 15 inches to the door easily. I added boarding to the bottom 8 inches of the sides to limit wind, as our garden is exposed and added Polythene covering over the run because there is hardly any shelter in a day of pouring rain. For some reason our coop had no ventilation with the door closed so I removed two windows and fitted mesh which can be covered over in Winter if necessary. Things to consider later perhaps.
We put wood shavings in the coop -anything dusty or damp will cause heath problems. If the coop is staying in one place the free sawdust could be put on the floor but I wonder if the hens will eat it. A friend of ours created a sand bath using kiln dried sand as chickens absolutely love baths, but they ate the sand !!!!. We have ours on slabs with Aubiose on the floor to make it warmer and easier to keep clean.
Welcome to the chicken keeping flock. It's an addictive hobby which you will certainly enjoy.
 
Hi i to have fibromyalgia and it is very painful and you are limited to what you can do but i have 6 chickens and they really give me joy after all im stuck in the house most of the day :( .

Booty's wife Maxine.
 
Hi Clare, I just lay a daily paper out flat on the coop floor. As chrismahon says it is important to ventilate the coop otherwise the hens can develop respiratory problems if the atmosphere is damp and humid. I keep all the openings on my coop open whenever possible to keep it aired. ;)
 
Hi Clare - lots of advice already! Just to add to the mix, I put newspaper on the bottom of the sleeping quarters with a layer of woodshavings on top, then 'poo pick' every day, topping up with woodshavings if necessary, then clean the whole lot out once a week. When I clean them out I spray it all down with Total Mite Kill solution and dust the new woodshavings, perch etc with Diatom - no doubt you have read about the dreaded red mite. As I said - it's quite a labour intensive hobby and makes for the most expensive eggs ever, but totally worth it!! :D
 
hi chrismahon,
thanks for all your suggestions, I will keep them in mind for my coop. My coop does have 4 large ventilation holes in back of the house. Also when you look through to the nesting box from inside the house, you can see fresh air gap, so hopefully this will be enough. I will keep the window meshing in mind if i feel it's not ventilated enough. I'm also going to create a sand bath for them. We are going to put an extra square run around the coop and run so they will have more space too.
I can't wait, hoping to get my chooks on sunday :-) :D
 
Hi Maxine (Phil Boots wife)

Sorry to hear you too have fibromyalgia. I've had this awful condition for 3 years and it really takes it's toll. If you ever want to chat pm me and i'll send you my email address x ;)
 
I also have Fibromyalgia i have good days and some very bad ones ,My hubbt also helps we have 4 warrens .
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top