Trying to decide- repair/upgrade coop that came with the house or start from scratch?

[Shadrach]

Hey everyone! Got my chicks purchased (six Rhode Island Reds) and now that it isn't -40F/C outside, I went to take a look at the coop that came with the house when I bought it a year ago. The run is about 10ft/3m by 11ft/3.3m, while the coop itself is TECHNICALLY about 8ft by 4ft. However, the coop is divided in the middle, one of the coops has no access to the outside from the run. It is awfully drafty, and would really require all new doors/hardware and a hardware cloth skirt to prevent predator attacks- I have a large raccoon, skunks, weasels, hawks, snakes, possums, and probably a bunch of others I've forgotten about. Needs more ventilation, but there's a lot of empty space at the top that could be cut for that purpose. There's no easy way to clean bedding in the coop- unless I start hacking the frame up to make it scoopable since I plan on using deep litter for composting. It looks to be VERY drafty, so there'd have to be some serious sealing going on to keep the flock toasty warm and dry in the winters up here.

I'm somewhat handy and I enjoy the process of building things. If I don't know how to do it, I can certainly learn. So right now, I'm checking with the experts here at BYC- given the situation, would you prefer to build a coop/run from scratch, or repair what might need a lotta work? Photos included are of the run, and a few of the inside of "both" coops. Apologies for all the snow- we just got a couple inches last night!

Save the run. Burn the coop. Build something you can clean properly.
If you get a mite infestation you'll struggle to get rid of them.
Reusing an old coop that has had chickens in it before isn't imo a great idea.

 

[craig87c]

1/4" isn't the best option unless your primary problem is mice.

1/2" hardware cloth is usually made from a thicker, stronger wire, which makes it better because raccoons and some other stronger predators can rip through the finer wire used in the 1/4" hardware cloth.

Thank you for posting that! I went back to check and avoided a huge mistake- it was regular chicken wire, not even the 1/4 hardware cloth.

Save the run. Burn the coop. Build something you can clean properly.
If you get a mite infestation you'll struggle to get rid of them.
Reusing an old coop that has had chickens in it before isn't imo a great idea.

Very fair point about the mites- not something I had thought about. Speaking from total ignorance, the coop has been empty for a little over a year at least so I would assume there'd be no cross contamination. Your post certainly has me rethinking using it.

 

[triciayoung]

Mites can only live up to 10-months without a host.

I say fix it and modify to make cleaning properly possible. Especially with the price of supplies right now.

 

[Shadrach]

Thank you for posting that! I went back to check and avoided a huge mistake- it was regular chicken wire, not even the 1/4 hardware cloth.


Very fair point about the mites- not something I had thought about. Speaking from total ignorance, the coop has been empty for a little over a year at least so I would assume there'd be no cross contamination. Your post certainly has me rethinking using it.

It's not just mites, it's whatever is in the soil.
You've already seen some of the problems you're going to have to deal with. More will arise as you and the chickens try to live in it. Nest boxes off the ground with no ramp. I bet the chickens before roosted on the nest box edge and pooped in the boxes. All those dark corners where you may not notice a rat digging in. I could go on...
Whatever you do you'll need to clean the coop and disinfect it. That's the absolute minimum and from what I can see in the pictures, just cleaning it properly is going to be difficult.
Even if I felt I could turn that into a reasonably hygenic environment I wouldn't leave it on the same piece of ground and it may not move well.

If you're going to keep chickens, make your life easier in the long run by building what you want, rather than what's been left to you because it might look like the easiest option.

 

[Acre4Me]

Thank you for posting that! I went back to check and avoided a huge mistake- it was regular chicken wire, not even the 1/4 hardware cloth.


Very fair point about the mites- not something I had thought about. Speaking from total ignorance, the coop has been empty for a little over a year at least so I would assume there'd be no cross contamination. Your post certainly has me rethinking using it.

Empty for over a year at this point. Your chicks arrive and won’t be in there until May probably- putting you closer to 1.5 years empty. You have time to clean and predator proof it. I’d still vote for using it this year to find out your style, needs, wants. Build new before winter if you feel like it. Good luck with it and your new chicken adventure!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Burn it in my book. Could be a killing lurking your not able to see.
Place your new coop at least 150 feet from the old structure if not across the property.

 

[Shadrach]

I'm not suggesting you should get this type of coop, although I've found it to be a good option for the circumstances I look after chickens in. I've posted the pictures to show what I think is clean and more importantly, can be maintained at that level with minimum work.

First, work out how you intend to keep the chickens; free range, fully confined, out of thhe coop and run for a few hours when you can be there?
Once you've got that sorted, then you'll have a better idea of what breed of chicken would suit your intended keeping circumstances best.
Then decide where you want the coop; where is easiest to keep them the way you plan in all weather conditions.
If you have high winds, you want the coop sheltered. If it buckets down with rain days on end then you'll want high ground and easy drainage. If it gets hot, how is the coop going to perform.
What predators will you be trying to keep out.

 

[3KillerBs]

You're getting a tremendous amount of good advice -- some of it directly contradictory because different people have different styles, different experiences, and different priorities.

Evaluate it all and decided what's going to suit YOU best in your unique, individual circumstances and don't let it all overwhelm you to the point that you give up on the idea of chickens because it seems too difficult and complicated.

Chickens are tough, adaptable livestock capable of thriving under a wide variety of management systems if their basic needs for good food, clean water, appropriate shelter, fresh air, and space are met.

 

[Krugerrand]

Gives me a lot more time to worry about designing a hoop coop tractor anyway!

Here's a 4x8 hoop tractor I put together as an isolation tractor for 2 new pullets. The roost got added later when they got older. So, I drew on where it ended up. There's a blocker on the last foot so they can't roost above the food and water. There's space for a nest box beside the food and water that I have not yet needed to build as they've integrated into the big coop.

Hopefully you can see how the sides angle in and then is open at the top inside for plenty of ventilation.

 

[aart]

Hopefully you can see how the sides angle in and then is open at the top inside for plenty of ventilation.

You could put all this in a coop page article.