New (to us) coop

[Fritz_H]

Just brought home a lovely flock of seven hens. They came with a 4 x 7 two-story home-made chicken tractor. The upstairs is all the coop I have right now and I'll be remodeling it over the next few weeks to meet my specs. The hens enter through a ramp into a square hole in the middle of the floor or the coop. When we tried to put some hay in for bedding, the girls shoved it all out the door into the yard below...should I keep trying and hope they leave it in or try something else? I'm thinking of building a lip around the exit hole to hold in bedding. Also thinking of trying something different, shavings or wood pellets. I'm not sure hay or straw is what I want for bedding here in the rainy Pacific Northwest.

Any suggestions would be welcome. I'll try to post some pics later when I seek advice on the remodel. The builder seems to have put doors everywhere I would have left the walls solid and I'm not sure where to put the additional windows I know it will need or the nesting boxes. Right now it has a tin roof and only two 4 x 12 inch windows, one in each short side. There's a 4 inch gap between the wall and the floor at each end, so I know some air will rise up and out the windows but that can't be enough. Also, I'm thinking of fabricating a temporary roost with a length of wooden closet rod attached to a square of plywood at each end. That way I can figure out where in the coop the girls prefer to roost.

Thanks in advance,

Randy

 

[Backyard_Chicken_rancher]

Hello and

From Texas I would ask the other owner (if you can what they used for the bedding) to be safe however I would go with pine shavings and if they still push that out you may want to put that lip on it as far as the refurbish I belive we would need to see pics for any advice so this way we know exactly what you are speaking of.

Good luck to you and were glad you joined us you will find alot of info to help you here at the BYC but I give you


WARNING!!!!!!!! BYC is very addictive and you will always be here..................WARNING!!!! end.

 

[Omran]

now I want to see your new friends, pictures please.

 

[Fritz_H]

There will be plenty of pics soon, Omran. My wife is aching to get at them with her Nikon.

 

[mailmamm]

I saw that chicken tractor too but opted to continue on my current build project. Looked like a great deal to me but looked really heavy. And I wondered if there was enough room for 7 hens. Wish you luck, I was so close to getting that tractor. Small world.

Alice in Chickenland

 

[gsim]

Your wife's Nikon? And a free flock and free coop? Poor baby!

Ventilation should be ideally at the very top so as to ventilate all year without subjecting the chooks to cold drafts in wintertime. Gets rid of fumes and humidity from their poop and breathing. The bottom vents should be screened with hardware cloth mesh and quite possibly closed all winter long. They would be desirable in warmer weather.