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

[nibuca]

Thanks! We have seen fox very occasionally, and they could potentially be small enough to get through our back yard. Fortunately we have a good wood (tall) fence that keeps out all dogs. We got it because we do have people who let their dogs roam and we used to have a dog aggressive dog. We had to keep all dogs out. Yes, especially in the Spring and Winter it can get quite wet. Great suggestion to give the coop protection from blowing rain. I hadn’t even thought of that.

 

[lazy gardener]

Welcome!

You might want to dust the inside of it with permethrin, since you don't know if previous owner ever had issues with mites or lice. Better to be proactive then not, and wish you had! That coop is only big enough for 4 birds.

 

[nibuca]

Great! We were initially thinking 3 chickens.

 

[nibuca]

Welcome!

You might want to dust the inside of it with permethrin, since you don't know if previous owner ever had issues with mites or lice. Better to be proactive then not, and wish you had! That coop is only big enough for 4 birds.

I had read that it is recommended to clean with vinegar and water. I had planned on doing this, then air drying in the sun for a few
days (assuming we get sun). Would you recommend this? Thanks!

 

[aart]

Coop only opens from the top?
Gonna be hard to clean inside.
I'd add an access door on one side.

No ventilation(or light) in coop...
....and roof too tight to walls to protect adding any more.
Might think about bigger roof sheathing to make overhangs to shed rain.

Do you plan on moving the coop everyday?
The open spot under the roosts will allow(maybe) night poops to drop into the run area.

I wouldn't put more than 3 birds in there....and if you decide you want more birds, you'll need a bigger coop as this one leaves no room for integrating new birds.

 

[nibuca]

Actually, we bought this coop to get our feet wet and learn about what we need/want in a coop. We had planned on building a larger stationary one over the summer. Since we are so new though we don’t know what we want. It opens from the top and there is an opening on the side. It didn’t look like it would be hard to clean. Maybe if will. We do plan on moving it daily, or at least every few days. The chickens will have free range of a much larger area during the day. Thanks!

 

[aart]

It'll be a decent starter coop....and later will be a decent growout coop for chicks.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I think most folks covered the basics:

- It looks like someone already added some hardware cloth in one area so I'd add on like that all around the perimeter.
- The coop itself has no visible ventilation (which also means no light, so the chickens might be reluctant to go in at the end of the day) so you should consider cutting some windows, covered with hardware cloth or small opening welded wire for security.
- The roost bar does seem narrow in diameter so I'd replace with either a thick, sturdy branch or anything from a 2x2 up to a 2x4. The location of it seems off to me as well... it looks rather close to the wall and perhaps even the ceiling and I'm wondering if chickens will actually be able to get on it? You'll want to measure those distances to see what the clearance is on it.

 

[nibuca]

Thanks rosemarythyme! Our to do list for this weekend is to add hardware cloth to the areas without. We could definitely add a window. I hadn't even thought of that. We will definitely replace the roost bar. I thought the location seemed a little odd too. We will adjust as needed. I feel like a lot of this is going to be trial and error (hopefully not terrible errors) to get what works best for our chickens. The previous owners had chickens in this coop for a few years until all were killed by coyotes. They lived in an area with a high coyote population. Thanks for your advice. I appreciate it!

 

[rosemarythyme]

It's always trial and error!

Adding a window (or two) should be fairly easy with a small saw and maybe some strips of scrap wood so you can frame it out and also sandwich in hardware cloth for security. I added little windows to my nest box, which is a converted dog house, by doing just that.

I hope someone who has measurements in their head can answer about how much clearance you need horizontally and vertically for the roost, as your chickens will have to hop/fly onto the bar to roost. While the chickens are young it's probably ok to leave it as is, where it is, but as they get older you'll have a better idea of where it can be moved to optimize space, and then at that time I'd upgrade the size of the bar as well.