seeking input on coop improvements, please! (pic intensive)

[wildorchid053]

that is the most awesome coop.. the weathered wood just adds to it.. i would leave it and stain it anyways.. the mold is a must to get rid of wear masks when you do it.. you might want to use bleach to kill it and look where the water is coming in..maybe caulk it for the time being. you do need vents that you can close. we just cut rectangles in the wall and used some left over hardware cloth then put a hinge on a piece of wood for the cold windy nights so we could close them, other wise they can stay open. you can mix 1/4 bleach to 3/4 water and spray it on the mold. good luck with your new beginnings i love it.

 

[possumqueen]

Yes, use the "old decrepit" coop for winter day time play space! What a grand idea!

and a tarp over the little walk through space is cool, too. You might wrap some kind of heavy bar or 2x4 into the bottom of the tarp to keep it from blowing around when the heavy weather sets in.

Suggestion for the mold -- for now -- fix up a spray bottle with water mixed with 10% chlorine to spray on the mold. doesn't have to be a lot, just enough to dampen it. It's really a temporary fix, but it will help until you have time/money for a more permanent fix.

Your chickens really look slick and healthy! That's something no money can buy, and you should be really proud to show them off on this web site. For someone like you, nifty chicken is right. git mo birds!

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I'm green...

I would throw you down for the weathered siding, though. Our barn is sided with the exact same old boards and we need to replace a few boards!! I can't find any around here

I'm having to use plain 1X6 boards and it just doesn't look right!!!

 

[technodoll]

OK thanks for the diluted bleach idea, will go spray the awful mold in the storage coop before putting up coverage panelling on the walls. I hope the mold isn't active in the winter because it's too cold or something?..

The tin roof in that section is definitely leaking and needs to be patched after removing all the ceiling crap - sooo gross, I'm scared to attack that job

I don't know whether to do those renos now or in the spring...

 

[possumqueen]

If the roof isn't going to absolutely cave in, then do the renovation in the spring after you've had a little more time for study and planning. After all, the birds are spending their nights in the other side of the building, and they won't have to worry about the leaks.

I'm tellin' ya, chickens are really pretty sturdy. They need food, water, and a draft free place with ventilation. Trying to get good ventilation without a draft is the trickiest part, but if you have that, the girls are fine with everything else.

 

[insiderart]

Wow that looks like someone's old house! A double pen shotgun house is what it was called. Generally they are about 10'x10' or 20'x20' each, or some variation on a square. Usually a stream ran between the houses if there was one on the property, for keeping food cool. Or the family would sleep between the "pens" on hot summer nights, and you only had to heat one living space. Also you could cook on one side and live on the other, less fire risk (or at least you had more warning to get out).

I think your chickens have plenty of room and an architecturally historic coop to boot.

 

[technodoll]

OK stupid question: what do "drafts" mean in the chicken world??

I have a few small cracks in the wood of the south wall that cold wind could blow into and maybe push in through the contours of the really old windows (less likely though), is that considered a draft?

I don't see where there would be any cross-winds since I patched up the north and east walls, the west wall faces the other old coop and has the main door...

thank you

 

[deanna&rich]

Drafts and ventilation ... I gotta say, go search for Pat's Ventilation Page and Cold Coop Page. We are new at poultry so I devoured her pages and her links, and it was SO informative. I feel really confident now that I've designed good ventilation.
Thanks to Pat of patandchickens

 

[fowler_chick]

ok they way i see it....if that coop with stood the ice storm of 98 (not sure what part of quebec your in) it can stand any thing......great looking coop, have you checked out freecycle.org for thing;'s you need for the coop? it's better then having to go to canadian tire or reno depot.

 

[kathyinmo]

Here are Pat's pages on ventilation, and cold winter....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-winter-coop-temperatures

BTW ... I love that coop! Good luck with the renovations.