First Time Coop Maker

[GardenChicken]

Hi, im just about to make my first coop, using my old wendy house and i was wondering if there was any tips?

also i have a few questions:

- how could i ventilate it?
- how can i reduce rodent problems (none at the moment, but member of family hates rodents)
and
- whats the best way of cleaning their poop?

Thanks
Paul

 

[2txmedics]

deep litter works great for me...I made my very first coop with a wooden floor

see floors? also look at the roost...nothing wrong, right? WRONG...there even with the nest boxes, which means I had

EVERYONE ROOSTING IN THE NEST BOXES. HENCE....FILLED WITH POOP, then I need to break them of that...so I would cover the nest boxes, which I made open, another no no...cover them at night, laying blocks or chicken wire rolls to keep them off/out of them...and then I installed natural roost over the chicken coop WHICH I MIGHT ADD THEY LOVE

FIRST NIGHT UP..NOW THEY FIGHT FOR A GOOD PLACE,AS THATS MY VENTILATION AREA, ALL ACROSS THE TOP FRONT OF THE COOP. AND RIGHT WHERE THE VENTILATION IS, THE BRANCHES ARE, SO THEY GET AIR AND LOOK OUT TO SEE WHO'S COMING SO THEY DONT GET SPOOKED.

I was having to clean my coop daily!!! poop all over the floor, had hay, bad, gets too hot, and matted, and sticks together..alot of flies came....so I switched to deep litter shavings!!! I only have to fluff it with a rake daily....and clean it once a month to get rake out the poop and switch it out only every 6mos.

this corner your seeing of the coop, is the same corner where you saw my girls on the nest box...big difference and cozy, good on there feet also.
On the side of my coop where I gather my eggs, the doors are big, I have chicken wire to block them coming out, and to gather eggs, but most important, I crack them open for them to get air during the day...air it out...

 

[Cetawin]

Ventilation is easy. Cut a few holes and cover them with hardwire cloth. Cut them up high near roofline to allow heat to escape. Depending on the size and your climate, you may want to add a window.

Deep litter works great. Scoop the poop, fluff the bedding and add more as needed.

Roosts...best is 2 x 4 with the 4" side up...they sit on their feet and the 4" gives them room to sit comfortably.

Rodents...well rodents are a problem. Use small hole gauge hardwire cloth over any openings...no matter how small. Good luck.

Put up pics of this house so we can get an idea of what you are working with.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

WELCOME to BYC's. You came to a great place for advice/info for raising and caring for chickens.

I 2nd hardware cloth. Chicken/poultry wire is useless. Go to the Preditor and Pest Forum to read up on what happens when people only use chicken wire on their coops and runs.

Also use the hardware cloth on your run portion all around and apron it out to prevent diggers.

Pic of my dog house turned banty coop/tractor that I move daily for fresh grass.

Good luck and be sure to share pics.

 

[GardenChicken]

Thanks so much i've made a start on it (the posts to hold up the sides) but i dont know how to add pics...