My first coop

[qmac1206]

Okay, so still new to the chicken world. I was able to purchase a coop off marketplace. It definitely needs some sprucing up, new hardware, and maintainence inside. I just don’t know where to start. I’ve gone in and swept a lot of the old poop and straw out. Should I actually clean it with something? Do I do anything with the wood - such as painting or staining? Also, the bottom of the run. It’s nailed to a pallet, what do I use as bedding when I come time to put the coop to use. I hear a lot about sand, but I’m assuming it’s gonna fall right though. The floor of the coop itself needs repairing, but that shouldn’t be too hard. What do people do for nesting boxes? I know it’s a lot of questions, but there’s just so much information out there

 

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

Most people would recommend pine pellets for the floor outside the coop and inside the coop can be various softer beddings! I personally use pine because I found a very low sawdust pine bedding, but some use chopped straw, or even pre-made nesting pads for the inside of laying boxes. The wood looks okay, but sealing it with a non-toxic sealer like linseed won't harm anything, even if the chickens decide to peck at it. I would personally extend the roofing out further to prevent potential water damage. If you really want to clean it more, ecoclean makes a really good cleaner that is meant for tough animal(protein) stains. If you know the previous flock died of something unnatural, it is safest to clean it that way. Nesting boxes can be made out of plywood or recycled pallets and then re-enforced. Some people use peel and stick vinyl or other kinds of tiles to make cleaning the inside of the coop a breeze once chickens are in there. I could keep going, but there are also a lot of informative coop designs on this site with provided reasoning, do give some a good read!