Advice on coop

[MoaLepo]

Any advice on what else is needed for my coop? I’m a first time chicken owner and just converted my daughters playhouse into a chicken coop. Should I block the nesting box until they are of egg laying age? Should I add something so the chickens can get to the higher roosting bar (so far they like the lower one)?

 

[cavemanrich]

Nice looking conversion.
First ,,, no location in your profile,, so no idea on climate, and weather. Also,, with no location,,, no idea of the predators present. The chicken wire will not keep determined predators out. Raccoons, fox, coyotes, and other strong animals.
Maybe you are OK, and free from those predators .
The nesting boxes are nice,,, but the position of placement may lead to hens sleeping inside. If that happens,, solution is to place on ground elevated just a few inches above floor. Have roosts above the nesting boxes. You can construct poop boards to catch gumdrops from hens at night.
Your ventilation generally looks good, but if you encounter WINTER COLD WINDS, you may need to baffle the openings to prevent feather ruffling on hens roosting.
Depending on your climate, and predators of concern, I , and others can offer more solutions for you to add-modify, as needed.

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

 

[SurferchickinSB]

Any advice on what else is needed for my coop? I’m a first time chicken owner and just converted my daughters playhouse into a chicken coop. Should I block the nesting box until they are of egg laying age? Should I add something so the chickens can get to the higher roosting bar (so far they like the lower one)?

Really cute! One of the best things you can have is a poop board underneath the roost. I can’t tell if you have one from your photographs. I really like having a poop board underneath the roost in my coop because I just put a newspaper underneath it and roll it up every morning so I never have poop laying around everywhere and the coop is always clean.

 

[raingarden]

That's beautiful. Don't let the birds mess it up.

 

[MoaLepo]

Nice looking conversion.
First ,,, no location in your profile,, so no idea on climate, and weather. Also,, with no location,,, no idea of the predators present. The chicken wire will not keep determined predators out. Raccoons, fox, coyotes, and other strong animals.
Maybe you are OK, and free from those predators .
The nesting boxes are nice,,, but the position of placement may lead to hens sleeping inside. If that happens,, solution is to place on ground elevated just a few inches above floor. Have roosts above the nesting boxes. You can construct poop boards to catch gumdrops from hens at night.
Your ventilation generally looks good, but if you encounter WINTER COLD WINDS, you may need to baffle the openings to prevent feather ruffling on hens roosting.
Depending on your climate, and predators of concern, I , and others can offer more solutions for you to add-modify, as needed.

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

Nice looking conversion.
First ,,, no location in your profile,, so no idea on climate, and weather. Also,, with no location,,, no idea of the predators present. The chicken wire will not keep determined predators out. Raccoons, fox, coyotes, and other strong animals.
Maybe you are OK, and free from those predators .
The nesting boxes are nice,,, but the position of placement may lead to hens sleeping inside. If that happens,, solution is to place on ground elevated just a few inches above floor. Have roosts above the nesting boxes. You can construct poop boards to catch gumdrops from hens at night.
Your ventilation generally looks good, but if you encounter WINTER COLD WINDS, you may need to baffle the openings to prevent feather ruffling on hens roosting.
Depending on your climate, and predators of concern, I , and others can offer more solutions for you to add-modify, as needed.

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

Oh sorry I should’ve mentioned I’m in Hawaii so yeah no raccoons or large predators. And weather stays warm. Poop boards sounds good I’ll definitely put those in. Thank you!

 

[MoaLepo]

Really cute! One of the best things you can have is a poop board underneath the roost. I can’t tell if you have one from your photographs. I really like having a poop board underneath the roost in my coop because I just put a newspaper underneath it and roll it up every morning so I never have poop laying around everywhere and the coop is always clean.

Thank you! Poop boards are going in.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

I see two issues here:

First, no roof-peak-level ventilation. Heat and ammonia both rise and need to be vented at the very top of roof. If that brown rectangle is a functional cover not a decorative feature you need to cover the opening with wire then prop the cover open to let the ammonia out.

Second, the roosts are lower than the nest boxes. Chickens prefer to sleep as high as possible and will sleep in the boxes instead of on the roosts unless you either lower the boxes or raise the roosts. Guessing at the size of the coop from the size of the nestboxes, you've only got room for 3-5 chickens, maybe (4 square feet per adult, standard-size hen in the coop, 10 square feet in the run), so you only need one roost.

I'm not a fan of poop boards and I don't know that you've got room for them in that coop anyway, but it's great to try different management methods until you find what works best for you. This is my poop management system: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

 

[MoaLepo]

Really cute! One of the best things you can have is a poop board underneath the roost. I can’t tell if you have one from your photographs. I really like having a poop board underneath the roost in my coop because I just put a newspaper underneath it and roll it up every morning so I never have poop laying around everywhere and the coop is always clean.

Thank you! Poop boards are going in.

Welcome to BYC.

I see two issues here:

First, no roof-peak-level ventilation. Heat and ammonia both rise and need to be vented at the very top of roof. If that brown rectangle is a functional cover not a decorative feature you need to cover the opening with wire then prop the cover open to let the ammonia out.

Second, the roosts are lower than the nest boxes. Chickens prefer to sleep as high as possible and will sleep in the boxes instead of on the roosts unless you either lower the boxes or raise the roosts. Guessing at the size of the coop from the size of the nestboxes, you've only got room for 3-5 chickens, maybe (4 square feet per adult, standard-size hen in the coop, 10 square feet in the run), so you only need one roost.

I'm not a fan of poop boards and I don't know that you've got room for them in that coop anyway, but it's great to try different management methods until you find what works best for you. This is my poop management system: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

Thank you for your input. I will definitely look into your poop management system. Yes the the brown window covering was put there for when it rains because I read they would want to roost as high as possible and if the rain come in sideways I was afraid they may get wet. It has wiring and is kept open during the day for ventilation. I have 3 chickens and they only like to use the lower roosting bar in the back. They don’t ever go to the higher one. Is it because it’s too high for them? Should I make some sort of ladder to get there?

 

[3KillerBs]

It has wiring and is kept open during the day for ventilation. I have 3 chickens and they only like to use the lower roosting bar in the back. They don’t ever go to the higher one. Is it because it’s too high for them? Should I make some sort of ladder to get there?

The ventilation needs to be open day and night. In fact, it's more necessary at night because most chickens spend the day outside in the run.

What kind of chickens do you have? My 6-week-old chicks are flying up to roosts at the height of my shoulders and my 18-month-old California White still flies like a helicopter anywhere she wants to go. But by the time my Brahma was laying she was too heavy to get more than about 18" off the ground.

3 chickens only need about 3 feet of roost.

Also, chickens fly at about a 45-degree angle so they can have trouble getting up and down if there isn't enough clearance between the roost and any obstacles.

 

[saysfaa]

You might consider steps (one inside and one outside) instead of the ramps so as to take up less floor space. Some people use stumps but cement blocks would work. You may need to fiddle with the placement.