Pre-fab makeover

[kburruano]

Okay, so the consensus here is that my pre fab coop is too small. Exactly as I suspected. I did some investigating and and input from everyone, my husband and I removed the run from it and made the whole thing a coop. The coop is now off the ground and placed inside a large run. Here are some pics from the process, but not the finished. The boards on the sides are actually cut in half so we can remove them during the day for sun or both pieces for the summer. I'm including some pics to ask if the ventilation is enough. Some we added and some I think came as part of the design.

 

[3KillerBs]

So the boards not being fully to the top, the triangular section on the non coop side and then the peaks in the coop part is all ok?

Yes.

You need that airflow to keep the chickens healthy.

You can take a light ribbon out there on a windy day to see if you've got any strong air currents and thus need to baffle any openings, but it ought
to work.

Better to start with too much and carefully close off a little than to have too little.

 

[rosemarythyme]

So in the first photo, the half open part on the left side, that's going to remain open like that year round? If so, you might have enough as it stands, depending on a few things:
- I assume roost(s) run lengthwise? Or where are the roosts located overall in the structure?
- Also how many birds total?

If more is needed, the most logical place would be up high, aka under the peak of the roof, around where the little sliding window is.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Check out the Woods open air coop. If you can have the ventilation on one side away from the prevailing wind, that might work.

Woods coop is built on exact measurements, where it's calculated to allow air to flow in and upwards while reserving a protected cushion where the roosts sit. It may not work the same in a smaller coop of different dimensions.

 

[kburruano]

Man, I really like your solution to the small pre-fab, though! So smart!

Thank you! I am a newbie and my husband and I are by no means professional carpenters, but we are doing our best.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I think you should make an article about how you did all of it when you're done. It will help others make good use of coops like yours.

 

[cavemanrich]

I refrain from commenting on prefab coops post usually;; because some of the pros here want to for my views...
Yes I am aware that most of the prefab coops are too small, and not QUALITY MADE.

Yes, I am aware that they state the capacity unrealistically.

BUT I DO NOT DISCOURAGE PEOPLE FROM BUYING THEM. We all need to start somewhere,, Some peeps get chickens,, and after short time,, decide chickens are NOT FOR THEM. Then they are not too much $$$$in the hole.

Then it comes to a point like where you are at. You want to keep chickens,, and decide to modify, and enlarge. Nothing wrong here.

Here is where I stand,, and have been in the past, and see no change in the future. If someone is new to chickens,, and asks what to house them in. I will suggest an entry level prefab coop. It is much better than trying to convince them to build a structure costing the EXPEN$IVE building materials,,, and some of them are not capable of such construction.

In your case,,, you ask questions ,, and I will offer answers.
I suggest you add some more ventilation high up in that gable. It is best to have ventilation well above the chickens heads when they are perched on their roosts. Important year round,,, but especially in winter. (if you have winter where you are at)
I only see one picture in your post so not able to offer more advice at this time.
Ask anything else you need to know..

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[Callender Girl]

Some good advice from @cavemanrich. I also commend you for realizing you needed more room and doing something about it.

I used to watch a TV series that touted a particular brand of pre-fab, and I bought a small used one off Craigslist. I quickly realized that while it was strong enough to deter predators -- though not large enough to house all the chickens it allegedly could -- it didn't offer adequate protection from the cold, wintry weather of northern Iowa, and I did some (ugly) remodeling to make it warmer.

Based on my construction skills, using the "bones" of the pre-fab was much better than me trying to build from scratch. I'm sure my chickens think so, too -- they've seen me in action!

BYW, my avatar coop is a pre-fab that required very little modification and has withstood the derecho of 2020 along with a downed tree on top of it. However, I could not have afforded to buy it new; it was a Cragislist find.

 

[3KillerBs]

But wouldn't that cause a draft bc on the non coop side it's under the roost bar

Not when it's only on one end that way.

"Draft-free" doesn't mean "no air movement at all". It means no breeze strong enough to ruffle the chickens' feathers.

You have to have airflow to carry away the moisture and the ammonia.

 

[kburruano]

Not when it's only on one end that way.

"Draft-free" doesn't mean "no air movement at all". It means no breeze strong enough to ruffle the chickens' feathers.

You have to have airflow to carry away the moisture and the ammonia.

So the boards not being fully to the top, the triangular section on the non coop side and then the peaks in the coop part is all ok?