Existing Coop, now what?

[monita]

Greetings from Tennessee.

wishing you the best of luck with all of your chicken endeavors.

 

[redneck farmer]

Howdy from Florida an welcome to BYC!
I would give the coop a GOOD cleaning an then check , check, an CHECK the coop for anything that's wrong like: holes where predators could come in, any bugs that don't need to be there (ticks ect.) I would go buy some poultry protector an spray down the coop for mites, any feathers from old chickens that might have lice, check if the roof leaks , check for proper ventilation! Good luck

 

[RicksRoost]

All- thanks for your advice. I gave the coop a thorough investigation this weekend and it needs more work than thought. Lots of cleaning, patching, painting and some replacement of boards is needed. The coop is custom built, not fancy at all and came with milk crates for nesting bins for the hens, a little funky but passable I think. The floor is dirt, hard packed dirt. Im afraid if I get it wet it will be a mess. Is it best to have the hens up off the actual dirt so I can clean underneath them or does that matter? Im assuming I just sweep /scoop up all their mess periodically? I'll post pics.