when do U just tear down the old coop and bulit a new 1? ***pic heavy*

[JohnL11935]

It doesn't sound as if either you or your husband are prepared to do anything until Spring. Thats fine. Plan out your project, save some money, scrounge some building supplies from Freecycle & Craig's List.

I would say your priority for winter survival is going to be stopping more water damage and keeping your girls dry from the leaking roof or from snow building up along the foundation. I think the atmosphere inside that shed will become pretty dank when you mix water & cold this winter.

I am going to suggest purchasing a plastic tarp that you use to cover the roof and long ends of the building right down to the ground. Stake it down securely along the foundation so it doesn't blow away. This way the remainder of the building would be protected from further water damage and it will also cut down on the drafts that are probably already there but not entirely noticeable when its warm.

You will need to make sure you don't make the shed too tight. Your birds will still need ventilation and you will want to avoid totally encasing that wet wood so as to prevent mildew from growing. That is why I suggested draping only the long end of the shed.

I store some of my firwood this way along the back of my garage. The tarp keeps it dry but the open ends allow air to circulate and further season.

Hope this helps.

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Well, one reason you might want to think about remodeling your coop is that your current "siding" isn't really siding. That material is not known for being weather resistant and will eventually rot away (I can already tell from the pics that it's getting there, at least on the outside). It's also pretty easy for predators to gnaw through. You can kick through it if you tried.

If you can make a plan over the winter to build a new coop, gather supplies and enlist the help of your friends or neighbors via a "coop-building party," you probably wouldn't have as much trouble with the project as you're thinking.

 

[Dar]

what do I do with the hens during the construction?...I guess thits my biggest worry...i have no place to make a temp home while i am buliding the new one....the location of the current coop is really my only option..I cant even move it 6feet in any direction....

ok i guess a rebulid is the way to go.... now i need suggestions on how to house the displaced girls during the bulid

 

[Heather J]

How serious of a predator problem do you have? I'd say if it's only moderate to enclose the top of your run and beg/borrow/steal a doghouse for a little while and keep them all out there. the weather will be warm enough they won't need additional heat and you could tarp off part of the top to keep their food and water under cover. Alternatively, you could beg some pallets off of a lumber yard or something and wire them together (I found a bunch with 1/2"slits between the boards that I'm going to stuff with straw to cut the wind and screw together for a muscovy house for winter), then toss a piece of ply on top--simply easy, and no problem to disassemble.

 

[Dar]

I have a large dog crate in the basement..it is one that you would when you fly with your dog ..but i dont think it is big enough..i thought you needed 2 square feet per bird?..if i am wrong please correct me...and where would they roost?what about nests?

I dont have much a predator problem (knock on wood)

i have access to all kinds of pallets

my run already has a heavy guage fencing on it to stop the girls from flying out and to keep the birds of prey out too (there is a osprey breeding program going at the nature center across the street from me)

I just lack imagination when it comes to this...

 

[Heather J]

How many girls do you have, and how big is the crate? If it's for short-term usage, you might be able to make it work, or you might have to borrow a second one because it looks like you've got at least 8 girls. It would be secure from Raccoon and stuff at night with a bit of hardware cloth across the wire opening to make them keep their little paws to themselves, anyway. I'm sure someone on here has an eggloo, and they showed pictures of the inside, it's pretty small, so it should give you an idea of how to set up the roost/nesting arrangement if you use the dog crate.

You might use an old rubbermaid-type tub on it's side with a hole cut in the lid for a nesting box. It wouldn't have to be in your temporary coop, and a big one might take care of a good number of girls for a short time. All seven of my hens use the same box, and it's smaller than most of those containers. You might even put a divider down the middle and cut two holes in the front to make them think they had two nests, lol.

If all the food and water are outside the 'coop' too, under a tarp or something, you could probably build a square frame of 2x2s with a level six inches up that had more 2x2s for roosts for night time use only. You might have to go into their run a couple nights and put them on the roost if they decide to sleep somewhere else, but I bet they'll adjust quickly enough.