Just bought a used coop - what next?!

[mangobingo]

So I've been thinking about chickens for a while now, I've just picked up a used coop off Craigslist, and I'm very excited. But before I get any birds for it, could you help me with a few very newbie things? First, the coop smells kind of chickeny, but I don't think it's been used for over a year. Will it be OK just to clean off the dirt and spray it with diluted bleach? Or should I be doing more than that?

Then, the coop (run, really?) is about 10x5 ft on the sides and at least 6 ft high. The walls are mostly chicken wire but there's a boxed-in area, about 3 ft cubed, with nest boxes, in the upper half. There are also some wooden perches. I'd just need bedding for the nest boxes, right? Or should I cover the floor with something? (It's grass at the moment). I'm thinking of getting 4 hens, btw. I'd like to let them out some of the time, but I'm not yet sure about the cat/dog/mongoose situation round here.

Also, is there any reason not to grow some kind of vine up the side of the coop, for shade and perhaps the odd tasty treat? Not sure what I'd plant, yet - chayote squash, tomatoes, something not poisonous to chickens, obviously...

Anyway, thanks for getting me started - lots more questions to come, I'm sure!

[Attempting to paste a picture here... yes, this really is how we got it home...

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

You'll get more expert replies than me here but you'll definitely want to disinfect the coop. I assume bleach and water is good as long as it dries out well before the chickens. I don't think growing anything on the side would work because the chickens would not give anything a chance to grow. They're like live weed eaters. You'll want bedding in the nesting boxes and bedding in the coop would make cleaning easier.

Good luck.

 

[oldchickenlady]

I would replace the chicken wire with 1x2 welded wire or hardware cloth. There are too many predators that can rip right through the chickenwire. Bleach dituted at a 1:10 ratio (1 cup bleach to 9 cups water) will work fine for disinfection. I would probably use a good stiff brush and the bleach solution on the coop part. Straw or shavings in the nest boxes, but not necessary unless you buy adult chickens that are laying. If you get chicks they would probably sleep there and poop them up. I would block them off until the chicks are almost laying age.

 

[rancher hicks]

Quote:
Excellent advice, Rooster, very good. I was gonna say paint. That color is the color our livingroom was when we bought our house and before we moved in I had to paint it. LOL

Disinfect very good how would you do it?

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

Quote:
Excellent advice, Rooster, very good. I was gonna say paint. That color is the color our livingroom was when we bought our house and before we moved in I had to paint it. LOL

Disinfect very good how would you do it?

BTW that color was the color of the refrigerator in our house when I was growing up. Painting the coop is a good idea, yes paint it.....Please.

 

[sonew123]

I would hose it down really good first--then let it dry with some good bright sunshine -then bleach it down real good! The one I got from my SIL took me a week to scrub and clean to perfection and sterilization in my mind-spotless-then I repainted the outside to match our house

 

[drdoolittle]

rancher hicks wrote:

I was gonna say paint. That color is the color our livingroom was when we bought our house and before we moved in I had to paint it. LOL

Hey, that is John Deere Green----------I wouldn't paint it! LOL I know how excited you must be-------disinfecting is work, but there is a lot of fun in store for you!! We expect pics. as you go along!

 

[Luke13:34]

What a great find! I'm very jealous. I happen to think that green is very cheerful. Just needs some trim paint and some windowboxes attached to the side!

 

[sheaviance1]

Congrats on your coop!!! I purchased a used coop for $75 about 6 weeks after we built one for $280. WhooHoo, added capacity. Looks like a great little coop you have found. Clean it up real good, my used one came with a rubber mat for the floor that I love! Combined with deep litter, it makes cleaning it a breeze. What color paint are you going to go with?

 

[blefky]

Whenever I clean out my coop I always dust everything with a little food grade diatomaceous earth before putting new bedding back in, as a preventive against all the crawlies. As far as the bottom of the run/coop goes, there are two safe options. You can choose to attach hardware cloth to the bottom of the frame and cover it with a few inches of shavings, sand, etc., or you can attach a hardware cloth apron to the outside edges - at least a couple of feet out, and most people bury them. Be aware that whatever grass is in the run now will not be there within a month or so of adding chickens. I have a dozen hens in an 18 x 16 foot run, and the grass was gone in a month. If you choose to grow something along the run for shade, do it on the outside, and far enough from the fence that they will not be able to get to it enough to kill it - if they can, they probably will. There's a lot to learn, and BYC is a great place to start. Read lots, ask lots of questions. I'm having a great time with my ladies - hope you do too! Oh, and