New (to us) coop - seeking advice about any improvements needed

[nibuca]

Completely new to keeping chickens. We purchased our coop last weekend, used. It is approx 4 feet wide x 10 feet long, and is cedar. It is a tractor style. The chickens will also have free range in an area we will set aside for them during the day. Before we get chickens, we are making any fixes, cleaning, and getting the coop set up this weekend. Does anyone have any recommendations on what we should improve (if anything)? Does anything look like a red flag? It seems sturdy, aside from a few loose screws we will be fixing. How many chickens would you recommend keeping in a coop like this? Our city limit is 6. Thanks so much! Aside from what the people told us who we bought it from, we know very little about this coop. Thanks so much!

 

[Jennifer Cappi Williams]

Chicken wire is not predator proof. I can't tell if that is on it or not. Coons can tear thru it real fast and overnight kill all the chickens for fun. The kind that is coon proof is (I think its called) "cloth wire". It has little square holes. Coons are your enemy... (even though I have made friends with wild coons, they are terrible to chickens)

 

[Jennifer Cappi Williams]

Oh, and coons can dig underneath to get in also.

 

[Larry55]

Attach a skirting all around the bottom that goes out horizontally. Most predators will start to dig at the corner of a structure. If u run hardware cloth about 2 feet out all the way around that will deter any digging. Just weight it down with some bricks or whatever. I also suggest making the coop door from run lockable. So a predator cant get into coop should they breach the run.

 

[Joeschooks]

Welcome to BYC and the world of chicken keeping! IMO and by the look of the photos I think your coop would do for up to about 4 LF if you’re free ranging during the day. The chicken wire isn’t predator proof so you might consider replacing with hardware cloth? Also do put something around the lower edge to stop predators digging underneath; perhaps a 12” hardware cloth skirt or some heavy rocks. Don’t underestimate predators, they can be very determined. One final thing, it’s looks like there’s only a thin dowel post for a roost; I’d replace that with 2x3s with the 3” edge upwards to avoid foot problems. Best of luck.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Hi there and

Consider adding your location to your profile, helps with climate related advice.

That's a better built coop than some tractor styles. Post above is correct you need hardware cloth everywhere including over any windows. Speaking of which, ventilation is important, about 1 square foot per bird.

The coop is the little interior box. Dimensions of that will be needed to determine how many birds. The rest is the run.

Are you going to fence their other area you mentioned? If so you might want to consider enclosing the whole current coop and run if you live in a cold climate.

 

[Larry55]

I see u have a bolt latch on run door i would replace that with a hasp and slip a caribiner thru lock hole for added security. Redundancy is key to keep predators at bay.

 

[nibuca]

Thank you all. I’ll definitely add hardware cloth. Sorry, I forgot to add my location! I am in the pacific NW, about 30 minutes south of Seattle. Many of my neighbors have chickens and have yet to see a raccoon or coyote. We do have a lot of bald eagles though, including a nesting pair across the street. So far they have never even tried to get any of the chickens. They seem to feast on fish (we are pretty close to the water), Wild rabbits, and rodents.

 

[Ruralhideaway]

Pretty wet there right? I'd consider a way to give the run a little blowing rain protection, many use clear shower curtains to good effect. Nice that it's all roofed already.

There are predators everywhere, its really just a matter of time and luck. I walked outside yesterday after only being inside for 20 minutes and saw the tail end of a gray fox coming out of my barn. I believe it was eating barn cat food. The barn cats were in the rafters looking real unhappy! Anyway, a stray dog is all it takes with chicken wire. Look up weasels for your area, better to know what your up against. You'll likely get attached to your birds and want to protect them well!

 

[MrsMistyReal]

Welcome aboard to BYC family gr8 people tons of information loads of fun enjoy shake your tail feathers