Suggestions for rehabbing an old coop?

[jamesjm]

Hi All—

I am a new poster though I have been lurking for a few months. I live in Northern Colorado and just got five chicks a few weeks ago. I am currently working on getting a coop and run set up for them to move outside when the time is right.

Our property already has a small old coop on it that a former owner built to raise pigeons. The coop is about 8'2" wide by 4'3" deep. The roof is sloping, so that it is about 5'10" in front and 5'2" in back. The construction is a bit ramshackle but the structure is sturdy. I am working on rehabbing it to accommodate our chickens, and have some questions I'm hoping you can help with.

The coop has not been used in many years and the roof is in complete disrepair. I will be tearing it off and replacing it with wood slats covered by corrugated steel.

Otherwise the coop is sturdily built and just needs new doors. There are some imperfections which may cause a bit of draftiness (for instance, the door frames are not really perfect rectangles) but I figure that's not a bad thing since there is no ventilation built into the coop and this will help keep the air circulating a bit while still protecting from most winds.

Because the coop is a bit worse for wear, I am working on constructing the run so that it also encloses the coop itself. I think this is the most cost-effective way of keeping predators out than adding extra reinforcements to the coop. The run is already going to cost me quite a bit of money (I'm sure I don't have to tell you how expensive hardware cloth is), so I am trying to get away with doing as little to the coop as possible, while making sure it is a safe place for the birds to live.

Sorry if that's too much info but I wanted to make sure you had the lay of the land. Here are my questions:

1) Is it ok for the coop to be a little bit drafty around the doors, or should I be buying some rubber draft guards to make sure the doors are totally sealed? The winds up here on the front range can get pretty gusty, but I am told you really don't want to seal off all ventilation.

2) I am thinking of adding a second layer of interior walls to the coop with some insulation. We were assured that all of our chickens will be cold-hardy but I do worry about them being in there on a -15 winter night. On the other hand, temps can get up to 100 in the summer so I don't want them to cook in there. Any opinions on this?

3) The coop currently has a dirt floor. I am planning to install a raised floor by laying some plywood down over wood pallets or cinderblocks. Good idea?

4) Does my "corrugated steel-over-wood slats" roof plan sound good? I could buy cheaper fiberglass roofing but I thought steel would be best for snow and rain.

Sorry, I know these are all newbie questions and you've answered variations of them a million times before. But I also know there are lots of conflicting opinions so I thought it would be best to describe my exact situation and see what people suggest.

Thanks!
James

 

[Folly's place]

Good work! Welcome! Ventilation is really important, so drafty door openings are not enough. Actual vents or windows covered in hardware cloth are needed. Vents at the highest peak or walls, and a good south facing window, at least. Also hardware cloth windows in the doors. Think open to the south and east, windbreak north and west. Summer heat is a real problem, more than winter cold. I cover SOME of my coop openings with clear plastic for cold weather, leaving ventilation. Insulation will help in summer and winter; make sure it's covered with plywood or something because the birds will eat it. Dirt floors are great, with deep bedding of shavings. Make sure predators can't dig in, that's really important. My coop sits on an old foundation, with concrete. Love it! Mary

 

[blucoondawg]

Roofing steel is your choice it should work fine if that's what you decide. You need far more ventilation than your door leaks provide, I left the eaves open on my roof front and back covered with hardware cloth. They are open year round. I think insulation isn't necessary unless you build the coop in a sunny area then I would insulate the roof for sure to keep out summer heat. If you have proper ventilation insulation won't do much in winter as the ventilation will let in so much outside air it will be close to the same temperature, the birds will generate a little heat. This winter we had a record number of nights below -20 to-35 F and my birds did fine without insulation. Dirt floors are OK so is wood floors though the type of wood floor you are describing could house rodents easily.