Fixing Urban Northern Coops

[ChickChickChickaDelphia]

So - newbie and face punch worthy as before discovering this forum we purchased a Urban Northern Farmhouse Coop off a yard sale site. Honestly the concept is good but clearly its not the best (you all know that). Trying to weather proof to prevent rain leaking in on my 5 chickens. Has anyone successfully repurposed or made some simple upgrades? I am in the North East so windy wet spring and fall. Right now I have:

• Filled some cracks with duct tape for now (looking for long term solution - caulking? spray foam? flashing? ice and water roofing tape?
• added some bracing bars to prevent rocking (and to hang food/water)

Long term I don't think the coop quality of wood is strong enough to withstand being on the ground too long potentially:

• Add pressure treated wood base to screw into and sure up, prevent rot
• Potentially expand the indoor coop part and raise roosting bars above nesting box
• Expand run portion

Just curious if anyone has rehabbed one of these... thanks!

https://www.urbannorthern.com/collections/coops/products/the-farmhouse-limited

 

[cavemanrich]

I do not have one of these coops,,, but do have some suggestions.
Some questions.
What is the overall condition of your used coop?? Good? Fair? Poor/weathered?
Where are the water leaks coming in at.?? Roof, walls.
Solution: If roof. layer additional plywood, and create a decent overhang on all sides. 12 to 16 inches would work. Overhang would keep rain water off walls to a good degree. The roof protective layer can be shingles, or roll roofing with Granular cap sheet type.
Walls leaking?
Solution: Get vinyl siding, and install on exterior walls.

Long term I don't think the coop quality of wood is strong enough to withstand being on the ground too long potentially:

Here you have some choices.
Build a perimeter for your coop from Treated lumber,, and place your coop on top of that perimeter frame.
Get patio cement blocks, and create a cement block perimeter, and place your coop on top of that. Wood on cement does not rot like wood on earth.
Keep interior of coop/run earth,, Chickens prefer that over cement.
Post some actual pictures of your coop. The manufacturers pix are OK. but do not show items of concern.
Ask anything else.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

Where, in general, are you? Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing.

If you show us photos of your actual coop, the condition it's in, and the place you're putting it we can give you better advice about fixing/reinforcing it. Also, give us actual measurements of the coop (not counting nests), and the run.

I can say 2 things based on the sales photo:

First, if the previous owner didn't improve the ventilation that will need to be a top priority.

Second, you probably need to read this thread because if I'm eyeballing the measurements correctly based on the nests being 1 foot square (the usual size), the coop portion is only large enough for 2 chickens: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-renovated-prefab-coop.1440258/

 

[aart]

If you show us photos of your actual coop, the condition it's in

Yes, please post pics of the coop as is.

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @ChickChickChickaDelphia
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!