What's the one thing you wish you had included in your coop?

[Uff Da]

Just blow them out after use! Used to do this with greenhouse hoses.

How long would blowing out a 200 ft hose take? Does anyone who lives in places where it is routinely sub-zero use this technique? What kind of air compressor would I need, and could I leave it out-doors in sub-zero temps and have it still work?

 

[HopeSprings]

How long would blowing out a 200 ft hose take? Does anyone who lives in places where it is routinely sub-zero use this technique? What kind of air compressor would I need, and could I leave it out-doors in sub-zero temps and have it still work?

Well, we did have a little gravity to help, but every evening we disconnected the hose from the faucet and blew it out with our mouths!

 

[Aunt Angus]

Electricity! Thankfully, my coop isn't that far that I can't run a long extension cord out there. I have a solar unit that can run a few things (right now it runs two small fans and a light), but full on electricity would be soooooo much better.

And water! I have a small flock and a small coop in a relatively small yard, but a dedicated water source would be great for all sorts of reasons. With a utility sink!

And an auto door so I can sleep in a bit on occasion.

And air conditioning, although I may add this soon. It's 107° right now, and inspite of all the frozen water bottles, fans, cold eats, etc, it's still hot as Hades out there.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Raised poop boards under the roosts. I still might try to go back and add some. Would like to hear from those that have them how they made them.

I made mine from leftover plywood from the coop build. It's 2ft deep by just shy of 4ft wide. I then ripped pieces of a 2x4 and made an "edge" all around the perimeter. My roost is attached to the poop board. The roost is a 2x4. It's centered 12 in above the poop board. The whole set up sits on rails ripped from the same 2x4. The entire thing can be removed from the coop - it just lifts out. I clean it on the lawn with a hose and a putty knife. I let it dry in the sun and put it back in. Soooooo easy!

The smaller poop board has legs it rests on, but it can be lifted out the same way.

Added bonus: It's easy to check the poop. I have it filled with a shallow layer of PDZ that I scoop with a cat litter scooper. I check their poop every morning. I can tell whose is whose by where they roost. Takes 30 secs to scoop it all out and dump it in the compost bin.

 

[Chickassan]

A spare person to open and shut doors, clean poop, and kill bugs.
Darn my lack of foresight.

 

[Parront]

Where I live, the only predators are foxes, hawks and pet dogs. Maybe a snake once in a blue moon.

Dogs, even pets, especially the neighbors pets, are the worst predators I ever had.

 

[MaryJanet]

@Chickassan your profile pic!!

 

[Chickassan]

You like?

@Chickassan your profile pic!!

 

[Folly's place]

I wish that I'd painted or stained the interior before the chickens moved in, because it's not happening now!
Over 25 years, we've added on to the coop three times, and now have a roofed building 14'x24', with electricity up to code, and an all weather hydrant right outside the door. It's wonderful, and it didn't all happen at one time.
It would have been nice to start out with this, but that's not how it went here either.
Mary

 

[MaryJanet]

You like?

Hilarious I wish I had a chicken tame enough for seasonal outfits