WIP My take on Fowl plus Garden

[Hinotori]

Dirt is good for deep litter. Bad for keeping rodents out. They try and shelter in my large fowl coop even though there is no food to get.

 

[CrealCritter]

Dirt is good for deep litter. Bad for keeping rodents out. They try and shelter in my large fowl coop even though there is no food to get.

I hear you and that did cross my mind... I was thinking I may just go ahead and tack some rat wire to the inside of the RR ties and have it cover the floor. Then deep bed on-top of the rat wire. I like the deep beding method. Just spread out a layer of barn lime (cheap) then add another layer of whatever you have handy (leaves, hay, straw, sawdust, wood chips, etc..) repeat when it gets stinky. When it's full, pitch fork it out and DYN-O-MITE fertilizer for the garden

Something like this.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Hinotori]

I have 1/4 inch hardware cloth all around the sides and back of the silkie pens.

I put down a deep layer of wood pellet when I first started the large fowl coop. I've only had to put lime down 3 times in 8 years. All of those were in the first year. Once it was well established, it stayed about perfect with me just adding wood shavings once or twice a year. The worms are very active in there. No smell and the top stays dry even with our rain.

 

[CrealCritter]

I have 1/4 inch hardware cloth all around the sides and back of the silkie pens.

I put down a deep layer of wood pellet when I first started the large fowl coop. I've only had to put lime down 3 times in 8 years. All of those were in the first year. Once it was well established, it stayed about perfect with me just adding wood shavings once or twice a year. The worms are very active in there. No smell and the top stays dry even with our rain.

SNAKES is more of my consern, we got lots of them, all different kinds to. That's why I thought I might do rat wire on the floor also. Plus leave a old 16ga shotgun out there in the coop, for my wife. Who knows... After I get it built on RR tie foundation. I might need a workout. Lifting, mixing and pouring 60lbs bag of cement for fun... stranger things have happened.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[The Porch]

For the coop, I was thinking on doing a 8x16 floating cement pad for the floor. But now I think I'll just lay down some RR ties for the sill and a dirt floor instead.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

Yes, I love having the dirt floor and I add all purpose sand, it is so easy to keep clean.

 

[The Porch]

I have a thread on how we built our coop back in 2014,
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/building-our-new-coop.861352/