Our new coop (bragging a bit)

[BearDrummer]

We finally finished our coop. Not bad at all for some 2*4s and demolished shed scraps... Please excuse the mess. I was excited and took pictures before cleanup.

A few pictures of the process (some with chicks) are located here...

 

[fshinggrl]

Awesome job!

 

[HighStreetCoop]

Reclaimed coops rock!

 

[aart]

Cool Beans! Now all's you need is an overhanging waterproof roof and some ventilation.

 

[BearDrummer]

Cool Beans! Now all's you need is an overhanging waterproof roof and some ventilation.

On the narrow side, there is a door within a door, for the chickens to leave and enter.We are going to lean a 2*4 that has been scored similar to the "ladder" inside, so the chickens can get in and out. It will be taken down after they have bedded down at night, and they will be sealed inside. I think what you saw was the ladder for the chicks to be able to get from the floor to the roosts if they want to... I know that soon they won't need the ladder, but it's good for them now, and won't hurt anything later.

I would love your opinion on the ventilation. There is ventilation from 3 sources: the floor opening, the saw spacings around the front and back doors, and on the tall side, there is a gap along the top, between the wall and the roof, made by the narrow side of the 2*4s that support the roof. On the short side, the wall was notched to fill the gap. The egg boxes, food and water are all going to be on the narrow end, hopefully away from any direct wind, and there will be some space not in the egg boxes for chickens wanting out of any breeze. the floor opening is protected from critters by both the catch pans and the hardware cloth. Anything the saw spacing or hardware cloth lets in will probably become chicken food, and the space along the top is small enough to stop anything other than snakes or rats, which would have difficulty getting up that high. Thinking about it now, I might add a strip of hardware cloth up there, just to make sure.

This is the first time I have done more than just repair a coop, so I am quite happy to get input.

 

[Northern nurse]

Nice start! I would consider adding a window for light and if it opened up, that would add ventilation in the summer as well. What is the purpose of your wire mesh floor?

 

[BearDrummer]

Nice start! I would consider adding a window for light and if it opened up, that would add ventilation in the summer as well. What is the purpose of your wire mesh floor?

The purpose of the wire area is to allow cleanup under the roosts to be easier. There are large metal pans under the mesh to be taken out and cleaned. There is a lot of roost space, and the food/waterer/chicken entry area has some standing area not wired for them to stand on. They will also have space outside during the day.

 

[Northern nurse]

The purpose of the wire area is to allow cleanup under the roosts to be easier. There are large metal pans under the mesh to be taken out and cleaned.  There is a lot of roost space, and the food/waterer/chicken entry area has some standing area not wired for them to stand on.  They will also have space outside during the day.

I fear the problem you are likely to encounter is chicken poop gets bigger as the chickens grow, the poop may not fall through the mesh and then you will have poop covered mesh to try and clean off. People make "pooper-scoopers" out of hardware cloth so that tells you the poop doesn't fall through. You would probably make out better with a solid floor and a "poop deck" under your roost. You might be able to for-go the trays and hose the mesh off but that would make a wet stinky mess under your coop. I just want you to foresee a potentially messy problem.

 

[BearDrummer]

I fear the problem you are likely to encounter is chicken poop gets bigger as the chickens grow, the poop may not fall through the mesh and then you will have poop covered mesh to try and clean off. People make "pooper-scoopers" out of hardware cloth so that tells you the poop doesn't fall through. You would probably make out better with a solid floor and a "poop deck" under your roost. You might be able to for-go the trays and hose the mesh off but that would make a wet stinky mess under your coop. I just want you to foresee a potentially messy problem.

All valid concerns. We are getting together tomorrow night to discuss things, and these will be brought up.