Coops

[MommyGirl]

Hey everyone just a question on how long does a wooden coop usually last? I’ve only been raising chickens for 4 years but I’m already starting to think about my next coop I know you all have been there where you didn’t know anything when you built your first coop but then as you figure this out there are so many things you would have done differently. I’ve done changed alot of things with my coop. Just wondering how many years before I need to build another one?

 

[DobieLover]

Just wondering how many years before I need to build another one?

After the first year, I knew what I wanted and converted an old shed into a coop. It and it's attached run can hold far more than I actually want to keep. I'm up in numbers currently but will have a few cockerels to rehome in the months to come and most of my flock is over 5 years old.
The setup I have will need routine maintenance but will be the last structure I put up. It is my second.

 

[MommyGirl]

After the first year, I knew what I wanted and converted an old shed into a coop. It and it's attached run can hold far more than I actually want to keep. I'm up in numbers currently but will have a few cockerels to rehome in the months to come and most of my flock is over 5 years old.
The setup I have will need routine maintenance but will be the last structure I put up. It is my second.

Yes I feel like my next one will be my last so I definitely want to get it right I’m thinking of turning a metal carport into a huge open air concept coop. I want to have lots of room

 

[igorsMistress]

I’ve had my coop about eight years now. It needs annual maintenance, ie a quick paint job with barn paint, and sometimes we need to fix a screw here and there, but that’s about it. I live in a desert so it doesn’t get wet very often, ymmv depending on your climate. I imagine in another year or two I’ll get new plywood for the walls and probably new polycarbonate roof panels, but she still has good bones.

 

[MommyGirl]

I’ve had my coop about eight years now. It needs annual maintenance, ie a quick paint job with barn paint, and sometimes we need to fix a screw here and there, but that’s about it. I live in a desert so it doesn’t get wet very often, ymmv depending on your climate. I imagine in another year or two I’ll get new plywood for the walls and probably new polycarbonate roof panels, but she still has good bones.

Yeah my coop is still in good shape I guess I’m really just wanting a new one probably will be several years before I will build a new one and if my old coop is still in good shape maybe I will use it for feed shed and baby chicks. Hey a girl can dream about her next coop right? Shh don’t tell my husband though. He’s already added on to my pens twice.

 

[igorsMistress]

Yeah my coop is still in good shape I guess I’m really just wanting a new one probably will be several years before I will build a new one and if my old coop is still in good shape maybe I will use it for feed shed and baby chicks. Hey a girl can dream about her next coop right? Shh don’t tell my husband though. He’s already added on to my pens twice.

Definitely dream!

I have made many changes to my coop over the years, you can change what you already have too. I added and then removed poop boards, took out the ramp, moved roosts lower, put in a pop door, added a second human door, etc. My husband was not a happy camper

 

[MommyGirl]

Definitely dream!

I have made many changes to my coop over the years, you can change what you already have too. I added and then removed poop boards, took out the ramp, moved roosts lower, put in a pop door, added a second human door, etc. My husband was not a happy camper

Yes I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done got my husband to change things he just don’t get it lol

 

[StinkyAcres]

My current coop is a 12'x10' barn with tongue-and-groove siding set on concrete blocks. It's 15 years old and is showing signs of water damage, especially closer to the ground, the stain is fading, and the doors have needed repairs, but nothing too bad yet. The flooring is only pressure-treated plywood and has lasted all these years, first with goats and sheep and now with my chickens.

 

[StinkyAcres]

Now my first coop, which was also set on concrete blocks fairly close to the ground, was sided with painted OSB and began rotting quite quickly. The rodents chewed holes in it then the carpenter ants found it and did a lot of damage to the floor framing. I moved my chickens out of there after 12 years.