This is not about coop construction but about how altering my coop has effected my birds.
First have a look at my coop in "Altering my terrible TS coop".
Second. I have 6 hens and 1 rooster. The original coop held all of them in the upper portion, never meant to hold 7 birds. Yup, I was a dumb newbie. Learned tons here and came up with this solution.
BUT... Roopecca, my rooster, has always had difficulty with roosting. He would go up the ramp into that henhouse area and sleep on the floor while the ladies took over the roost. Since moving the coop he refuses to climb the ramp. While we worked on the enclodure we had to physically lift him in via the clean out door every night.
NOW the enclosure is finished and we let him stay in the downstairs. The original pop door inside is now never closed so he could go up the ramp if he so chose. The hens could chose to join him downstairs which btw does have some perches.
Ok...so whats the problem? I'm worried that this winter all 6 hens will remain upstairs, Roopecca will remain downstairs (not on a perch but on a small 2 inch high movable one I built hoping he would get on it), and, being alone, will be cold! The floor he is on is pine shavings on linoleum, under that is 3/4 inch plywood, under that is a pallet, under that is about 6 inches of drainage rock. Will the floor be too cold? Is the 3.5x7 room too big for 1 bird to stay warm?
Yup, those of you that know me know I'm panicking again.
First have a look at my coop in "Altering my terrible TS coop".
Second. I have 6 hens and 1 rooster. The original coop held all of them in the upper portion, never meant to hold 7 birds. Yup, I was a dumb newbie. Learned tons here and came up with this solution.
BUT... Roopecca, my rooster, has always had difficulty with roosting. He would go up the ramp into that henhouse area and sleep on the floor while the ladies took over the roost. Since moving the coop he refuses to climb the ramp. While we worked on the enclodure we had to physically lift him in via the clean out door every night.
NOW the enclosure is finished and we let him stay in the downstairs. The original pop door inside is now never closed so he could go up the ramp if he so chose. The hens could chose to join him downstairs which btw does have some perches.
Ok...so whats the problem? I'm worried that this winter all 6 hens will remain upstairs, Roopecca will remain downstairs (not on a perch but on a small 2 inch high movable one I built hoping he would get on it), and, being alone, will be cold! The floor he is on is pine shavings on linoleum, under that is 3/4 inch plywood, under that is a pallet, under that is about 6 inches of drainage rock. Will the floor be too cold? Is the 3.5x7 room too big for 1 bird to stay warm?
Yup, those of you that know me know I'm panicking again.