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!

 

[paintedChix]

WELCOME to BYC!!

I'm not the best w/ cleaning. My coops have very little wood & some i'm currently refurbishing will only have wood roosts. I do know that it can be hard to get wood to dry after scrubbing w/ water. Staying wet can be an issue, causing mold &/or mildew.

Once you have it clean, consider either painting it or sealing to make as weather proof as possible. This would extend the life of the light weight wood making up your coop & run.

I see that you stated that the base of the coop/run is attached to the pallet. I dont know if you can separate it w/o breaking the frame. If you can, I recommend that you raise the coop up onto bricks or cinder block. This is another form of protecting the wood base, giving you extended life.

I'm not familiar w/ this coop. What is the size? How many & what type of chickens are you planning on?

You might consider adding more ventilation to the coop now, before you get chickens. It would be easier.