Turning the coop into a palace

[Corrie W]

We finally got a coop for our girls, they were given to me as full time free range but sleeping in a dog lot. They took up housing under our car port until now since we have this wonderful coop

What kind of toys do yall have/reccomend for your chickens?

How have you decorated, etc? I just want to make it nice for them, even though I'm sure they don't care either way. I've already lined the nesting boxes with cabinet liner for easier cleaning. Pictures to follow.

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

Have fun decorating. I know some do. Mine decorate their coop themselves with a splash of poo here and a splash of poo there.
Do they have access to the little coop too?

 

[Corrie W]

Have fun decorating. I know some do. Mine decorate their coop themselves with a splash of poo here and a splash of poo there.
Do they have access to the little coop too?

Mine haven't started splashing yet, but I give them a few hours and they'll paint all the walls.

They don't have access to the little one! One of my hens hatched 8 babies but turned out to be a terrible mother. I kept them inside until they started getting their feathers and just moved them outdoors.

 

[snow5164]

I painted my entire coop white , it looked amazing , then I got all my left over paint colours sat on the floor and painted grass and flowers a few butterflies ... but a lot of grass .

As the season wears on the colours fade , but this summer I vacuumed all the walls . I like my painted coop it makes me happy

Curtains are also a nice colourful addition...

Have fun and don’t let the party poopers ruin this for you , if you’re happy your hens will be happy

 

[aart]

Function is beauty to me, and you've got some serious function deficits ...
...but I won't poop on your prettying party.

 

[Corrie W]

Function is beauty to me, and you've got some serious function deficits ...
...but I won't poop on your prettying party.

What function deficits, if you don't mind me asking? Anything I can do to make it better.

 

[aart]

What function deficits, if you don't mind me asking? Anything I can do to make it better.

Space...8 baby chicky babies and how many full grown birds?
Course some of those chicks will be males that may(probably) need to be removed from flock. Also integrating those chicks...what's the story on the 'bad mama'?

Roost placement....they'll be sleeping, and pooping, in the nests.
Here's the best fix I've seen for that problem:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1134399/help-hens-roosting-in-nest-boxes/10#post_17749535

Ventilation...prefab coops are notorious for lack of ventilation, which could be a serious problem in your climate in the summer...and maybe winter too if you're in the mountains.

 

[mrmallard]

chicken likes to sit on a branch ofotrees. Maybe they like to show off that they're still birds. I placed horizontal twigs hanging/suspended inside the coop and very often i find them sitting and even sleeping on it. They seem to prefer it sometimes than just standing on flat ground

 

[Corrie W]

Space...8 baby chicky babies and how many full grown birds?
Course some of those chicks will be males that may(probably) need to be removed from flock. Also integrating those chicks...what's the story on the 'bad mama'?

Roost placement....they'll be sleeping, and pooping, in the nests.
Here's the best fix I've seen for that problem:
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1134399/help-hens-roosting-in-nest-boxes/10#post_17749535

Ventilation...prefab coops are notorious for lack of ventilation, which could be a serious problem in your climate in the summer...and maybe winter too if you're in the mountains.

There are 8 chicks and 3 hens. My rooster has been kidnapped There are only 6 chicks in the small coop now being that they were so spaced apart. I have 2 still living in my house that are a week old. Mama hen was sitting on a nest but the other hen kept laying beside her and she took the eggs, the first chick hatched and then the rest were a spread out days apart. I think they all hatched over 3 weeks until these last 2. She wanted nothing to do with the others, only the oldest and would peck them until they bled so I seperated them all.

The hens are all free range during the day, they only go up at night and we plan on adding on to it to give them more space.

There are two other roosting bars on the outside in the run space which is where they decided to sleep last night. I think they've only peeped inside and walked right out. But will keep that in mind.

For ventilation, we've actually made the space on the side bigger with chicken wire over it, hoping that helps.

 

[llombardo]

Oddly enough, my girls and boy do not poop in the nest boxes. I do lock the curtain idea. I used fake grass in the nest boxes. Wash them with hose every now and then.

I know that lots of people don't like the prefabs because of room and safety. I have 7 that sleep in one area. I am enclosing the whole coop to give them more room but from what I'm seeing they all sleep really case together(summer and now that it's a little more chilly) and I have a feeling that they will still sleep huddled together even with the extra room. As far as ventilation, I'm not seeing an issue with that either because there is a small sliding window for ventilation but under the roof on the opposite is open 3-4 inches giving the ventilation that cross ventilation needed. I did not even realize that was there until I started measuring to enclose it.

Safety? I would never leave a pre fab in a wide open spot without major modifications. Even inside the run I have modified it and I'm not done.

I don't think your ever done making it secure.