Adding ventilation to a prefab coop

[SunHwaKwon]

I don't know what size holes you made but something like this would help
http://www.amazon.com/Air-Vent-Inc-...1372_1_18?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1442499242&sr=1-18
Those are for two inch holes.

Or you can make your own version of a louvre cover using strips of wood or metal and actually increase your ventilation area.

Either way, though, turning the coop may be a good idea so that you don't have strong winds trying to rip through there, especially once it starts getting colder.

 

[SusanD]

Hi,

Thanks for the vent idea. I think it's something that might work well, and something my Dad might be willing to do. We did turn the coop today, and I took out all of the damp stuff. I will be interested to see how it holds up in the next rain storm.

 

[aart]

You could put one of those EZup canopies over the whole thing....or string a tarp up.
The coop roof itself might not hold to a lot of rain for long....cheap wood.

 

[SusanD]

That might be a good temporary measure. In the long run, I'm hoping I can persuade my Dad to let me change it out for a proper coop. Do you know of any purchasable ones that might be a good option for us, or are we looking at building one (or having one built for us)?

 

[aart]

That might be a good temporary measure. In the long run, I'm hoping I can persuade my Dad to let me change it out for a proper coop. Do you know of any purchasable ones that might be a good option for us, or are we looking at building one (or having one built for us)?

Most the pre-mades, kits, and even a lot built and sold by individuals, are all too small for the number of birds they claim they can hold.
There are a couple companies that have decent sized and designed coops, can't think of which ones off the top of my head-but I've seen them, but they are very expensive.
Designing and building your own is the best way to go IMO, but I'm a designer by trade and very handy.

There's a lot of variability in what folks need to keep chickens, based on climate, predator load and personal management preferences.
IMO bigger is always better from a chicken health and an ease of maintenance perspective.

My advice to you right now would be to keep that little coop out of the weather as much as possible to preserve what little integrity is has,
it will make a great little coop for chicks or a broody hen or isolation coop in the future, and it should get you thru the first year.

Read a lot here and note what works what doesn't, and start planning for what works for you and your situation.
Chicken keeping can be easy but getting started has a very high learning curve, as there's a lot of little details that are simple once you know them but daunting if you don't, and a not so small price tag.

 

[SusanD]

Thanks for your reply. I do believe my Dad could make a coop (he's done it in the past) or we could hire a carpenter (I know a group in town that makes them). I don't think he's convinced of the need just yet though. Also, he just agreed to swapping out our bark mulch for wood chips, which will be a bit of job in itself

I think I will wait until we get the wood chips in place, and until I see how our weather proofing holds up, before I approach him on the subject again. That will also give me time to think about what might work for us. After reading the article, I think we can get by with the space we have (no roosting squabbles someone is always around to let them out at dawn, and we do have a lean to they can use to get out of the rain) for awhile. Ideally, it would be nice to have one big enough that they can hang out in it on rainy or (rare) snowy days.