Help! To modify old coop or not?!?

[gtaus]

I will definitely try to get to updating our location, but that is why I described our location in my post.

As the thread gets longer, some people may not fully read the first posts and therefore may miss out on your location. Putting your geographical location on your profile allows everyone to see where you live and they may adjust their advice to better help you.

 

[rosemarythyme]

We were definitely confused by what we researched regarding protecting chooks from drafts & winds. Perhaps that's just a cold weather area concern? It seems open air coops with full hardware cloth walls are used in hot areas, but do they still need a fully enclosed area just around the roosts? If I understand correctly, if we live in an area that tends to get very hot, it is not so much a concern.

With your temperatures wind probably won't be a real issue, because it never gets cold enough that the chickens would struggle to stay warm even if their feathers are ruffled a bit.

With an open air coop... it depends, actually. I've seen some set ups with no solid walls at all (usually in very warm or even tropical environments) and others have 1-3 walls to form a cubby for roosting and nest boxes. For overall weather protection, closing up at least 1 or 2 sides near the roost would probably be optimal, but a good roof with big overhangs can also provide much of the weather protection you'd need.

 

[3KillerBs]

In central North Carolina, I'm planning a 3-sided shelter at one end of my new Open Air Coop because we get hurricanes and winter storms with blowing rain.

 

[IT Farmer]

Yea. I would always recommend having some kind of wind block. Not proud of it but when I first decided to get into keeping chickens around 8-9 years ago I had a rooster that got frostbite on his comb due to heavy winds and it was only in the upper 20s that night. He lived but till this day I have always felt bad about that.

 

[gtaus]

We're concerned the smell will just not go away. The chicks are just over a week old, so we need to make a decision fast!

Just wondering the status of your coop. Did the smell go away? Have you made any coop mods? Would be nice to see some new pics of your efforts and the chicks.

 

[Windrider]

Hello, fellow Southern Californian! I am not too far from Simi and often participate in dog agility trials there. You guys are defiantly hotter than we are on the coast. Windier, too.

Still, for our climate, I really think the open air coop is the way to go. I agree with another poster that said your old coop looks dreary. If it were mine, I'd take that entire south wall down to the studs and cover in hardware cloth, as well as the two side walls to about half way back. That would leave a three sided section in the back for roosting out of the wind.

My favorite example of this style coop on this forum is here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/texas-coop-build-pic-heavy.1371038/
I basically build a miniaturized version of this and have been happy with it for over 10 years.

 

[tree_tyger]

Just wondering the status of your coop. Did the smell go away? Have you made any coop mods? Would be nice to see some new pics of your efforts and the chicks.

Hi gtaus and other friends! Thought i'd update you all on our status as of today. The coop is still a work in progress. We've incorporated quite a few of your suggestions! Took down the South wall to studs (pictured on the left) and will be adding hardware cloth next. Cut out a "window" on the back west wall and hung up shutters (to close off the cross breeze in case of wind). We also removed the door and will be modifying by adding more, you guessed it, hardware cloth. One of you experienced posters suggested we remove siding up near the top of the roof; we did the best we can and will be covering the space in hardware cloth as well. The smell is definitely improved but probably not "healthy". We were able to tolerate it enough to hang the shutters. Hoping it will continue to improve after we add the additional openings up top (N wall above roosting bars, not pictured). We are also going to shovel out a couple more inches of dirt and throw up some paint on the walls/studs. Still undecided about the sand vs. free wood chip flooring. Please feel free to give us any other feedback after looking at our updated pics. For now, the chicks are living in a dog crate condo (we zip tied them together and added chicken wire to reinforce the lower half). They are nice & toasty in the garage tonight. I'm also attaching a pic of them enjoying some outdoor time today Also a pic of our 3 polish for fun!

Thank you all for your interest and advice!!

 

[tree_tyger]

Just wondering the status of your coop. Did the smell go away? Have you made any coop mods? Would be nice to see some new pics of your efforts and the chicks.

I just posted a reply. Thank you for following up!!

 

[tree_tyger]

Hello, fellow Southern Californian! I am not too far from Simi and often participate in dog agility trials there. You guys are defiantly hotter than we are on the coast. Windier, too.

Still, for our climate, I really think the open air coop is the way to go. I agree with another poster that said your old coop looks dreary. If it were mine, I'd take that entire south wall down to the studs and cover in hardware cloth, as well as the two side walls to about half way back. That would leave a three sided section in the back for roosting out of the wind.

My favorite example of this style coop on this forum is here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/texas-coop-build-pic-heavy.1371038/
I basically build a miniaturized version of this and have been happy with it for over 10 years.

Yes! Dreary is definitely the right adjective. It was nice to add the window on the West wall. Really opened it up to some daylight and my neighbors lovely bamboo Would love to see an agility trail one day! We have a Giant Schnauzer that would probably love that kind of work!

 

[Percheron chick]

You'll be so pleased with the coop once finished.
I would shovel out more dirt if you aren't making any progress with the smell. With the two sides opened up, I suspect that you will notice a measurable decrease quickly. Consider painting the inside of the coop. The wood will absorb lots of odors. Kilz makes an odor blocking primer. Will help brighten up the interior too.