Thinking about starting with 6 chicks

[gritz]

Hi, we have a (what we call doll house) building that is about 6ft by 6ft, door opening with one side window ( south facing), and a roof vent. We are thinking about converting it to a chicken coop. It has wood floor, and walls with vinyl siding on outside. We plan to build a pen on the outside ( fencing) with a top, ( hawks) about 10 ft by 6 foot, with a door opening so we can get in and get to the coop, and they can be outside and protected from preditors. My QUESTION: should we leave the wood floor, or put down linoleum? should we put a screen on the window so it opens and they get more air? Should we close the doors at night to protect them further? And if we do buy chicks we are thinking of keeping them in our garage ( in brooder) until they are big enough to move to house, and we have time to build nest boxes, etc....... Does this sound reasonable?
Thanks in advance, thinking of getting Buff orpingtons, and or RI reds.

PS we live in Wisconsin and were going to buy from TSC

 

[Cacciatore]

Welcome from Northern California.

It sounds like you have a good plan. Screens on the window is a good idea, I would leave the wood floor, and I always close up my coop at night even though the run is secure. Predators can be tenacious. Good luck.

 

[Pinky]

Hi and

! I think linoleum on the floor would make it easier to clean.

 

[dadsdeercamp]

from minnesota

 

[Wild Trapper]

from Ohio

If the wood floor is plywood in good condition, I'd just leave it as is. If it is boards, I'd put down some plywood over it, like a 1/2" CDX if you can find the stuff anymore. Chicken wire over the window, so it can be opened for ventilation, same with a door, you need plenty of ventilation in the hot months.

 

[gritz]

Thanks for all your replies and the welcome notes! will learn by trial and error, but I think the plywood CDX is a good idea, the boards are old and could easily be prone to rotting quickly. Thanks again!

 

[ericz]

i'm pretty new to this myself, but last year my daughter hatched ducks and we raised them until they were large enough to quack, then we gave them away (suburban neighborhood). when they were big enough to take out of the brooder (huge k-mart tupperware bin with hanging heat lamp), we put them in the garden shed, which has plywood flooring. i just laid down a layer of straw several inches thick, and when it got too dirty i would rake it out and mulch it with my lawnmower and put it on the compost pile.

which is a long way of saying that the plywood worked fine for me. we got about 20 new chicks amonth ago and they are out there now.

-eric

 

[NonnasBabies]

&

from Louisiana!

You'll lean lots here!! I think the linoleum would be easier to clean! Hardware cloth or chicken wire over the windows!! Sounds like you've pretty much worked things out!! Good Luck!

 

[4-H chicken mom]

and

from Ohio. So glad you joined. Good advice given.

 

[shellz131]