This is about the size of the dog kennel we have (this is not ours, I just tried to find a picture on Google of a kennel that was the same size). I intend to alter it to become a coop or maybe a coop/run? There is a top to it, and while there is a chain link bottom that can be placed underneath, it is not currently attached. We will be putting it underneath in the future to help discourage digging predators. I have five chicks arriving in a few weeks so between the time before they get here and the month or so they'll be spending inside growing up, I've got some time to prepare the coop. I know they'll need roosts and nesting boxes, etc. I guess I have a couple questions that I wanted to focus on.
1. If the ground is going to be dirt-covered, should we still be putting shavings/bedding in for them to run around on?
2. Is it too big to be an actual coop? Should we make a smaller coop to put inside? I thought about taking some paneling or wood and blocking off sections of it (the back quarter or half, maybe) in order to block the wind.
We live on 2 acres of agricultural land with neighbors on the same sort of plots so the chickens will be close to free range. We live in Central California. Our only predators of concern are birds of prey, foxes, possums (rare), raccoons (even more rare, I've only ever seen one dead one), and snakes. Maybe a stray dog, but we haven't seen those in probably a decade. Temperatures in the winter get as low as 30 degrees, while summer temperatures are routinely high 80s. Winters are very rainy, though, and summers are very dry.
Other than my questions, any other advice/comments/stories are really appreciated!
