Coop Renovation Help/Ideas

[AJMnajjed]

Hi all,
I have an old coop my dad and I built a few years ago for a flock of chickens we didn't end up keeping for long. I recently got back into having chickens and have owned a small flock now for almost a year. A lot of them unfortunately fell victim to a coyote a few days ago, so I'm going to buy a few more hens after I reinforce the run. Before I buy new hens, I thought it would be a good idea to renovate. My dad and I knew nothing about chickens at all when building the coop, so we never included roosts or nesting boxes. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on how I can improve this. I'm unsure where I could potentially place the roosts or nesting boxes if anyone has ideas. Also should I just tear down that little box in there? And should I remove the fencing and just make it a solid wall? Not very experienced in this at all so all feedback is very welcome. Thank you!

 

[MaryJanet]

The real problems are predators.

How can you keep digging predators out? Especially at night when the chickens are more vulnerable. Give that some very serious thought and action. The coop needs to be a fortress at night.

Less important are the roosts and nest boxes.

I think the box you already have is fine but maybe hard to clean out. If you decide to get rid of it, make sure the new one is easier to clean.

You want the roosts so low the chickens can jump up and down without injury. Maybe knee high or a little lower, depending on how agile the chickens are. Also think about making easy to clean the poops out in the morning.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Strictly on roosts and nests - roosts don't need to be anything fancier than a 2x4 lengthwise across the space inside there. Nest boxes could be external, maybe under the coop area somewhere.

Or conversely, if you're in a hotter climate you could remove the "coop" entirely and just go open air, where the chickens roost and lay in the run (which would serve as a combined run and coop area).

In either case yes reinforcing the run is top priority.

 

[AJMnajjed]

The real problems are predators.

How can you keep digging predators out? Especially at night when the chickens are more vulnerable. Give that some very serious thought and action. The coop needs to be a fortress at night.

Less important are the roosts and nest boxes.

I think the box you already have is fine but maybe hard to clean out. If you decide to get rid of it, make sure the new one is easier to clean.

You want the roosts so low the chickens can jump up and down without injury. Maybe knee high or a little lower, depending on how agile the chickens are. Also think about making easy to clean the poops out in the morning.

Strictly on roosts and nests - roosts don't need to be anything fancier than a 2x4 lengthwise across the space inside there. Nest boxes could be external, maybe under the coop area somewhere.

Or conversely, if you're in a hotter climate you could remove the "coop" entirely and just go open air, where the chickens roost and lay in the run (which would serve as a combined run and coop area).

In either case yes reinforcing the run is top priority.

Thank you guys so much, I will work on reinforcing the coop from digging predators first and then will probably just use external nesting boxes with a roost in their sleeping box thing. Thanks again, I really appreciate it!

 

[MaryJanet]

Thank you guys so much, I will work on reinforcing the coop from digging predators first and then will probably just use external nesting boxes with a roost in their sleeping box thing. Thanks again, I really appreciate it!

I hope it all goes well for you and your chickens