Got a new coop and already

[GoldenBlossoms]

Got a new coop with a metal floor in the sleeping/roosting area for easy clean and already I am seeing a problem. My poor chickens can't walk on it, they slip and slid and one if my polishes ran out of the coop so fast, assuming tripping, cuz she slammed into the face that is part of the Run. I put a lot if fluff down but it didn't seem to do anything as it was all moved aside with there sliding. How do I fix this?

 

[Ted Brown]

Cut or buy a thin sheet (1/4") of plywood that fits inside the tray.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Oh, and about the coop. It is supposed to hold up to 6 chickens and has 3 nesting boxes x3 it's much better then our old one though we will still be keeping the old one the only has 2 nest boxes lol and all the chickens had like no space xD so we got this new bigger one so they can have two coops and more room for sleep/eggs but the slipping on the floor is the main issue now.

"Holds 6 chickens" = meets legal requirements of a commercial factory farm set up. That's all manufacturers need to aim for. For bantams the minimum floor space recommendations seen on here are usually double that at 2 sq ft per bird , and you have 9 birds who may or may not choose to use both coops.

It's your flock, manage it how you will. But my solution at least partially addresses every problem I currently see while still utilizing the coop that's in the photos (I cannot speak to the other one since it's only partially visible).

 

[Tired old Rooster]

Any slick surface is a bad idea and should be removed. They run around on their toes and claws.

 

[Folly's place]

They will probably start picking and eating that painters tape!
A rubber stall mat, cut to size, will be a much better and long lasting surface over this thing. Then shavings or some good bedding material over the mat.
And dowels are not at all good as roosts. Better a sapling or branch, bark on, 3" or 4" diameter.
Mary

 

[rosemarythyme]

We have a wooden coop for our chickens but they are going to get to big to fit all 9 soon. (6 chickens are only 4 months old) so we wanted to get a bigger one for them since once grown they will be bigger them our mama hens lol

How many birds are in here? I'm a little confused if this is 6 younger birds, or 9? Is this meant to be a permanent coop or a grow out?

Unless this is very temporary I'd alter the unit entirely to eliminate the metal pan, and convert it so the entire thing functions as the coop instead of coop and mini run. It's simply too small for even 6 younger birds for an extended period of time and lacks ventilation:

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/

 

[perkolator]

Pics of the metal plate in question? Maybe some stripes of peel/stick grip tape used for stairs/ramps/skateboards/etc for anti-skid; on clean metal that stuff should stick quite well so chickens can't pick it off.

 

[Folly's place]

More pictures of this coop? Sounds very strange...
Mary

 

[rosemarythyme]

We are keeping both coops so they can have the old and new to use. It's only for sleep and eggs I guess. So I'm not sure I understand the covering up the open walls? The walls of the run??

You're misunderstanding, the "run" would be eliminated in favor of expanding this into a single larger coop. You would either need a new run or free range all day.

What this fixes is 1) your metal "floor" issue, as the ground is the floor, 2) help expand the coop space overall (you don't have measurements listed but just from a glance this is probably a 2-4 bird coop at most), 3) address the lack of ventilation.

In a hot enough climate you really wouldn't want to cover up any of the "new" coop walls, or maybe only 1 at most, but in more varied climates you'd want to balance ventilation with draft protection. It's pretty tough when there simply isn't a lot of vertical space to work with.

 

[GoldenBlossoms]

You're misunderstanding, the "run" would be eliminated in favor of expanding this into a single larger coop. You would either need a new run or free range all day.

What this fixes is 1) your metal "floor" issue, as the ground is the floor, 2) help expand the coop space overall (you don't have measurements listed but just from a glance this is probably a 2-4 bird coop at most), 3) address the lack of ventilation.

In a hot enough climate you really wouldn't want to cover up any of the "new" coop walls, or maybe only 1 at most, but in more varied climates you'd want to balance ventilation with draft protection. It's pretty tough when there simply isn't a lot of vertical space to work with.

Oh, and about the coop. It is supposed to hold up to 6 chickens and has 3 nesting boxes x3 it's much better then our old one though we will still be keeping the old one the only has 2 nest boxes lol and all the chickens had like no space xD so we got this new bigger one so they can have two coops and more room for sleep/eggs but the slipping on the floor is the main issue now.