Coop Suggestions needed

[marie_martin]

Ok, I have an old coop that I will be utilizing. It is not much to look at and I need some suggestions. I will be housing my salmon faverolles in this coop and the silkies will have their own coop. This will be for night time only. The coops will be inside an old dog pen that we are going to cover and seperate for the two breeds. I only have two SF's right now but hope to have three total. I think these are both pullets so I am going to get a roo. Will this be large enough for the three? If you were given this coop and were going to make it work for them what changes would you make. I am going to put a nest in there and I need to know where to put it and how to situate a roost. You can see that I have a temporary one in there now. I don't have exact measurements but I would guess it is at least 3 feet deep and maybe 4 feet or more wide. I will have to measure it. I made a makeshift door for now but have to get a more secure one made and a latch. I also plan to make a door to remove the eggs from the nest. The floor is wire as you can see and one end is wire also. Should I cover that end with wood and leave the floor open? The coop will be inside the enclosed pen at all times. Thanks for any suggestions. I am going to re-vamp the coop for the silkies too but will ask that in another thread later. here is the current status of the coop.

Marie

 

[Poison Ivy]

I have a rabbit hutch that I use as a brooder or for babies I no longer want to keep in house.
I have one corner that I put a piece of plywood down and then I cover the whole wire bottom with straw. I would think it would do for a while might be small not sure from pictures though. You might be able to use the space under it to nesting boxes. When I first started out I had a kitty litter box for a nest but they didn't like it and would just lay their eggs on the ground.
Here is the inside of mine.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I love that little coop! I think it will be really cute, with a fresh coat of paint.

I'm not sure what to say, about the wire floor. Personally, I'd cover it, but that's just me. Do you think it would be easier on the chickens feet, if you had a wood ramp, instead of a wire ramp? Getting a good latch, that's not easy for a raccoon to open, is a great idea.

If you have the carpentry skills, you could add an exterior nest box on the back. It would give you more floor space.

I hope you post more pictures, after you work on it. I'd love to see how it turns out. Faverolles are my favorite, so I will shamelessly request a shot of them modeling.

 

[marie_martin]

I guess that would be a good idea. to have the nest box jut out the back. I am only putting one since I will only have two hens and a roo for now. I could always add another if needed. I think I should cover the side that is wire with wood and as far as the door, I will be making a better one with wood. If I cover the bottom with wood, wont it rot? Should I leave an area open where they roost? Would you put the roost up accross the pen long ways so it would be longer or leave it where it is and raise it up or what? Should I have the nest box up off the floor some? or just build it even with the floor? This will ony be for sleeping. Thanks. I will post pics once I get it done. I am not carpenter but I think we can do some basic things. If I cover all the wire and put a wood door, I will have to vent it right? Thanks

Marie

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Hopefully, someone that lives in a similar climate to you will give some input on this. I think it would be a lot cooler for the chickens in the hot weather, if you left the front wall as wire. It's hard to tell what kind of wire is on the front. If the wire that's on it doesn't look secure and you're worried about predators, you could always put 1/2" hardware cloth on the front.

How cold is your coldest weather in winter? You could always put plastic or a piece of plywood on most of that wall, during the winter and just leave some space along the top edge for ventilation.

For the floor, you can seal the wood, use stick on tiles or just leave the plywood sitting loose on the wire and replace it when you need to. If you have a piece of plywood just sitting on top of the wire, you could replace it whenever you wanted to, without much fuss. You'd have to do it in two pieces, though, to fit it through the side door.

I think that roost looks pretty good where it is. You want enough head room for the chickens and enough length for three. If you think you have enough room to run the roost in the other direction and need a solid wall in front to do it, I would consider a partial wall, with wire along the top and then put ventilation holes or slots at the very top, in back.

I don't think it will make too much difference with the nest box. I would probably elevate it slightly. Not higher than the roost, but enough that they aren't kicking litter into it, to keep the eggs a little cleaner.

Sorry this turned out so long, but you asked!

 

[marie_martin]

Thanks, it was not long at all. I appreciate the suggestions. By "front" are you meaning the side where the wire is? The front is where the door is and there is no wire except for the door and that will be changed. I live in the southern US and it is not cold here like it is up your way. We have extremely hot summers though so ventilation would be an issue then. I could cover the side except for the top and put a let down door that could be closed in winter? I could put another vent on the opposite side and another let down door. I am going to build another door similar to that one so that they can use it to come out of the coop. Serve double duty. If I cover the bottom and add the two long vents would that be enough for summer? Should I also put one in the back? And would I close them all in winter? it rarely gets below freezing and when it does it is only for a day or two at a time and then warms up during the day. The three will be bantum SF's too by the way, not full size. Thanks for the help.

marie

 

[WoodlandWoman]

When I said front, I meant the side. I was thinking of that as the front, because of the roof line. Goofy, but true! Sorry for the confusion.

If they're bantams, then I think you'll have plenty of room, no matter which way you put the roost.

You will still need ventilation in the winter, just not as much. Holes or slots along the top edge, on two of the walls, that are across from each other, should be enough.

I really don't know what to tell you, about how much ventilation you need in your hot summers. At that point, you mainly just need protection from rain and a lot of air flow. It gets in the upper 90's and is very humid here in the summer. My coop is like a big garden shed and I have big windows that swing out all along one side and a window on either side of the door, on the opposite side. It's still plenty hot in the middle of the day, but fine at night.

OK, I know there has to be a few people lurking and reading this thread, that live where it's really hot in the summer. What do YOU think???

 

[marie_martin]

I guess I could put the vents at the top of each side and then maybe put a window in as well, maybe on the larger end that would open and close and have hardware cloth instead of screen. would that help in summer? Thanks for all your help.

Marie

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I think having at least one big section with either a window or a panel of plywood that you could open would help a lot. If you don't end up getting any other input on this thread, you could always start a new one titled something like, "How much ventilation for summer in MS?" or "How much ventilation for a hot summer?"

(I have hardware cloth in my window openings, also.)