My chicken coop

[Millet]

What type of cat did you skin for comparison?

I have skinned no cats but a friend of mine is a taxidermist , i have spent many hours in his shop over the years, not that i would ever have it done but he has stuffed many folks pets, dogs and cats never look the same as when they where alive.

 

[BMH]

I now have an automatic door opener that opens up at 8am and closes at dusk (set to a fair bit darker to ensure they are all inside).

Just need to sort out the ladder now which i will do once ive sharpened my chainsaw chains.

Ive also amended to coop so its over twice the size inside now with 2 raised perches which they seem to enjoy!

[/url]2016-03-29_06-31-30 by laurence edwards, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

[alldigging]

So do you have a trap door to clean them out?

 

[BMH]

if you look on the left hand face at the very bottom,
there is a slide out tray that covers the whole floor. it just pops out for easy cleaning.

the compost heap is just out of shot so its all rather convenient now

 

[Millet]

That looks better its just the ramp that needs a narrower beam up the middle and you might have it cracked.

 

[alldigging]

if you look on the left hand face at the very bottom,
there is a slide out tray that covers the whole floor. it just pops out for easy cleaning.

the compost heap is just out of shot so its all rather convenient now

Ah!

I had visions of a Wallace and Gromit style lever being pulled and then the floor opening up (chickens clinging to the walls) and all the poop being dropped out into a big pile underneath..

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Is that coop one of the flatpack specials from fleabay by any chance? how long have you had it? SWMBO bought one a few years ago - if it is, won't be long before the timber swells and twists and the tray will be jammed - it;s also pretty thin galv lath so won't take long to rot through - I'd also get a piece of felt over the roof just to make sure.

 

[BMH]

No. I bought it from a local uk supplier. It's made from UK cedar. I've had it a couple of years and I've amended the tray already so the opening is much bigger than the tray. No chance of it jamming.

Felt on a chicken coop roof is probably the worse thing you can do. It provides the perfect place for red spider mites to multiply. All the new coops have wooden slatted roofs for this reason.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Felt on a chicken coop roof is probably the worse thing you can do. It provides the perfect place for red spider mites to multiply. All the new coops have wooden slatted roofs for this reason.

plenty of room for them to hide elsewhere so I wouldn't get my knickers in a twist over a felt roof.

 

[BMH]

everything else is exposed and can be treated.

I wouldnt fancy taking off a felt roof every time i wanted to clean/treat red spider mite. I find proactive sterilisation is very effective. When my old coop had a felt roof there was millions of the buggers underneath it!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Wooden roof and paint the whole lot inside with lime a couple of times a year. Or get an Omlet

 

[BMH]

paint it with lime?

is that good to kill the little buggers then?

When this one gives up the ghost i am definitely getting a plastic coop. so much easier and i like some of the features of the omlet.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Kills and prevents. Worked well for me till I got my purple Cube.the other thing I do is give the hens sand mixed with wood ash regularly. I'm sure that stops a lot of nasties. They love it and walk around looking like ghosts.

 

[theeggman]

No. I bought it from a local uk supplier. It's made from UK cedar. I've had it a couple of years and I've amended the tray already so the opening is much bigger than the tray. No chance of it jamming.

Felt on a chicken coop roof is probably the worse thing you can do. It provides the perfect place for red spider mites to multiply. All the new coops have wooden slatted roofs for this reason.

lal5000, I'm trying not be picky but to save others confusion, you're talking about "red mite" not red spider mite which a pest on plants.

P.S. Are you going to remove your crud tray from a ladder, if so you'll need a very steady hand to prevent a shower of s**t down your neck.

 

[BMH]

hmm, I will give that a go then.

I currently use DE as a preventative measure. They get a thorough dosing all over the house and them. i rub it under the wings. they dont like it, but it seems to keep everything under control.

 

[BMH]

sorry you are correct.

red spider mite used to be an issue with another hobby!

red mites are the issue with the hens!

no. the crud tray is about 6.5 ft high.

im over 6ft 2 so its easy to access without a ladder

 

[Millet]

Now we have changed on to red mite Paint the inside and outside with creosote proper creosote not the stuff you get in B@Q, the mites really do not like the stuff but you need to let it air out for 24hrs before you stick the chooks back in, if you do get a red mite infestation FicamW will wipe them out, its a water soluble powder that stays active for around 14days so any bug flying or crawling will be cream crackered, if you do try the stuff keep it well away from any hives though.

 

[BMH]

didnt realise you still get creosote domestically?

Thanks for the advice the FicamW, unfortunately, the hives are less than 5m away from that coop now so i think preventative measures are probably best.

i will keep up the regime of twice yearly poultry shield and liberal amounts of diatomaceous earth!

 

[Millet]

 

[theeggman]

Creosote sold in 5 lt cans is not "real" creosote. It's a 'safe' alternative.
To get real creosote you probably need to buy 20 lts from a farm supplier. We used to mix creosote with red diesel to thin it and spray our commercial hen houses below floor level where the birds couldn't get to it. Purely as wood preservative of course.