How can I make my coop better?

[Gaettberry]

Be nice I’m newer to owning chickens and didn’t know what I needed when making my chicken coop just kind of through a bunch of stuff together.

 

[Penpal]

So the tall area is the run? You would be better served to use some of that material and remake it so the run is longer rather than so tall. Only part of it needs to be roofed.

Is the tent the coop? You need ventilation.

Put your location in your avatar box.

 

[Gaettberry]

So the tall area is the run? You would be better served to use some of that material and remake it so the run is longer rather than so tall. Only part of it needs to be roofed.

Is the tent the coop? You need ventilation.

Put your location in your avatar box.

So the tall area is the run? You would be better served to use some of that material and remake it so the run is longer rather than so tall. Only part of it needs to be roofed.

Is the tent the coop? You need ventilation.

Put your location in your avatar box.

The coop is the wooden part. They free range a lot. I built them a little more room using post and fencing because while im at work they cannot free range. The tarp is temporary until my hawk netting comes in. I’m trying to find a design I can use to enclose the back wooded section of the taller coop. I plan on extending out the newely
Attached run about another 10 feet out to the side. I have 12 birds. I’m in Missouri.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Can you tell us more please?

What are the dimensions of the wooden part?
Are the roosts the long boards that are on the left and right in the picture showing the nest boxes? The left one looks pretty close to the outer wall to me.

I can see a lot of small gaps in the siding. That can be problematic when the wind gets to blowing hard. It might be a good idea to brainstorm ways to close those up without causing water trapping between boards.

To close the open side will mean building a wall there.

Do you have a budget in mind for the project?

It's a decent start just some tweaks and it will serve them well.

 

[Gaettberry]

Can you tell us more please?

What are the dimensions of the wooden part?
Are the roosts the long boards that are on the left and right in the picture showing the nest boxes? The left one looks pretty close to the outer wall to me.

I can see a lot of small gaps in the siding. That can be problematic when the wind gets to blowing hard. It might be a good idea to brainstorm ways to close those up without causing water trapping between boards.

To close the open side will mean building a wall there.

Do you have a budget in mind for the project?

It's a decent start just some tweaks and it will serve them well.

The wooden part is 3x10. The whole enclosure is 8x10. I added a run on the side and it extended out to be 7x10. The roost are the long boards on the top. The one of the left I just threw up not really measured anything because I had new younger chicks coming in and decided they needed their own side. I actually have spray foam im just procrastinating it. The whole coop is currently wrapped with plastic. I might end up putting up about 2 sheets of plywood in a few weeks on the open wall side. I wouldn’t like to spend more than 200$ on upgrades as I’ve spent a little more then my original budget already.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Hmmmmm....

First...please don't use spray foam. Chickens are nutty and will eat any insulation they can reach.

For 12 birds you need the coop to be at least 48 square feet more is better in your climate. If you add the wall at 5' from the back wall you would have 50 square feet.

T1-11 shed siding isn't terribly much more than plywood and will last dramatically longer. It's worth looking into.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Another fantastic way to get ideas is wondering through the coop pages in the article section.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/

 

[21hens-incharge]

Lp smartside is more readily available and already primed for paint.
Yup I went looking for t1-11 and found a lot of "out of stock".

 

[nuthatched]

X3 I'd cover with siding and uncover the windows and ventilation.