Hi everyone! *Lots of pics below!!
I wanted to ask your opinion/advice on what I might do to improve my coop situation.
My husband built our 4x8 coop 3 yrs ago. We moved it with us this summer to a small town in Mid-Michigan. I painted it yellow to match the new (old) house, spray painted the green shingles with brown-worked well. (We are allowed to have chickens because our neighbor is zoned agricultural and the coop is on his property-he gave us permission to have chickens there).
I white-washed the inside with hydrated lime/salt mixture after totally cleaning it, then sprayed with pyrethrin(sp?) hoping to avoid mites.
We got bags of *dry* construction grade sand at Home Depot for .50 cents each since they'd opened a little. Sprinkle little PDZ every couple weeks.
Three of the pictures show the venting my hubs built in--roof vent, side vents..the two 3x10 plexiglass windows are just to let light in, they don't open.
I clean daily, takes 2 min, toughest cleaning thing is the stairs.
We only have 4 Buff Orpington girls.
I let them out every morning and leave bottom back door open to the pen area all day.
I do keep the food and water in the coop all the time. We ran elec into coop for a heated waterer for the winter.
The nest box isn't open right now-the girls are 15 weeks old now-but I use pine shavings in there for extra cushion.
There are 2 little doors in the front for collecting eggs, we used to have 2 nest boxes-1 on each side, but we removed one box because my last flock all used just one box and I wanted more length for the roost. The girls only use half the 4 ft roost...should I shorten it and get it away from the front door?
Do you think the ventilation is good? I may add a couple more girls in the Spring...
Should I add light to encourage egg laying? I have a rope light and a timer I could use.
I do not plan to use heat.
We plan to hardware cloth the sides and top of the pen area and bury it in the ground all around. The bottom of coop underneath is all enclosed in hardware cloth.
I close them up every night.
We screw wood sides along the bottom to block wind for the winter, and I may cover end screen in plastic...I left ends open last time around.
The front of coop(star on door) faces east. Wondering what we might do to winterize?
I know I need to work on shade too for the Spring/Summer.
I sit with the girls daily and named them according to their traits-
Sunny-yellow legs (Buff Rock I've learned on BYC)(Thank you)
Tiny-the smallest/bottom of pecking order
Sassy-she's got spunk
The Queen-biggest
Any insight and advice is welcome!!
Thank you thank you thank you!!
I wanted to ask your opinion/advice on what I might do to improve my coop situation.
My husband built our 4x8 coop 3 yrs ago. We moved it with us this summer to a small town in Mid-Michigan. I painted it yellow to match the new (old) house, spray painted the green shingles with brown-worked well. (We are allowed to have chickens because our neighbor is zoned agricultural and the coop is on his property-he gave us permission to have chickens there).
I white-washed the inside with hydrated lime/salt mixture after totally cleaning it, then sprayed with pyrethrin(sp?) hoping to avoid mites.
We got bags of *dry* construction grade sand at Home Depot for .50 cents each since they'd opened a little. Sprinkle little PDZ every couple weeks.
Three of the pictures show the venting my hubs built in--roof vent, side vents..the two 3x10 plexiglass windows are just to let light in, they don't open.
I clean daily, takes 2 min, toughest cleaning thing is the stairs.
We only have 4 Buff Orpington girls.
I let them out every morning and leave bottom back door open to the pen area all day.
I do keep the food and water in the coop all the time. We ran elec into coop for a heated waterer for the winter.
The nest box isn't open right now-the girls are 15 weeks old now-but I use pine shavings in there for extra cushion.
There are 2 little doors in the front for collecting eggs, we used to have 2 nest boxes-1 on each side, but we removed one box because my last flock all used just one box and I wanted more length for the roost. The girls only use half the 4 ft roost...should I shorten it and get it away from the front door?
Do you think the ventilation is good? I may add a couple more girls in the Spring...
Should I add light to encourage egg laying? I have a rope light and a timer I could use.
I do not plan to use heat.
We plan to hardware cloth the sides and top of the pen area and bury it in the ground all around. The bottom of coop underneath is all enclosed in hardware cloth.
I close them up every night.
We screw wood sides along the bottom to block wind for the winter, and I may cover end screen in plastic...I left ends open last time around.
The front of coop(star on door) faces east. Wondering what we might do to winterize?
I know I need to work on shade too for the Spring/Summer.
I sit with the girls daily and named them according to their traits-
Sunny-yellow legs (Buff Rock I've learned on BYC)(Thank you)
Tiny-the smallest/bottom of pecking order
Sassy-she's got spunk
The Queen-biggest
Any insight and advice is welcome!!
Thank you thank you thank you!!
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