Chicken Coop Expert Answers 27+ Common Chicken Questions
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ค. 2024
- Matt from carolinacoops.com/ came out to drop some chicken knowledge for us as we venture into the world of chicken keeping. There's SO much to know, so we collected questions from the Epic Gardening community and selected the most popular ones for him to answer in this rapid-fire chicken keeping Q&A.
00:00 - Intro
00:38 - Building custom chicken coops
01:08 - Where to put a coop?
01:40 - Chickens and quail?
02:06 - Frost bite on combs?
02:38 - Best bedding for deep litter?
02:50 - Deep litter in cold climates
03:08 - Broody hens
03:35 - Best material for a coop
04:08 - Quiet breeds
04:28 - Space for chickens
04:59 - Chickens without a coop
05:29 - Common diseases
05:46 - Best breeds for eggs
06:14 - Chickens and dogs
06:33 - Feeding chickens scraps
06:58 - Paint and stains for coop
07:23 - Daily chores
07:48 - Getting an orange yolk
08:12 - Raccoons and snakes
09:12 - Airflow in coop
09:27 - Cleaning raised coops
09:56 - Maintaining coop screens
10:01 - Cost to keep chickens
11:06 - Fancy coop features
11:37 - Introducing new birds
12:23 - Breed and egg flavor
12:41 - Carolina coops history
13:35 - Outro
IN THIS VIDEO
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Before we get the question - YES we are filling the bottom of the coop with dirt and building a predator apron :)
Ha ha ha…you were going to get a ton of comments on that!
lol. thanks for saving me from posting that question!
Awesome to hear ...I made that comment on your original coop install😁
A Predator apron?... so the foxes can avoid getting blood on their chest? haha jk.
😂 Well fielded.
My wife and I had 148 layers for years (we are down to four now). The cost in feed per month for the four at $19.98 per bag of at least 16% protein is a about two to two and a half. We also have about a half acre i n veggies (haven't bought a veggie at the store in 12 years---a hell of a lot of work as you know!). Do not let your chickens free range to eat the bugs!!! They will eat your veggies first.
148!? WOW
@@epicgardening We were very lucky, I think. A local butcher shop would buy every egg we produced. It gave us enough money to buy the feed for the chickens, replacement chicks when ours weren't producing or to widen the gene pool, egg cartons, a very large refrigerator (that took a few years) and our dog food.
Agree, we got the chickens to eat the pests but they just eat the veges and leave the snails 😅 so they dont get to play in the garden anymore. I do always give them all the compost and weeds to go through when we clear a bed though which they love
Could let them free range when your growing cover crops though
I let my chickens free range in my garden. I don't usually have an issue as long as my plants are at a certain stage of maturity. I might have completely different breeds however. I did have the issue when I had saplings in the ground and smaller root vegetables but later in the season I was OK
My chickens eat EVERYTHING-bugs, frogs, small snakes, and most especially, all my plants. I remember watching them decimate my young sunflowers and thinking, well, at least I have my fruit trees. 2 weeks later I watched them learn to leap straight up into the air to snatch peaches and cherries from the trees. I love them anyway-I end each day sitting outside watching them and it calms me down. I planted a mulberry just for them, and they love the fruit each spring.
I wish they did. Mine havnt read that book obviously
Sounds like they’re living their best natural life!! They’re supposed to do that! Well done ❤❤
I love how he has all the chicken knowledge as well as builds badass coops/runs.
Important note re: coop placement - especially on smaller suburban lots. Definitely check your local ordinances before proceeding.
Here in San Jose, I'm pretty sure that a coop cannot be placed within 20 feet of *any* dwelling (this includes your neighbors' properties). Some folks' lots might not be big enough - esp if there are neighbors on 3 sides.
We are lucky to live on a large pie-shaped lot - and we love our 4 girls. We get plenty of eggs for us from 3 producers (the oldest is in heno-pause!). And we share summer's bounty with our neighbors.
Thanks for interviewing Matt. He had me at “let her be a mother.” EG-really enjoy your videos. :)
Thank you so much. I really learned alot from Matt . I would love to have chickens but I thought it would be hard. As a single older woman I was unsure. You made this seem possible for me. Much appreciated 👍
That makes us so happy to hear. Chickens can be extremely easy. It’s all about having the right coop.
Hi from Canada ! I am 80 and a single woman. With chickens. The ease of keeping chickens is all in the design of their coop. I think you will love having them. They are always cheerful, and never needy like cats and dogs. If you can't spend time with them, or someone else comes to care for them, they are quite OK, but they know you and are happy to see you. Many breeds love to be pet. A hen likes to be lightly tickled under her body, I think because that is where baby chicks would be hiding, and Mother Nature makes it pleasurable for her.
Great tip about the industrial hemp!
I love the acknowledgement of them being woodland animals. People forget they can get up into trees and need cover from hawks.
Wow!! This video is amazing! I just learned sooooo much!
Omg- yes!!! Now with all I’ve learned from you finally getting this up and going- I can avoid major mistakes when building mine.
Glad to hear!
You will have so much fun raising chickens just watch for hawks. I've lost three of my sweet hens this year due to hawks. I wish you all the best
Awesome job on the Q and A! Loved it, you asked all the right questions and Matt did a wonderful job of answering as best he could. You have to admire a company owner with that kind of passion!
Thank you for the kinds words Steve. Everyone at Carolina Coops is passionate about what we do.
If I could have afforded to by a Carolina Coop I would have. But honestly my coop I designed with most of his features and totally repurposed materials turned out pretty darn well. Thanks for the info! I have 08 and adding 4 in my backyard. P.s. I buy I bag every month and a half . I grow kale for them and they complete with my compost pile for scraps. Also grubs from Azure Standard are their Crack!!
Lol we have chicken and dogs running around together, with our cat the master of all. Lol, our cat even took over sitting on the eggs for a bit and would not let us pick up the eggs. Its great to have them all getting alone,, we have 3 dogs, 1 cat and 10 hens 2 roosters and today we saw a stray cat walking around with the chickens, just call hanging out together. They obviously have been hanging out before, they were all very friendly together.
I have a rooster with my hens and I adore him. A rooster will protect the hens expecially if you allow them to roam during the day plus if two of my hens start to argue my rooster will break up the fight. I love my hens and the eggs I get every morning
I am glad to get such useful information about chickens which I love all the time.😀👍👍
Fascinating topic and great questions! Love that his answers are so direct ! Without too much selling. Thank you!
My parents had free range chickens they were trained to go back in the coop at night but during the day they were all over the property. My brother had a black lab that used to stay at my parents house often. My dad trained the dog he got all the eggs the chicken laid in the yard / woods. Those chickens had the best guardian and the lab had the best coop.
That must've been nice for the lab. They just like having jobs, nothing made my blonde lab Laney happier than getting the newspaper in the morning.
@@Sam-pe5np oh he loved it one he understood what the eggs tasted like.
I agree with info of the broody chickens, there are some breeds that it's prevalent. They will adopt another chicken's eggs and raise them as their own. Very protective and wonderful mothers to their young. At a certain age or time, the mother separates from them completely and become entirely independent. Interesting switch....
Co-housing chickens and turkeys is not recommended due to risk of histomoniasis, blackhead disease. Chickens are usually asymptomatic but turkeys can be severely affected if they pick up the shed parasites from chickens.
When we had chickens, we had a good experience with ducks in the same enclosure. (We did have a rooster to prevent the drake from trying anything with the hens.) One year, we had a broody Buff Orpington hen and put three duck eggs under her... she hatched a lovely brood of healthy ducklings!
This was great! Weve had chickens 2 years now and our little black bantams always go broody and we refuse to put them in a cage to 'break it' but everything online says its unhealthy for them. We've just put 12 fertilised eggs under our 2 girls so we will hopefully have babies soon!
Matt is amazing! Beautiful coops. We will definitely be using his turn key service to build our coop her in So Cal
This was an awesome bit of info. Have had our hens now for 2 years. A lot we are already doing right and some wonderful suggestions for future. BUT NEED THAT COOP! In GA....he'd have a much shorter travel. lol!
Thank you Lori. We're here when you want to get a new coop!
great answers from matt. the only thing i'd disagree about is a broody hen. they will significantly decrease their eating and drinking and that can get dangerous. i use a wire cage that's roomy enough for her to walk around in and keep it in the coop so they all still see each other and there are no reintroduction issues. it takes about 3 days to get them unbroody and eating and drinking normally again.
I was going to comment that as well. I only have hens, so leaving a broody hen on eggs is not an option. I physically remove my girl and take the eggs. If left especially in hot months they will dehydrate rapidly.
@Chicken Bros Let's Go! hens without roosters definitely can go broody. Warm weather can spur that on in some hens...which is why I mentioned dehydration. We can have high heat indexes here, that's why I don't allow my hens to remain broody and remove them.
@@Freecountry44 hens go broody with and without roosters.
Feed cost can be greatly reduced if you ferment your feed. It’s a bit messy until you get then hang of it but it’s much better for the chickens and stretches the $$ a lot. Lots of good you tube videos about it.
Love love Carolina Coops. Been following them for a few years now. Just wish I would’ve gotten a coop before all the prices went up. They’re amazing 🤩
Thank you for the compliments. We kept our prices stable for as long as we could. The costs for premium lumber and all the high quality parts we use have skyrocketed. We are always working to be even more efficient so we can still pay our employees and keep the lights on without jacking up the prices of our coops. We still find because our coops last a lifetime, they are an amazing value.
Thank y’all so much for this great video
Awesome 👏 thank you both!
I have a pretty large flock of about 40 hens, all different breeds. Yummy eggs. But I also have a flock of Seramas and my husband swears their eggs taste the best. He says it’s like all the flavor of a regular sized egg, crammed into an itty bitty egg. I’m so happy he thinks that, as I love my little Seramas and he never says anything when I get more 🤣
What are seramas? Different breed of chicken or a whole different bird?
My city is still debating allowing backyard chickens so I'm thinking about quails or even pigeons maybe, so I'm curious
@@pvp6077 Seramas are one of the smallest breed of chicken 😊
Industrial hemp for the win! Yet another use. We need to start scaling operations for biofiber.
Totally agree
Great info! Thank you!
Great video! For someone who has no interest in chickens, I found this to be quite interesting .... and that coop looks awesome!
10:01 Find a local feed mill that sells chicken feed. Right there will cut your cost of feed 50%. Then, learning how to ferment your chicken (or other livestock) feed will cut your feed in half again. Especially if you free range or pasture raise the chickens.
You can also mix you own feed if you know the proteins of the grains and seeds you want to use as well as oil and nutritional content. If done right you will have a healthier mix and should cost less in the long run but will be a larger amount up front. It also allows you to optimize you feed for warm vs cold weather. One of the best greens I have found for hens is comfrey, they love it and it grows like a weed, even in deep shade, you can cut it multiple times a summer and even dry some for hay for the winter. On a side note comfrey is dangerous for human consumption if used too often and/or incorrectly but is great for your compost heap as well as a great pollinator flower.
@Falconlore yes that is one of our goals. Just not their yet. The previous owner did nothing to this land, and right now, trying to get the soil healthy with regenerative methods with animal rotation. This fall, we are going to do some fall cover crops and allow the animals to feed of of that.
@@TheNakidGardeners yes prioritizing is always a good thing and it is not like chickens are going to do badly on pellets. Wish you all the best bringing your land back up to healthy there are so many options these days you really need to pick and choose what will be best for you.
Thank you for the information
thank you so much for this!!!
Cool music in the background… thanks for the reader’s digest edition of “Everything you wanted to know about chickens”
Great advertising for Carolina Coops!
Really great video, we'll learn a lot from you😀
There is a lot of information on Back Yard Chickens. Chicken Health handbook. Gail Damerow. And she has other books
What a great guy , it’s just so good to hear someone questioned and the answer comes out without having to think. Matt obviously knows his subject inside out. I live in the UK, do Carolina coops sell drawings for self build? I am a carpenter and want to build a coop ,but I’m a bit baffled by all the advice out there. Has Matt written any books ? Best wishes from England
excellent excellent so much useful information thank you so much
I am a wood worker, so when I build my coop it's going to be awesome.
I've had my quill in with my chickens for years. They have their own hutch.
ሰላም ወንድሜ ላቀረብከው በጣም እናመሰግናለን በጣቃሚ ምክር ነው
And this whole time I thought it was Jacques the garden hermits apartment 😂😂😂😂😂
Excellent video.
I like this guy. He knows chickens
wow this is awesome, thanks dudes!
Matt is an excellent chicken guy !
Looks like his egg box is raised a bit above floor level, unlike in many other coop designs, Egg boxes should be raised so hens don't scratch dirty litter into them, They should also be as dark as possible so the bedding in them stays clean, so you will get clean eggs. If the egg box is light enough to see, the hens will scratch around looking for food, sometimes breaking an egg, and where they scratch, they poop. They almost never poop in a darkened egg box. Some people hang a curtain over the entrance to keep it darker.
And be sure the latch on the egg box is racoon-proof !
Great Answers from Matt
Oh this is awesome I just finished revamping my chicken run on exactly it's 95% the way I want it to be for where it is and I used to have a little one like this but I don't need it to a friend of mine that still uses it today that I built.
Love the construction and features of the Carolina Coops. Definitely, works of art in the Chicken Coop business.
One day, I will get one for my farm, but for now I need to build the coop (house) for the Crazy Chicken Lady.
very interesting video!!!
I love my broody hen.they are great moms
Thank you!
*Good... Muy bien!...*
It is good to keep the water at least a foot above the litter, accessed by perches, so the chickens don't scratch litter into it. I live in a very cold climate and set my water fountain on a 16 inch high box with a 60 w. light bulb suspended inside. There is a hole above the light so the heat goes directly into the bottom of the fountain. I wrap some flexible insulation around the top of the fountain, and invert a plastic container over the insulation and seal it up with duct tape. Their water never freezes. I put a plexiglass window on one side of the box to give the hens a night light, and also so I can see if the light bulb has burned out.
Heard great things about the deep litter system. Would love to hear Carolina Coops opinion on using sand (not play sand) as the bedding in the coop.
Hi David. We don't recommend sand for chickens either in the run or in the henhouse for deep litter. Chickens are beach creatures, the run needs to be soil, leaves, woodchips, straw, grass, all the things that will promote a healthy ecosystem and allow the chickens to dig, scratch and find lots of bugs. Having the deep litter system in the henhouse also promotes healthy microbes as it composts down over months and even years. Sand of any kind doesn't promote healthy microbes and bugs that are very beneficial to the chickens and their environment. Hope that helps answer your question.
I’m surprised he hasn’t mentioned mites. If the chickens get mites, I would think the coop would need to be cleaned more than once a year.
Chicken mites are relentless and they like making humans itch too depending on how desperate they are, so I’d say be aware of your chicken health!
GUINEAS can go with chickens
What a great video.
If your chickens get enough green matter the yolks will turn green. This is the perfect opportunity to make green eggs and ham 😋. Dr Seuss knew what he was talking about 👍 .
Nice! 👍
I absolutely love all the thought put into each of the features on the coops. Is there any similar design team working in Europe? I’d love to get my hands on a Carolina Coop but even if there was international delivery, the import taxes would make it impossible.
I think they also sell the plans for the coops if you or someone you know (or hire) can handle a bit of carpentry
So cool yer going to have chickens!
Hey Kevin, it’s Grant again 😬 This is totally off subject but, last week I asked about a watering wand. I finally found the video of the wand I was asking about and it was from Ray Padula. My question is do you like the Ray Padula or Dramm wand better? TIA for taking the time to deal with novices like me 🤙🏽
Re: broody hens -- Her chicks will be pecked and killed by the other hens, so they need a separate pen. Re: running ducks with chickens -- male ducks try to mate every moving thing they can mount, and will torment the hens.
Have you considered polish chiken they are soo cute ! They lay a bit less eggs but their look compensate !
Matt? Does he have a channel? Or a bird book? Lots of excellent info.
Now where do we get the hemp that won’t break the bank? It’s not available in my area that I’m aware of.
Where in SD county can you get hemp bedding?
I think you need a good chicken book and I bought many of them. Storey's guide is pretty good but I really like City Chicks by Patricia Foreman.
This is a fabulous and enormous helpful video!
Thank you so much
Bo from Cincinnati
Can you tell me where I can buy the Ecuador Polora dragon fruit plant
Best answer he gave was regarding the broody chicken. Let them be themselves. It's the natural way. Better would be to use them to hatch more.
Domesticated chickens have been bread to be broody for far too long. They are supposed to have a breeding season, and if you live in a hot /desert climate, they can die while broody. I've lost some broody birds to heat so I can't let them just be.
Also, many of us can only have 3- 8 chickens (no roosters) in our ordinance, so hatching isn't an option often.
another question is it an option to add a lighthouse style rotating light to the chimney thing on your coup?
Lol might upset the neighbors but it'd be pretty darn cool
I have found the best way to make a dog trustworthy with chickens is to start it out with baby chicks, and let it participate in the daily routine of raising them. Most dogs and cats fall in love with new chicks, and will lie down with them and be fascinated with them. Dogs have to overcome reflexes triggered by flapping wings, and running "prey." Baby chicks do not trigger those reflexes, and the dog learns to think of them as part of the family "farm."
Great information. I have a question regarding the ‘Deep Litter System’.
Why is that method healthier for the chickens, as opposed to maybe keeping the litter box constantly clean?
I don’t have chickens (yet), so I’m gathering as much good information as possible right now.
Thanks.
deep litter lets microorganisms turn waste and litter into compost so there's no ammonia to harm the chickens plus it's close to zero labor. it smells good like compost and there's no fly problem.
it gives the chickens an environment that mimics their natural habitat (forest floor) that they love to scratch in, it gives them variety in their diet because you can compost directly in the run, just toss in veg scraps and they'll either eat it or dig it in, and they can find bugs. it provides enrichment/entertainment allowing them to do all the things chickens like to do during the day and cuts way down on behavioral issues like bullying.
i've used the deep litter system for 5 years and i've never ever had to clean out my coop or run. i just add hay or straw when it needs it and take out compost in the fall to dress my fruit trees and raised beds.
@@zia_kat A perfect explanation. We couldn't say it better ourselves.
I would've said that there's probably healthy bacteria in it that the chicken would probably benefit from but the guy above answered you already 😂
"Racoons and snakes are completely different animals" - I don't know I just kinda laughed at that so hard 😂
I got a new 1 for you.
Were do I find the very colorful ones or the all black one with black skin and I guess meat too.
Or weres the coop garden mixes like I want vegetables and chickens in same place without loss of crops.
How do I find the big big chickens or the very small ones for pets.
How do I make a run thats warm but open to the cold but without the cold getting in for chickens to go outside and not get to cold.
Hatcheries/online mail order chickens (Myer, McMurry etc) is where you can get most breeds.
The serrama breed means you have to google a breeder, or your local chicken facebook group will point you in the proper direction.
It's going to take some agency on your part to find the Ayan Cemani (all black chicken) breeders. Rare ish and expensive.
I think the regular black chickens (like the ones at the asian grocers) are just silkie chickens.
But yeah, just google chicken breeds, that's what I did. There's a lot of experts out there
Also check out Edible Acres channel for outdoor winter chickens runs and chicken composting
@@pvp6077 I know its called the ayam cemani.
I think there cool do to how black they are and the eggs too.
I hate normal chickens there so dam common.
I want cool new fun big rare colors and breeds.
Can you tell me where I can buy the Ecuador Polora dragon fruit
Chickens great natural pest control for large yards. I’m surprised you don’t use ducks to control slug population. You’ll notice your harvest taste better after some time goes by.
How high is are the water cups supposed to be. That's the one piece of info I can't seem to find anywhere.
On average, layer chickens will eat about 1/3 of a pound of food per day per chicken.
How do you keep the chickens from eating young plants? I let my chickens free range a couple times a week and I always find some damage in my garden 🪴🚫🐓
I need to become an expert in something so I can go visit your homestead haha... maybe once we move from condo to house I can be your North East contact!
It costs me about $80 to feed 35 chickens Every month. They also have pastor time and get to run on a compost area.
Last week I saw that you had posted a video about your new coop but I didn't get a chance to watch it, and now I can't find it. Is this that same video reuploaded or am I looking in the wrong place? Thanks!
Nope - go to the channel, it's a few vids back!
Did you check epic homestead or epic gardening? Sometimes i get them mixed up when I'm going through my subs list and the video I'm looking for is on the other channel
If you don’t want more chicks, don’t let them go broody. They can be broken from being broody in 3 days.
How?
@@MissFinance attach hardware cloth on the floor of a dog cage and set it up on cement blocks. Put her in it with food and water at the first signs of being broody. She needs airflow under her to lower her body temperature. I let mine out ( some people don’t) for a while to free-range daily. Just make sure she doesn’t have access to a nest box.
I think there is a difference in the taste of the eggs the white ones we got from our legwork chickens were not quite as tasty as the brown eggs from our Rhode island reds but the tactics of all where the eggs form our Archana chickens the eggs shells varied in color from very light pale pink to blues and greens all in different shades...however the yolks from the Archana chickenswere such a deep orange in color and had the richest flavor
It's often overlooked that they require protection from hawks and other predators.
Did I miss what the price would be for one of these coops?
3500 and up. Price goes up very quickly.
they are on his website and on his youtube page..it depends on the style of the coop and size.
Some of the videos I watched, the coops cost more than my house! Lol
@@MrHarleyreinke That’s crazy 😳
From a medical wellbeing standpoint, you really don't want to mix turkeys and chickens. They each have their own normal bugs that can become pathogenic to each other.
Pain in the butt to treat since, as food producing animals, they are heavily limited on what medications that can be used for them.
Yolk pigment is due to the phytonutrients in their food, like beta carotene that gives the yellow to orange pigmentation. So absolutely give them variation in diet, fruits and veggies and grass all have those various nutrients and then the insects and meat also contribute essential nutrients to the birds. Vegetarian chicken diets are only for the person feeding them, not the birds themselves. Give them those leftovers of rub bones and everything, or the scraps if you're a hunter/fisher.
Re:which breed? -- If you want calm friendly pets, some breeds are much better than others.
Re: keeping chickens without a coop__ some people give them security from night predators with a minimal weasel-proof shed locked tight every night and opened in morning. Automatic doors are available to do this. Chickens LOVE secure houses, and night security is part of their ancient agreement with humans, and a big part of why they stick around instead of running away. . Because they don't see well at night, they suffer from night fear, and will sleep better and be more productive if they feel safe.
Maybe get one female call duck. They are super cute and small. And they will eat the bugs but won't dig as much as the chicken.
I'm a DIY, I'm also a designer, ur copp has no more than my design and you don't show Auto Feeders and Drinkers...they are vital too...ur coops are nice but dont undersell the intelligence of ppl that ARE DIYers...thank you for ur video though...glad to know I've done everything you did plus more...😊👍🏻
💜💜
What is a predator apron?
Do the chickens have large talons?
No. You are thinking of spurs. Roosters have spurs which can be easily cut down or removed if needed.
How are you going to stop the chickens destroying your garden beds (crops)
Rise Chicken, Chicken Arise!