Help! To modify old coop or not?!?

[tree_tyger]

Cold and damp may increase the smell. Nothing wrong with putting a fan out there temporarily to dry things out. Then you would have a better idea of where to go from there.

I should have also mentioned that part, maybe a big part, of why I am such a fan of using wood chips is that I can get all I want for free from our county landfill. Nothing better than free bedding. Plus, after I clean out the wood chips in the coop, I spread them out in the chicken run and let them compost in place. When I need compost for the garden in the fall, I will sift out shovels full of chicken compost. I built a cement mixer compost sifter just to harvest all that chicken compost.

Speaking of which, if you have dug out the smelly soil in the coop, you could probably mix that in a compost pile if you have one started. If you don't have a compost pile yet, I would suggest planning on it because chickens are natural composters. They scratch and peck things into compost in no time. You just have to let the chicken poo in the compost age for a number of months before use. Chickens and gardens go together well.

At any rate, you certainly have a nice setup there to work with and your planned improvements should make it even better.

Thanks for the extra advice. We will see if we can get a fan out there--that's not a bad idea either! We can also get free wood chips to that may be of consideration. The only problem was there was all sorts of unidentifiable scat in there from before (goat, opossum, raccoon, and definitely rat poop) that we didn't want to compost what we removed; however, composting the chicken poop is definitely the plan for the future!

 

[IT Farmer]

We intend to add a few inches of construction grade sand for the ground (which we're hoping will help refresh the coop and eliminate the odors). Lastly, we plan to build a 6 ft high fence to create a "free range" run that is about 1/3 of our total property out back.

Definitely just fix up what you have and keep in mind that there "free range" run area will need some sort of cover over the top of it else you will be running a buffet for hawks. You can buy large nylon poultry nets off of amazon for pretty cheap that work well for covering runs.

 

[tree_tyger]

Don't worry about the smell. You wet everything down and stirred the pot. Once things dry out you shouldn't notice it.
I would work with what you've got. You've got power which is always a bonus. It's pretty dark and dreary so any walls you can replace with hardware cloth will add natural light and increase the ventilation. No such thing as too much ventilation. You can repurpose the chain link panels for the run. Lumber is crazy expensive right now. You'd be looking at $1000 to replace it.

Lots of votes for adding more ventilation but I forgot to ask if we need to worry about the wind. If it's really windy, I suppose we can put up a tarp, but do we need to worry about drafts where the hens are roosting when a tarp is not needed?

 

[3KillerBs]

Lots of votes for adding more ventilation but I forgot to ask if we need to worry about the wind. If it's really windy, I suppose we can put up a tarp, but do we need to worry about drafts where the hens are roosting when a tarp is not needed?

As long as the ventilation is above the birds's heads when they're sitting on the roost, wind won't be a problem.

 

[gtaus]

You can buy large nylon poultry nets off of amazon for pretty cheap that work well for covering runs.

Amazon has a great choice of netting. I get a 14X14 foot bird netting at our local Fleet store for about $7.00. It is the netting designed to cover fruit trees, but works just great to cover the chicken run.

 

[gtaus]

The only problem was there was all sorts of unidentifiable scat in there from before (goat, opossum, raccoon, and definitely rat poop) that we didn't want to compost what we removed

Other than maybe the gross factor, animal scat does not bother me for composting. But I live in an area where the closest neighbors are still pretty far apart. So an offensive smell would not affect anyone else. For composting, I worry more about our man made chemicals than anything coming from nature.

 

[aart]

Lots of votes for adding more ventilation but I forgot to ask if we need to worry about the wind. If it's really windy, I suppose we can put up a tarp, but do we need to worry about drafts where the hens are roosting when a tarp is not needed?

Tarp and wind, don't necessarily go together.
Might be good to plan on covers for ventilation in case they are needed during extreme weather events.
Top hinged glazed windows or 'shutters' are good for adjusting air flow.

BTW...Welcome to BYC! @tree_tyger
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!

 

[gtaus]

As long as the ventilation is above the birds's heads when they're sitting on the roost, wind won't be a problem.

OP states they live in So. Cal. I know that where I live in northern Minnesota, we do not want drafts underneath our roosting hens because the cool, or cold, air might prevent the chickens from keeping themselves warm in the cold months.

I wonder if OP has the opposite problem and needs to be more concerned about keeping the birds cool. In that case, would a draft under the roosting hens be beneficial? Dear Wife is from the Philippines, and their chickens would roost in the trees at night. Certainly there would be drafts underneath them all night.

@tree_tyger, it would be helpful to you if you added your geographic location to your profile. You will find lots of good advice on this forum, but something recommended for raising birds in the northern states may not be good advice for you down in So. Cal. Location matters.

 

[tree_tyger]

"it would be helpful to you if you added your geographic location to your profile. You will find lots of good advice on this forum, but something recommended for raising birds in the northern states may not be good advice for you down in So. Cal. Location matters."

Thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely try to get to updating our location, but that is why I described our location in my post. Yes, it is warm & dry in So Cal (we even get a few triple digit days in the Summer) plus our valley can be very windy.

Our weather averages:
Summer High: the July high is around 92 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 42
Rain: averages 17 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 0 inches of snow a year

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.

 

[tree_tyger]

Tarp and wind, don't necessarily go together.
Might be good to plan on covers for ventilation in case they are needed during extreme weather events.
Top hinged glazed windows or 'shutters' are good for adjusting air flow.

BTW...Welcome to BYC! @tree_tyger
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!
View attachment 2616433

ok We did pick up some used shutters to add to the windows, so I guess that's a plus!