TWEAK MY COOP~Tweaks on the Cheap

[Attila the Hen]

Winter tweaking is nearly complete, though I still need to jack up the coop and insert some old treated 4x4s I found on the land, to give me a more level coop and more head room at the front. It seems like that is where all the finished chicken compost gets shoved....for some reason chickens will always try to level the ground on which they live if it's in a coop or run. When it gets deep there, I hit my head on the center brace of the hoop coop, so elevating that end will finally level out the top of my coop and give me more room up top and for deeper litter.


Changed out the tarp from summer to winter tarp, replaced the plastic roof liner/cap underneath first...the old one had finally bit the dust after 4 yrs of use, washed down some surfaces, cleaned out nest boxes, dusted them and the roosts, refreshed the nest bedding, added a couple loads of leaves in the coop and spare pen, and only have a few more little tweaks left to do before winter.






Stripped down to the bare bones....you can see in this pic how low that front end is, as the coop sits on a slight slope.



Nice tight fit with this new tarp, except it's a tad too wide, so I have to do some type of adaptation for that on the long side...don't want to cut this nice tarp to make it fit, so will think of something else to use so I can fasten it down tightly when the real cold sets in, but also take that side loose when I want to let in air on any warm days we get.






I'm thinking about hinging the top of my single nest box and using it to hold my heated water bowl this winter like I did last year....the bowl fits perfectly down into that nest and the top keeps the dust out, while the height of the nest from the floor keeps the DL from being kicked into the water. I want to hinge the top so I can lift it a little to enable them to tilt back their heads better when they take a drink...right now that top is slanted and screwed into place.

Do the tweaks ever truly end?

Hi Beekissed. Good to see you. I have a question about your coop. You closed up each end. Do you leave it that way all year? I am expanding my coop and thinking I will go from all wire (covered with tarps in winter) to closing in the lower half all the way around. My weather is a bit milder than yours but it does get cold! However, the summer can be hot. What are your thoughts on closing in the bottom half all the way round the coop? I'm trying for a better looking set up really. thanks

 

[Beekissed]

Hi Beekissed. Good to see you. I have a question about your coop. You closed up each end. Do you leave it that way all year? I am expanding my coop and thinking I will go from all wire (covered with tarps in winter) to closing in the lower half all the way around. My weather is a bit milder than yours but it does get cold! However, the summer can be hot. What are your thoughts on closing in the bottom half all the way round the coop? I'm trying for a better looking set up really. thanks

It's so good to see you here!!! I do leave it that way all year. I did that to avoid having to go to extremes to winterize the coop each winter...seemed like I'd get it too battened down with plastic and such and couldn't control the humidity well, so I decided to build in the ends and add a dog house on the back too. The built in ends really changed the way this coop works for the better in all seasons. The heavy wood acts as an insulator against the sun on the front of the coop while helping the coop get rid of humidity in the winter.

If I had to choose between closing it in half way from the bottom or closing in the ends, I'd choose closing in the ends. I had the back part of my coop closed in half way up originally but removed all of that this summer to allow more air flow in that section~it got so very hot this summer that the birds were panting while on the roosts at night. Until I did that, I didn't realize how much that half wall prevented cool air from entering that part of the coop...and that's the part that needed it the most, where the birds roosted. I think that half wall would really prevent the cool air flow there in the summer for you, just like it did for me.

 

[Blooie]

You never cease to amaze me, @Beekissed !

 

[Beekissed]

You never cease to amaze me, @Beekissed !

Don't know why that is, but I'm hoping it's for a good reason.....

Some folks get amazed by how stupid I can be, so I never know.

 

[Attila the Hen]

It's so good to see you here!!! I do leave it that way all year. I did that to avoid having to go to extremes to winterize the coop each winter...seemed like I'd get it too battened down with plastic and such and couldn't control the humidity well, so I decided to build in the ends and add a dog house on the back too. The built in ends really changed the way this coop works for the better in all seasons. The heavy wood acts as an insulator against the sun on the front of the coop while helping the coop get rid of humidity in the winter.

If I had to choose between closing it in half way from the bottom or closing in the ends, I'd choose closing in the ends. I had the back part of my coop closed in half way up originally but removed all of that this summer to allow more air flow in that section~it got so very hot this summer that the birds were panting while on the roosts at night. Until I did that, I didn't realize how much that half wall prevented cool air from entering that part of the coop...and that's the part that needed it the most, where the birds roosted. I think that half wall would really prevent the cool air flow there in the summer for you, just like it did for me.

I'll have to work on it. My coops are square and rectangular. The square is the original coop and is only about 8X8 but has vertical layers. We'll see and I will let you know. Always good to see you. Keep well.

 

[GardenNut]

Had to tweak my "new" coop today. The chickens didn't like the roosts made out of 2x4s, so I took them down and replaced with some scrap 1x1 or 2s I found. They've been in their new space since Thursday, and I've had to put them on the roost every night. When I put them on the 2x4 roosts, they acted like it threw off their balance, probably due to inability to grip. I'd read somewhere on these forums that 2x4 roosts were good for helping the chickens keep their feet warm in winter. I'll see how they like the adjustments tonight!

 

[Beekissed]

Don't worry about that whole feet warm in the winter thingy...it's a load of hooey.

Do an experiment on different types and sizes of roosts for your chickens and then look under them on a cold winter's night to see if you see any feet showing. You won't. No matter the size of the roosts or round or flat, they will normally cover their feet with the feathers on their abdomen/breast when it's really cold, so no worries.

 

[SHERRING7712]

Don't worry about that whole feet warm in the winter thingy...it's a load of hooey.

Do an experiment on different types and sizes of roosts for your chickens and then look under them on a cold winter's night to see if you see any feet showing. You won't. No matter the size of the roosts or round or flat, they will normally cover their feet with the feathers on their abdomen/breast when it's really cold, so no worries.

Really! That's good to know we have 2x2 roosts in the new coop but since we haven't been able to put them in yet I'm not sure how they are going to like them. We will be taking down the roosts in their current pen and reusing some in the new one as well. The current ones are some hardwood closet rods, some branches, and some 1x1's though we have some big girls and the 1x1's are a little small. They flex so much when one of the brahmas get on I'm afraid their gonna break.
I gotta get some pics of the inside of the new coop and post now that it's done. I'll try and get time today.

 

[Spartan22]

Don't worry about that whole feet warm in the winter thingy...it's a load of hooey.    Do an experiment on different types and sizes of roost.

Ha ha ha! So true, it's going to be my third winter w/ chickens. Majority of my hens actually preferred the rounded 2 1/2 natural branches, I got multiple perches 2x4s, 2x2s and some natural branches, and the 2x4s are the least favorite, not sure why even though they got more than 24 feet total of it to use.

 

[Blooie]

I have both large, round branches and 2x4s....mine prefer the 2x4s. Go figger....