Need help retrofitting a coop

[ChickensInVirginia]

I bought a house that came with a chicken coop, so of course we are planning to get chickens now! Unfortunately the previous owner passed away, so we did not get to ask about the coop layout. I am trying to get a "vision" of what should go where.

Outside of the Coop

First, there is a swing door cut into the left side of the coop (within the run).

Dimensions of the swing door are 22"x10", here it is from inside the coop.

There is also a cut out area on the shelf above it, I'm not sure what the purpose of that was.

Was there a nest box in this area? I like the idea of having a rollout nest box maybe sticking outside the coop so I could grab the eggs from outside.

Finally, I want to get a good plan for waste management. This is what the interior looks like:

I've seen some nice sand roosts as well as people making "poop boards" covered in vinyl so they are easier to wipe down. What do you think would be the best way to set this coop up for easy cleaning?

Overall I could really use help figuring out how this was previously set up and what changes to make, if any. I'd rather have a good plan to start, to make everything easier in the end. I would appreciate any guidance!

 

[Penpal]

I would guess there was a nest box where the swing out door is. But the coop looks a little large for only one nest box. It could be there to make setting food or water inside easier.

I don't get why there are four shelves. Chickens only need a single board to roost on. The shelves just guarantee that there will be poop all over the shelves for you to clean up. I might take down the extra boards so the manure will fall to the floor and be easier to clean up. I would put a washable floor down, like a sheet of vinyl.

The shelves make me wonder of they stored stuff on the shelves.

 

[wrathsfarm]

It looks to me like the shelf's were the roost and the swing door was their pop door.

Edit... Nope I see the pop door now... My bad.

 

[wrathsfarm]

You could take down the 3 deckboards closest to wall used as shelf's, leaving the frame. And build poop boards under the roosts.
Or... Gut it and do a layout that best fits.

 

[wrathsfarm]

I would guess there was a nest box where the swing out door is. But the coop looks a little large for only one nest box. It could be there to make setting food or water inside easier.

I don't get why there are four shelves. Chickens only need a single board to roost on. The shelves just guarantee that there will be poop all over the shelves for you to clean up. I might take down the extra boards so the manure will fall to the floor and be easier to clean up. I would put a washable floor down, like a sheet of vinyl.

The shelves make me wonder of they stored stuff on the shelves.

Looks too clean on inside to be a chicken coop. Like it once was but was converted to a storage shed.

 

[perkolator]

To me it looks like a storage shed or old greenhouse that was never fully converted to chicken coop. I'd gut the interior and use the lumber to make your chicken setup inside.

The steel frame looks good for long-term structural integrity. Interior looks large enough to install nest box inside that upper door inside the run, or close it off and make a new door somewhere else. Structure will likely need more ventilation, especially with the greenhouse wall that may heat things up inside in summer - maybe a gable vent above the door, a vent/window in the door or the walls of the coop, or a turbine vent on the roof, etc. could all work to ventilate. The run looks pretty decent with the welded wire behind the hardware cloth, I'd check to see if there's an anti-dig skirting around the perimeter, since it looks like this is located where wildlife will be frequenting.

Looks like a good start and not a whole lot needing to be done but convert the interior and ventilate. Good luck!

 

[ChickensInVirginia]

I forgot to mention there is a top hinge window on the right (east) side of the coop, it's 11" above the boards.

If I take out 3 boards on the right side and set up the roost there, will it be too cold in the winter here in Virginia? There would be approximately 2 feet of roost on either side of the window, so they wouldn't necessarily have to sit directly in front of it. But maybe it would be better to put the nesting box on this side, under the boards, and set up the roost on the left side of the coop?

Planning on starting with 3 birds and potentially ramping up to 6 max. And the "greenhouse" window is facing north, so there will not be direct sunlight coming in there.