Coop Help- Two Hens in Northern Colorado

[RachaelsChickens]

Hello! So this is my first time with having chickens and my husband purchased a coop that looked so much better online. The reviews must have been from people nowhere near cold temps or any type of water. We got our girls in April and they didn't get into their coop until it was well into summer day & night temps. I also had moved the cooped because it's so insanely light that my husband and I can just lift it around and the sprinklers came on and the entire nesting box got soaked and that obviously won't cut it in Colorado's snowy winters.

Well, now we are struggling with the coop being so cold and has a terrible draft. The girls went from laying a little bit apart and like "sprawled" out, to being tightly pushed up against each other in the nesting box. I have them up against a vinyl fence and honestly just want them to be warm and safe and I don't want to add any heat because we are getting power outages left and right and honestly don't want them to not be acclimated if that were to happen.

Thank you for everything!

 

[aart]

You are not alone in buying a tiny prefab coop that is totally dysfunctional.
It might be OK for just 2 birds if you fix it up a bit...and/or put it in a large weather tight run, which you probably need anyway.

Post some pics of coop, inside and out.

Oh, and....Welcome to BYC! @RachaelsChickens .
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Here's how to add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[hispoptart]

Welcome from NW Colorado
I also have a small pre-fab coop for my 3 chickens. I've had it for 9 years. My first flock of 4 lived in it for 1 1/2 years before being killed by dogs. They made it through the winter just fine. The one really bad thing is the very small enclosed run that comes with it. So I built a large fenced run area with the coop inside of it. I didn't have it covered so it did get a lot of snow, but that never seemed to bother the girls. It bothered me more. I would let them out in the morning and lock them back in at night. Next problem was, it was to far from the house to run power so the water froze all the time. That made for many trips out there to change it.

It sat empty for 7 years before I got my new flock of 4. I moved the coop and run closer to the house so that I can run power to heat the water in the winter. The run area where it was last time was just slat rolled fencing and I never had any problems with predator's.
but this time I added chicken wire around it as extra protection and one night I forgot to lock the girls up. They came out in the very early hours and a skunk managed to reach through and get a hold of one of them. I had to put her down and now have the 3. I still just have the chicken wire, but I am diligent about locking them up at night.

The condition of the coop after 9 years is all ok except the roof. The layers that are glued together are starting to come apart. So this will be the last year it will be useable. I am in the process of turning an old shed into the new coop, but it is next to where the coop used to be and until I have power there I will not move them in there and I'm not sure that will get done before winter.

As @aart said some pics can help us help you fix it up to be better suited for the winter and more comfortable for your girls.

 

[CatWhisperer]

Would you consider building? I would say build a bigger run around it and perhaps some kind of insulation to wrap around the outside. Just make sure you have appropriate ventilation at the top. Or move them into the garage for winter. Best of luck.