New coop + run pics

[fisho]

Hi all,

Thought I'd post a few pics of my new coop and run. Hopefully I can get some feed back on what others have done similar and did or didn't work.

I know i had a mind blank while making the nesting boxes and stuffed them up but thought I'd see how they went before fixing/replacing them

 

[twfernandez]

The coop looks great! I like the open-air between the siding and the roof, it's functional and looks good!

 

[bdjh]

That'll never handle the snow load!

Yeah.... .....I know....I saw the freaking palm trees.....I'm jealous! Where are you?

Nice coop.

 

[Percheron chick]

The nest boxes are mounted backwards. They are made to add a cover (roof) to make them dark and private.

 

[Blooie]

On e concern is the wire on the floor under the roosts. Walking on wire all of the time is hard on their feet. And if your hope is that the poop will neatly fall through the wire to a catch tray below I'm afraid you are going to be very disappointed. Chicken poop isn't like sparrow poop - neat little elongated blops. It can be runny and sticky sometimes, and as they get older some of those poops look more like the size and shape of gray eggs. It's going to accumulate on that wire and be almost impossible to remove without a power washer. The other concern is ventilation. I'm just not sure you have enough, especially in your climate. Chickens suffer much more from heat than from cold, and with your coop being constructed of what looks like metal, heat and ammonia buildup is going to be a real issue. Can you put in an operating window or two, and maybe a hardware cloth covered vent at the bottom? The open area between the walls and roof is a great start for ventilation...it just needs more. And I'd cover that open rafter area with hardware cloth to keep wild birds and other unwanted visitors out.

It's hard to look at something that someone has poured their time and money into and be critical, but in this case that wire floor and lack of ventilation just jumped out at me. I'd rather you were aware of the potential problems with it before you are faced with the reality than afterwards, but I don't like sounding harsh, either. I do love the size of the run.

 

[bdjh]

It looks like there's LOTS of ventilation, both top and bottom, all the way around......

 

[Blooie]

It looks like there's LOTS of ventilation, both top and bottom, all the way around......

You are right...I had to enlarge the photos a bit to see the ventilation under the floor. That said, if the floor is closed off rather than having the wire, then that ventilation doesn't do too much good. I dunno -