Help! Need to refurbish inherited coop!

[Logan160]

Just leave it.

The airflow is what you need in your climate. Fans will not do nearly as well even if you don't consider their downsides.

Is that the roost in the front right corner? If so, you might add a second roost in the back or the right side so they have the option of the more sheltered area during storms. Leave the roost in the front for the rest of the time.

Metal can be problematic when it is enclosed too much. In that case, moisture can condense on the inside and/or the building can get much hotter than wood. Open like yours, especially in the shade in the summer, it doesn't have any downsid

I think a dirt floor is better than a solid floor in a space as open as yours is. If you pile mixed organic matter in there and water the parts that dry out too much, you will have the ideal environment from the chickens' point of view.

This is so good to know! I planned on adding a bit of hemp bedding to the ground but I could leave it dirt unless it rains I can add pine pellets to keep moisture at bay.

There are multiple roosting bars, one on the right corner and then a large roosting set up on the left side- I am planning to build a poop shelf there with new roosting bars that span the entire 8ft width!

For winter, I would just cover all but the top to keep ventilation across the top? Basically 3 sides is 70% hardware cloth so I was planning to buy greenhouse panels to put up each year on those spots.

 

[Logan160]

I have had both dirt and solid floor. in mild climates dirt floor is fine as long as the coop is predator proof. it is easier to maintain it and chickens like to dustbathe all over the coop. that way they "clean" their coop themselves, lol.

They buried the hardware cloth a foot down! And there are large rocks around it plus the metal, it does feel very solid and the run that is being made is also high quality and fully enclosed and will be buried!

It seems like I can really work with what I have with only winterizing the coop. This coop just doesn’t look like any coop I’ve ever seen, most are way more enclosed so it throws me off!

 

[saysfaa]

Most are done wrong. Bare minimum space, not even bare minimum ventilation required by different systems. They are usually designed by people who know how to build sheds and they add nest boxes and a roost. Or by people who might have looked up the dimensions required by commercial chicken barns but the solutions for space and air flow in barns for tens of thousands of chickens don't scale to the needs of a few chickens even if quality of life for the chicken is considered too. Or by people who copied one or the other category or just the look of them.

You have a treasure!

I would leave it open. But, then, my coop had an entire side open all winter and I live several hundred miles north of you. It won't hurt anything but your budget to put a tarp or a temporary wooden wall or greenhouse panel up between the door and the corner closest to the door. It isn't needed but it probably would make you may feel better and it might make the space a little nicer for the chickens during the worst storms. You really, really, really don't need to do more than that.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

The sun hits the south and southwest end of my open coop/run, so I have to shade it in summer, but in winter I’m using an 8x20 heavy (20 mil) clear plastic “tarp” to wrap around 3 sides. The girls occasionally sunbathe in that part of the run on cold, wintry days.

https://www.amazon.com/Chocikick-20...rent/dp/B0CLQXY5QQ?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1

 

[Logan160]

Most are done wrong. Bare minimum space, not even bare minimum ventilation required by different systems. They are usually designed by people who know how to build sheds and they add nest boxes and a roost. Or by people who might have looked up the dimensions required by commercial chicken barns but the solutions for space and air flow in barns for tens of thousands of chickens don't scale to the needs of a few chickens even if quality of life for the chicken is considered too. Or by people who copied one or the other category or just the look of them.

You have a treasure!

I would leave it open. But, then, my coop had an entire side open all winter and I live several hundred miles north of you. It won't hurt anything but your budget to put a tarp or a temporary wooden wall or greenhouse panel up between the door and the corner closest to the door. It isn't needed but it probably would make you may feel better and it might make the space a little nicer for the chickens during the worst storms. You really, really, really don't need to do more than that.

THIS MAKES ME FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!

The coop will offer 11sqft a bird, and 9.6sqft a bird in the run (the coop is basically a run inside too with it being so open lol) which I am hoping is very spacious (it seems to be on the higher end of recommended sqft).

I think I will have to add plywood to the left side since I am building a "poop shelf" and new roosting bars along the entire left side (will be 8x4) and that would have the roosting bars right up against the hardware cloth, so I figured at roosting level I will add some plywood, and leave the top entirely hardware cloth! Based on your comment, I think I will leave the door, and right side exactly as it is, and just add a tarp next winter!

NC weather is quite lucky, it gets cold but not THAT cold. Summers are humid though...

 

[Logan160]

The sun hits the south and southwest end of my open coop/run, so I have to shade it in summer, but in winter I’m using an 8x20 heavy (20 mil) clear plastic “tarp” to wrap around 3 sides. The girls occasionally sunbathe in that part of the run on cold, wintry days.

https://www.amazon.com/Chocikick-20...rent/dp/B0CLQXY5QQ?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1

View attachment 4265249

I love this! I feel like I don't see open concept coops enough on here, but yours is very similar to mine! Thankfully the coop in the summer is completely shaded!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

THIS MAKES ME FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!

The coop will offer 11sqft a bird, and 9.6sqft a bird in the run (the coop is basically a run inside too with it being so open lol) which I am hoping is very spacious (it seems to be on the higher end of recommended sqft).

I think I will have to add plywood to the left side since I am building a "poop shelf" and new roosting bars along the entire left side (will be 8x4) and that would have the roosting bars right up against the hardware cloth, so I figured at roosting level I will add some plywood, and leave the top entirely hardware cloth! Based on your comment, I think I will leave the door, and right side exactly as it is, and just add a tarp next winter!

NC weather is quite lucky, it gets cold but not THAT cold. Summers are humid though...

I’m in Asheville. 11°F forecast for Sunday night!

- grateful for our summers, though

 

[Logan160]

I’m in Asheville. 11°F forecast for Sunday night!

- grateful for our summers, though

I hope you all faired well with the hurricane! I used to live in Boone during my college days, it gets waaaay colder up there than here! I am only about 1.5 hours from asheville!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I hope you all faired well with the hurricane! I used to live in Boone during my college days, it gets waaaay colder up there than here! I am only about 1.5 hours from asheville!

Thanks - we didn’t have much damage on our property, but the weeks without electricity and water were pretty brutal. I still have to blow my nose when driving past the places that were pretty well obliterated.

Were you at App State? It’s such a lovely campus, and Boone is fun. I’m a very senior senior at UNCA, getting my BSc in Ecology.