My New Coop's Renovation!

[ChickensInMA]

Hi! I figured I'd post the pictures of my new coop that we've been making since July. I wanted to combine my ducks, bantams and big hens into one bigger coop. It's been quite the upgrade, and lots of research has been done. They had a 4'x4' coop with a 6'x8' run, but now they have a 7.3'x7.8' coop, and a larger 10'x10' has been connected to their 6'x8' one. The new coop I got for a great deal of $500, but it needed a lot of work. I'm trying to include all of the pictures of the entire progress, including before. I still need to install my window box and dig a flower bed around the coop. We run a childcare, so the birds are also the kids' project! Beware, the pictures are a bit out of order. Please let me know if you have any questions, or suggestions! I really want what's best for my birds.

Link to my new coop's images on Imgur

 

[cavemanrich]

I checked it out..
You can just as easily post your images into your thread here. That will give you advantage of posting in whatever order you desire. You can also make multiple post with your select group of pictures.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[ChickensInMA]

This is my coop as it stands today. It still needs garden beds, its window box installed (it's almost done being painted) and I have a plastic grating that I want to install in the yard onto which I can put their water. The ducks splash it out all the time, so I want to have a pit beneath it to keep the soil from turning to mud.

 

[ChickensInMA]

This is the coop and yard before I started work on it. I got the coop from Plymouth, MA, which is about 70 miles away from me. The pictures of the coop are from when it was still in Plymouth. I had it delivered. Note the ~200 rotten eggs the old owner left in the coop. I had to clean out everything and disinfect it. The other picture is my set up of my chickens. ducks and quail before I started work on the enclosure.

 

[ChickensInMA]

This is the inside of my coop as it is currently, and an older picture of the new yard. The coop has changed since, but the yard hasn't. It's a 10'x10' chainlink yard sitting on a cinderblock foundation with hardware cloth over it completely. Under the soil in the yard, about a foot down, The entire bottom is also covered with hardware cloth. The top of the yard was a custom 10'x10' chainlink panel I had made, and then it was also covered with hardware cloth. I want nothing getting in . I have my ducks, quail and chickens all inside. It's a bit cramped, but everything fits in comfortably. I wouldn't want to add anymore at the moment. The coop is 7.3'x7.8', and contains my three call ducks, nine chickens (three of which are serama-sized Cuban chickens called kikirikis) and my eleven quail. The quail live in the three-tiered hutch in the corner.

 

[ChickensInMA]

Also, my favourite part of the coop! This is the door I had custom made. I found a stained glass panel for about $25 on eBay, and then I had the door custom made to fit the panel. I got the idea after I saw a picture of an interior door someone had with a big stained glass rooster. The carpenter was up in Maine, and made everything himself by hand. I love it so much!

 

[ChickensInMA]

I also have tons of pictures of the construction process, so if anyone wants to see them or has questions, feel free to ask!

 

[cavemanrich]

I'm not seeing much ventilation.. Now that winter is around the corner,,, the front door cant be left open always, (even if there was a screen door besides.
Boston being on the coast,, does not get extremely cold winters. Frostbite on chickens can still occur. But,,,, one of the more important issues, especially with a large flock inside,,, is ammonia buildup.
@aart has a good info link in signature, about VENTILATION. a WORTHWHILE READ.

 

[ChickensInMA]

I'm not seeing much ventilation.. Now that winter is around the corner,,, the front door cant be left open always, (even if there was a screen door besides.
Boston being on the coast,, does not get extremely cold winters. Frostbite on chickens can still occur. But,,,, one of the more important issues, especially with a large flock inside,,, is ammonia buildup.
@aart has a good info link in signature, about VENTILATION. a WORTHWHILE READ.

I'm still trying to add a bit more. I have both of my soffits open with a ridge vent on top, but I want to add a few more square feet somewhere of permanent ventilation. I was thinking for next summer, I will put the window on hinges, but that's only for summer ventilation and not permanent ventilation. I'm open to advice on how to proceed!

 

[aart]

I have both of my soffits open

Those soffits look really small from the outside and I'm not seeing any light coming thru on the inside pic?