Coop Critique...Advice needed before Purchase

[Folly's place]

Adding to what everyone else already mentioned; too short, too small, no hardware cloth, and cost of 'modifications'. There's not enough light or ventilation in that coop!
How about a garden shed with modifications? Or the best coop ever, a Woods coop?
Mary

 

[ssramage]

Adding to what everyone else already mentioned; too short, too small, no hardware cloth, and cost of 'modifications'. There's not enough light or ventilation in that coop!
How about a garden shed with modifications? Or the best coop ever, a Woods coop?
Mary

Well thanks for throwing me a curve ball... I REALLY like the Woods Coop design. Is there anywhere I can find plans for this? Specifically the 6x10 version?

 

[Folly's place]

Look it up on this site, and I think there's a book online about it too. I'm not good at locating information and inserting it here, sorry.
Mary

 

[ssramage]

No problem. Thank you for the direction.

I think with our climate here, this would work really well. I likely would not even need permanent windows in place as it rarely gets below 30 degrees here.

 

[mbasic]

Hi,
The screen mesh is to large. It needs to be covered with no larger then 1/2 inch square hardware cloth. In NC we called it rat wire. Predators will get in there and kill all your chickens.

what this person said ^
AND the smaller 1/2 mesh keeps out sparrows and other smaller creatures trying to eat your chicken's food (tries to, tried to keep out, lol).

Unless you like wasting feed on sparrows.
And you like refilling the food and water all the time.

Somehow, the same 3-4 sparrows are penetrating my coop,
can't find the "leak".

 

[Larry55]

The wire is to large. Hardware cloth and or chicken wire are better. Nesting boxes are too high. The walls dont seem tight with how its constructed. Too much spacing in boards. No door to run. Not any crossbracing for run to attach wire too. No windows for light.

 

[igorsMistress]

Makes sense. Would I do this in the coop and the run? Or just the coop?

Some people do both. Some people clean out the coop and move that to the run to finish. Others dump it in their compost piles to finish off. It's up to you, that's the beauty of it.

We've emptied the coop once, dumped the litter on the compost pile because we needed more green material. I've recently started tossing some scratch in the coop to encourage the girls to mix everything up in there.
We live in the desert so we have to add a bit of water once in a while when we stir the litter to help everything break down, but that's easy with a quick spray from the hose.

 

[aart]

Also, I'm not familiar with the deep litter method. How would that work?

Deep litter is using whatever material for your coop/run floor and adding more carbon to the mix and stirring. Eventually it breaks down and you can use it in the garden.
Here's a link to an article:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...st-way-to-deal-with-chicken-litter-dlm.47740/

That is more like deep bedding.....no real composting going on in there. Here's good comparison:
TalkALittle's post on DB vs DL: http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1075545/can-i-do-deep-litter-method-with-this-coop#post_16440037

Here's a great description of contents and how to manage a true composting deep litter in a run or coop...and there's a great video of what it looks like.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1037998/muddy-run-help-please#post_16017992


I live in a cold humid climate, and don't want any composting going in coop,
but it works great in the run, where all the dry coop bedding ends up a couple times a year.

@ssramage putting your location in your profile would be a good idea,
it's easy then it's always there! Climate can have a real affect on all things chicken...and the answers/suggestions that you get when folks pay attention to that aspect.

 

[igorsMistress]

That is more like deep bedding.....no real composting going on in there. Here's good comparison:
TalkALittle's post on DB vs DL: http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1075545/can-i-do-deep-litter-method-with-this-coop#post_16440037

Here's a great description of contents and how to manage a true composting deep litter in a run or coop...and there's a great video of what it looks like.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1037998/muddy-run-help-please#post_16017992


I live in a cold humid climate, and don't want any composting going in coop,
but it works great in the run, where all the dry coop bedding ends up a couple times a year.

@ssramage putting your location in your profile would be a good idea,
it's easy then it's always there! Climate can have a real affect on all things chicken...and the answers/suggestions that you get when folks pay attention to that aspect.
View attachment 1263810

I guess, but it composts in there over time since I dampen it weekly and stir, and add dry material as needed. Is that not the proper method?

 

[aart]

I guess, but it composts in there over time since I dampen it weekly and stir, and add dry material as needed. Is that not the proper method?

Not sure what you do....I was talking about the article you linked.
Wood chips and shavings take for.ever to really break down into soil, even in a managed hot compost scenario. The wood will absorb the ammonia and help break down the poop, but it's not truly a compost like 'deep litter' is meant to be....that takes a good mix of materials to house the organisms that 'create soil' from those ingredients.