Bought a “small” coop

[ChickenTenderKesha]

I bought a small......er coop for my secondary flock that’s starting to accumulate. I had originally planned on building an addition onto the main coop but our lack of time and resources caught me off guard so here we are

With buying this used coop there’s some alterations needing done to the overall structure to make it first of all safer in my open country area and secondly more functional for my chicken’s needs. I have some things in mind I need to do but any and all suggestions are welcome! I’ll attach some photos to this post to give a good look at it.

Key Points
-There’s roughly a 1 1/2 to 2 foot wide space between it and the main coop.
-The west facing roof opens up on hinges and the lower door opens down for easy egg collection.
-The floor slides out of the slot in the northern wall to make clean out easier.
-There’s good ventilation under the roof in the run and on the opposite wall under the roof (frankly there’s so many gaps between the barn boards there’s too much ventilation risking bad drafts)


Measurements

Red lines
-height from bottom of lower frame to top of the peak is 71”
-width (wall against the main coop) is 47” not including the roof overhang
-length of the house is 73”
Blue lines
-Width is 54.5” and total length is 145”

Plans
-swap out the nest boxes for a good ol 2x4 (two 2x2 boards instead?)
-put nest boxes along opposite wall from pop door for easy access
-double check staples and all hardware
-fix all the nails sticking out on the inside bc I’m going to hurt myself worse next time
-make new ramp to run (is a ladder a better option?)
-draft proof around roost bar
-make a cover for the floor board slot

I had thought about extending the run to under the coop as well. Right now there’s barn boards going across it so it wouldn’t be hard to remove those and then just run some hardwire around the other three sides and they would get roughly a 6’x4’ space to work with alongside what they currently have available.

I’m heavily looking for ideas on making the run more predator proof. I need to dig the ground around it so it’s sitting level before I do too much. There’s not enough room for an external skirting of hardwire with the pasture post right behind it unfortunately.. I had thought about digging inside the run down and laying hardwire down to attach to the framework of the run then just fill it back in with the dirt and grass?

Thank you all in advance!! It didn’t save one of my drafts and I can’t remember if I have it all there again or not so if I think of anything else important I’ll add another post here

 

[Cryss]

forget the sliding floor,
they usually do not work well.

Agreed. I have 2 coops with sliding floors. There's no way you can slide them out with litter and poop intact to toss away. It all either scrapes off as you pull it out so it falls onto the floor below, or the litter clogs the exit point which jams it from being able to slide. I never move mine.

Since you can't install a hardware cloth apron horizontally around the unit due to no room I'd dig down 2 feet of the entire perimeter and install the hardware cloth vertically.

 

[aart]

Great post, details, and pics!

I won't comment on all your points just yet, but a couple of really big red flags.
Access to the coop thru the roof is useless, can you reach anything?
Is the hinge in the roof water tight?
I'd put access doors in the side and maybe forget the sliding floor,
they usually do not work well.

How many birds do you plan on keeping in there?

 

[aart]

What sort of door do you recommend?

Probably want to cut the whole(as much as possible) side into 2 doors.

Looking again, the roost seems awfully high.
Might want to put a nest on the floor, and use current nest perch as roost.

I was hesitant to try it in the first place as power washing it out was made difficult

Make sure it thoroughly dries before adding birds. Can you pull it out into the sun?
Open roof and add those doors.

 

[ChickenTenderKesha]

Great post, details, and pics!

I won't comment on all your points just yet, but a couple of really big red flags.
Access to the coop thru the roof is useless, can you reach anything?
Is the hinge in the roof water tight?
I'd put access doors in the side and maybe forget the sliding floor,
they usually do not work well.

How many birds do you plan on keeping in there?

Thank you aart!

Currently the roof access opens up to the (poorly designed) nest boxes but it’s not water tight where it locks as it’s lined up with the wall.
The peak didn’t look like there was any water damage, it had the top layer of shingles on when I picked it up but unfortunately we didn’t have anything covering it so we lost them in transport. I’ll be sure to check it over more when I get some better weather for disinfecting it!

Currently there’s only going to be 2 birds (on the small side) in there but I might add 1 or 2 hens in the spring so long as all the ones I have are doing well in the main coop.
What sort of door do you recommend?

Agreed. I have 2 coops with sliding floors. There's no way you can slide them out with litter and poop intact to toss away. It all either scrapes off as you pull it out so it falls onto the floor below, or the litter clogs the exit point which jams it from being able to slide. I never move mine.

Since you can't install a hardware cloth apron horizontally around the unit due to no room I'd dig down 2 feet of the entire perimeter and install the hardware cloth vertically.

That’s what I thought would happen as I plan to have a good amount of shavings in there like my main coop.. I was hesitant to try it in the first place as power washing it out was made difficult when the board was in place.

I really like that idea of digging straight down vertically to put the hardwire in.

 

[Cryss]

Currently there’s only going to be 2 birds (on the small side) in there but I might add 1 or 2 hens in the spring so long as all the ones

If you are planning to add hens remember you need another coop in another location to quarantine the newbies for several weeks. Do you already have your 2 birds? If not it might be advisable to get 3 or 4 rather than just 2 so you don't have to go through that. There is the thought that one should never have only 1 chicken because they are very social birds, and so you should start with 3 birds rather than 2 in case something happens to one bird. This way there's never just one lonely bird. Also, when adding new birds you should never add just one. They need a buddy to hang out with because the originals will take awhile to include them in their clique.
Just some thinking points for ya.

 

[aart]

That huge gap is why I want to get rid of the sliding floor all together. It would be too much trying to make a cover for that and a big door on that wall I’d think ?

Lots of ways to do it, easiest would be to just leave the slider floor in there and make the doors above it(as I showed).
Or you could add a permanent floor and make the doors come lower,
leave some depth there so bedding doesn't fall out when you open the door(s).

 

[Cryss]

 

[ChickenTenderKesha]

Incoming wall of text I am so sorry

If you are planning to add hens remember you need another coop in another location to quarantine the newbies for several weeks. Do you already have your 2 birds? If not it might be advisable to get 3 or 4 rather than just 2 so you don't have to go through that. There is the thought that one should never have only 1 chicken because they are very social birds, and so you should start with 3 birds rather than 2 in case something happens to one bird. This way there's never just one lonely bird. Also, when adding new birds you should never add just one. They need a buddy to hang out with because the originals will take awhile to include them in their clique.
Just some thinking points for ya.

I have a crate and a few different areas I can quarantine them in when I do get new ones no problem there! Although I don’t know how I’m going to pull off just getting 2 of them, you know how chicken math goes .... I’m kidding!!

The thing with the 2 I already have, they are the outliers. One is my third and decently younger cockerel and the other is my crooked beak pullet that can not stay with my other chickens as the one boy will nonstop chase her trying to mate her. I’m also slightly concerned about how she wanders away from everyone during free ranging and then stands there crying when she can’t see them anymore... She’s in with the smaller and younger cockerel now, has been for quite a few weeks, who is not afraid per say but will run away if she even looks at him a certain way. He still tidbits and dances a little for her but she’s either clueless or just doesn’t care. She will come over for tibbiting a few times here and ther but she can’t pick much up at all so she’s very independent now. Explores on her own and always comes to see what the humans are doing so I’d rather keep her “cooped” up as one might say.

For the having 3 as a precaution thing, I do have 11 other chickens living in the greyish building (coop) that this new coop is placed next to. There’s one I could always stick with them the cockerel grew up with and is pretty laid back (she’s maybe partially blind) if something were to happen to CB. On the other hand any of the 3 pullets CB grew up with would gladly accept her back if something were to happen to Ori. They always came to visit her when she was living in our back porch and they huddle the run fence and peep silently with her when I let her out to range on the warmer days now. It’s actually kind of adorable they all used to peck food off her beak when it got stuck since she couldn’t get it off

Probably want to cut the whole(as much as possible) side into 2 doors.
View attachment 1924166

Looking again, the roost seems awfully high.
Might want to put a nest on the floor, and use current nest perch as roost.

Make sure it thoroughly dries before adding birds. Can you pull it out into the sun?
Open roof and add those doors.

So this is what I had planned to do and was in my mind, which is basically what you said to do so I’m glad we’re thinking alike ahaha. Dark green line is a flat board that’s maybe 1x6” or so ? I think it was just used as a little flooring for their hens to get to, what they called, “roost boxes”. I’m not sure if he thought they would use that little strip of plywood above those boxes as a roost or what but it’s way too close to the roof and right in the flow of the vents. I’m unsure if I want to remove it completely like I do the current nest boxes BUT I do plan on putting a 2x4 or two 2x2 boards to use as roosts somewhere in there.

The light green boxes are where I plan to put my nest boxes. I can’t decide if I want that side or not. If I do two big doors then I’ll move them to the south side of that wall. (funny that’ll be the same placement as in my main coop but on the adjacent wall). Haven’t decided if I want them on floor level or raised so they don’t start laying in dark corners...

It’s been sitting there for a week but it’s been overcast and wet since the evening after getting it here so the floors been off but I’ve got a tarp over the top since I’m missing those top shingles I’m hoping for some better weather bc I can’t go out and do stuff when it’s pouring out I would like a nice windy sunny day with all of it open before I put anything in there for their move

 

[ChickenTenderKesha]

Probably want to cut the whole(as much as possible) side into 2 doors.
View attachment 1924166

In your door drawing you have the doors.......pretty high here’s a shot with the flooring in but it’s not the greatest. That huge gap is why I want to get rid of the sliding floor all together. It would be too much trying to make a cover for that and a big door on that wall I’d think ?