Hen Chronicles: The downside of having a small coop

There are advantages — and disadvantages — to having a small coop such as ours. On the plus side, it's relatively easy to remove poop from the coop, which I do daily, because much of the floor is reachable by hand. The same applies during my big spring and fall cleanings, when I scoop out all of the bedding, wash the floor, etc.

On the downside, a small coop can be problematic in winter because “the girls” spend more time inside, to escape the wind and the cold. When Snow, Nellie and Hope hang out in the coop during the day, they usually hop or fly up to the roost, which is an elevated wooden bar that runs from the front of the coop to the back.

But sometimes during the day, one or two of the hens may be reluctant to roost, opting to wander around on the floor instead. There’s a thick coating of pine shavings down there, so it’s probably a comfortable spot for a bit of indoor sauntering.

That’s where the problem comes in.

Chickens are not particular about where or when they go to the bathroom, which is why I clean out the coop every morning. All three hens spend the entire night on the roost, so their overnight “offerings” fall to the floor. But if, during the day, one hen is roaming below while the others are roosting aloft, that places any peripatetic poultry in what might be called the drop zone. With a bull's-eye on her back.

Snow, our all-white Plymouth Rock, found herself in just such a predicament recently. As a result, a few of the feathers on her back became a bit, shall we say, discolored, thanks to certain deposits from on high. 

We've given chickens baths over the years. They actually seem to like it, if the water is warm. But this obviously is not the time of year to be dipping hens in water, warm or otherwise. Fortunately, Snow somehow managed to clean herself up after the "attack," which is a good thing. In the winter, her "coat" is dry clean only.