Geoff Swenson
In the Brooder
- May 9, 2022
- 4
- 51
- 29
We have some rather large mature chickens and a 5' x 5' x 10' coop that were given to us by a friend. They are still laying but I'm pretty sure we will soon need new chicks that are not so old. So one of the issues I need to discuss is how to add new ones. I have formerly raised some chicks from scratch, but had to stop and give them away when it became apparent that my roommate was not willing to do his share of contributing to the infrastructure, and the hilly yard was conspiring to require expensive infrastructure like stairs and paths. My current rather large yard has no such problems with roommates or hills.
I was rather appalled by the state they were in when we got them. The coop is mostly nice but the galvanized pan that slides in to it is thoroughly rusted.
So one of the first things is redoing this in more durable materials. I'm thinking that perhaps a fiberglass reinforced plastic sheet from Tap Plastics in a similar cedar frame would be better.
The other problem was the way the coop plopped on top of their lawn had turned their environment into a disgusting poopy sea of mud. The run area that they had setup with chicken wire and nylon mesh did not seem sufficient to keep racoons out.
I'm thinking of buying concrete pavers and plopping the coop down on paved area perhaps with threw feet perimeter around the coop so there isn't so much mud. Or perhaps just build a bigger fence around a large enough area of lawn (we have about six acres) large enough that ten chickens don't turn it into a mess like their former residence.
It doesn't seem right that they were being forced to live with so much mud. And it certainly makes dealing with them unpleasant.
Another thought is extending the coop upward on by about a foot with lockable flaps at the bottom so a rake can be used to clean the floor.
And if anything else I've said in passing indicates general cluelessness, please don't worry about offending me, I'm more interested in doing this properly than having my feelings hurt.
I was rather appalled by the state they were in when we got them. The coop is mostly nice but the galvanized pan that slides in to it is thoroughly rusted.
So one of the first things is redoing this in more durable materials. I'm thinking that perhaps a fiberglass reinforced plastic sheet from Tap Plastics in a similar cedar frame would be better.
The other problem was the way the coop plopped on top of their lawn had turned their environment into a disgusting poopy sea of mud. The run area that they had setup with chicken wire and nylon mesh did not seem sufficient to keep racoons out.
I'm thinking of buying concrete pavers and plopping the coop down on paved area perhaps with threw feet perimeter around the coop so there isn't so much mud. Or perhaps just build a bigger fence around a large enough area of lawn (we have about six acres) large enough that ten chickens don't turn it into a mess like their former residence.
It doesn't seem right that they were being forced to live with so much mud. And it certainly makes dealing with them unpleasant.
Another thought is extending the coop upward on by about a foot with lockable flaps at the bottom so a rake can be used to clean the floor.
And if anything else I've said in passing indicates general cluelessness, please don't worry about offending me, I'm more interested in doing this properly than having my feelings hurt.
Good luck with your plans!
