Expanding chicken tractor/run into larger coop

[jessandmeni]

Hi everyone, I started out with the Garden Ark chicken tractor and although it has worked well, our girls are now almost fully free range in the yard (low predators, city location). They only use the coop to lay eggs and I built a run extension to put their waterer/feeder in. I still would like to have more official coop space for rainy or chilly weather but need suggestions on how to get started to work with what I have. Should I take out the inner wall and run roosts all the way across? Add plywood to the open part? External breathing boxes are on the list to add also. I eventually also want to add a walk in run attached. Weather here in Houston TX is super hot with mild winters. Original picture of the coop below but not showing the addition that has been added since then.

 

[aart]

Should I take out the inner wall and run roosts all the way across? Add plywood to the open part?

Yes, move that inner wall to far end of 'run'.

External breathing boxes are on the list to add also.

Do you mean nesting boxes?

Would help to see current pics of what you have now.

 

[rosemarythyme]

This was written for a typical prefab conversion but should probably work with yours as well. You will want much more ventilation than the example at the bottom though, like I'd maybe only cover up half the wire walls around the roost area so you have ventilation top and bottom due to your heat and mild winters.

To turn it from 2 small "boxes" (tiny coop above tiny run) into 1 bigger "box" you'll want to remove as much of the inside coop wall as possible, plus the floor. Take out the old roosts too.

Nests might be able to stay as is, or may need to be relocated elsewhere or replaced - depends on the structure of the coop and how things inside stack up once done.

Run a new roost(s) lengthwise or widthwise across the newly open space, depending on how much roost is needed. Ideally you’d like 12” per bird but 10” can suffice in many cases.

Board up some of the external wire walls so that the roost area is protected from winds and rain. Do NOT fully cover up all the wire, you need ventilation and natural light, so at the very least a few inches under the roofline should remain open. If your climate allows for it, you can leave entire walls open with just the mesh, or make it convertible for the season by covering up open walls for winter, and then uncovering for summer.

Example of a modified prefab: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-renovated-prefab-coop.1440258/

 

[jessandmeni]

Yes, move that inner wall to far end of 'run'.


Do you mean nesting boxes?

Would help to see current pics of what you have now.

Lol yes sorry that was a typo. I don’t have a picture handy now but the nest box is currently inside the coop in the back corner, will be adjusted to external on the right wall.