Newbie building a coop and need some advice

[MedicMamma]

I am so green behind the ears on the whole chicken thing and would like pointers on what all I need to add or fix while I am still working on my coop. I have basically built my coop because my husband jumped the gun and bought the chickens before I even started it so it was quickly put up on my down time. It is not fancy and I have a lot of little things to do to clean it up and fix.
As you can see my building is defiantly not the best quality, but it is very sturdy and my kids have loved climbing all over it lol! I am thoroughly enjoying my chickens and my kids and I are so excited for eggs. I know that over time I will continue to make this coop worthier but I this is where I am and what I have to work with while I learn. I still haven't got my watering or feeding system done. We live in the Texas panhandle where the summers can get above 100 degrees and below freezing in the winter. It is also nothing for the wind to get up to 40 mph winds in any season. My coop is built by mainly things I already had around or people gave me. I have attached a few pictures. I have 7 chickens. The run is 12x8 and the coop is a 4x4 cube that is 2 feet off the ground. I did that for several reasons. I just wanted it taller for easier cleaning and not having to bend over to clean or collect eggs. The side opens on two sides of the coop so one side is to be able to clean and the other is to collect eggs. My chickens are only about 6-7 weeks old. I have the nesting boxes turned sideways and without bedding in them so that the chickens can't get in them until they are ready to lay. The bottom in the inside has linoleum for easier cleaning. Underneath the coop is enclosed so they can go underneath for shade (We had a freak ice storm that has taken out what little trees we had. I have already discovered that I need to add more covering for shading on the run side and some perches in the run. Other than that, I would greatly appreciate any and all advice on what I need to do. Thank you so much in advance.











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[MedicMamma]

On my end my pictures are in the thread (even on the preview) But it looks like when I post they disappear. Are they showing if not how do I fix?

Never mind I just didn't have them saved as a jpeg. Whoops it is fixed.

 

[RonC]

My only concern would be what type of predators you might encounter. Chicken wire will keep chickens in but that is about the extent of it's capabilities. From my experience chickens don't complain much about their housing but looks like you've done pretty well and thought it out.

 

[MedicMamma]

Thanks. We really don't have many predators. I have been here 10 years and had 1 garden snake and a skunk. Skunks come up at night and the ckinkens are locked up by then. My two boxers seem to really care less. The kids thought it would be "fun" to let them out and the dogs just wanted to play ball lol.

 

[RonC]

If your dogs are oblivious to the chickens great. I originally mad my run out of 2x4 welded wire fencing. The beagle I had at the time was more afraid of them than anything. I could let them out into the yard and he would stay clear of them. The dog I have now took exception to them sticking their heads out to eat grass and decapitated one so I added chicken wire around the bottom to keep them from eating the grass. If your dogs show interest in them maybe add a row of the welded wire fencing around the sides to keep them out, the chicken wire won't.