Pre-fab coop cleaning!

[lliauba]

Hello everyone! We have a prefab coop for 6 chickens (it's producers pride at Tractor Supply and it looks like a little cottage!). The coop instructions SAY that it can hold up to 6 chickens but I've noticed that when the girls are sleeping there's always poop covering the large door, there's poop covering the nesting box ledges, and I put pine shavings down, but they're always kicking them out of the coop. The coop floor isn't lower than the coop door opening so I can't do the deep litter method. Any ideas on how to keep my coop cleaner would be greatly appreciated! <3

 

[Debbie292d]

Can you make a ledge there to keep the shavings in? If not, maybe one of those expandable shower curtain rods they make on a smaller scale would work to run along the bottom edge.

We have a small hutch in a grow out pen I use a lot of stall refresher (not Sweet PDZ but close) which makes cleaning so much easier!

If you get a ledge of some sort, maybe look into horse bedding pellets. We use that in the coop, but in the hutch it's just straw and stall refresher.

 

[lliauba]

That's a great idea!! Thank you for that! I've been considering pellets for quite a while but I wasn't sure how they would fare versus pine shavings. Next time I'm at Tractor supply I'm gonna get it!

 

[Logar]

The coop instructions SAY that it can hold up to 6 chickens

that is probably the issue. the coop you are talking about can really only 2 chickens

 

[PimsGarden]

that is probably the issue. the coop you are talking about can really only 2 chickens

It's true, these prefab coops lie about how many chickens they can hold. They also can have a lot of flaws so keep an eye on issues closely and make any upgrades you can. Ventilation and predator proofing seem to be some of the more commonly upgraded areas.

 

[lliauba]

that is probably the issue. the coop you are talking about can really only 2 chickens

For a while we only had 4 and that was great! We wanted to build a custom coop, but I didn't have the time/expertise to build one out, but that's what I'm going to do in the future!

 

[lliauba]

It's true, these prefab coops lie about how many chickens they can hold. They also can have a lot of flaws so keep an eye on issues closely and make any upgrades you can. Ventilation and predator proofing seem to be some of the more commonly upgraded areas.

I've definitely tried adding on to the coop (that didn't work well lol) but I've also added weather stripping to the inside. I've tried to make do with what we have since I wasn't able to build my own custom coop (the perks of having a toddler lol)

 

[PimsGarden]

I've definitely tried adding on to the coop (that didn't work well lol) but I've also added weather stripping to the inside. I've tried to make do with what we have since I wasn't able to build my own custom coop (the perks of having a toddler lol)

Do what ya can and start saving material on the side now, maybe by next year you'll have enough to build your own! It doesn't take too much, find a design you like and use it to make something that works for the materials you have.

I never built a coop or anything that big before, but I just edited a design I liked and took my time and it houses 6 chickens comfortably. It prob cost 2-300 to make but it could've been done cheaper if I had more time to salvage more free material. I'm still updating it slowly, I gotta do new locks on the double doors, which were temporary when the pic was taken, but it's a solid coop and I'm super proud of it! We even used non toxic milk paint, which I'm glad because one of my chickens is obsessed with trying to eat paint chips off the porch door

 

[Debbie292d]

Saving up scraps of wood you see is an awesome idea. Sometimes on Marketplace I see people advertising misc. wood for free, sitting in a pile or on the curb.

When you get time, I'd peruse the Coop Articles for ideas. Some have very good instructions for how to build it, some not so good but you'd get the idea.

This forum you posted this post in is a good forum to ask questions too.

 

[lliauba]

Do what ya can and start saving material on the side now, maybe by next year you'll have enough to build your own! It doesn't take too much, find a design you like and use it to make something that works for the materials you have.

I never built a coop or anything that big before, but I just edited a design I liked and took my time and it houses 6 chickens comfortably. It prob cost 2-300 to make but it could've been done cheaper if I had more time to salvage more free material. I'm still updating it slowly, I gotta do new locks on the double doors, which were temporary when the pic was taken, but it's a solid coop and I'm super proud of it! We even used non toxic milk paint, which I'm glad because one of my chickens is obsessed with trying to eat paint chips off the porch door


View attachment 3967911View attachment 3967912View attachment 3967913

Wow! That looks fantastic! I'm definitely going to start slowly gathering some free/cheap supplies! Lowe's is always my go-to for cull lumber. haha And I'll DEFINITELY keep that milk paint in mind! I had no idea they made something like that!