Tips to Improve a Chicken Coop (especially for ease of cleaning)

[2 Acres]

I just checked this out. It is located in the US, so it might not be possible to get it here (in Ireland) or shipped to where I live.

We will look deeper into that, though.

Thank you SO much for mentioning that.

Yup... Europe (Ireland) most likely won't have it I suspect... because of VOC's.

 

[2 Acres]

View attachment 3964094

This is all 3/4" scrap plywood I had lying around

 

[BigBlueHen53]

For what it's worth and another perspective .... My poop trays are of unfinished wood. They contain about half an inch of construction sand, which is somewhat coase, mixed with sweet PDZ (I think that's what it's called!). I use a kitty litter slotted spoon type thing to clean it out every morning and there is vitually no odor. I do not use DE at all, it is so humid here as to render it useless and it is a hazard to the chickens' eyes and lungs.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Oops, forgot pics.

 

[gtaus]

You are really lucky in that your landlord built you such a nice coop. I like your modifications you posted. Lots of good suggestions from others, too.

For nest boxes, I use some Dollar Tree dish pans...

They are cheap, plastic, and easy to clean out if/when you need to. In your case, it looks like it would fit into the next box compartments. The walls of the dish pan will keep the eggs inside in one place instead of rolling all over the place.

So, the next things we will be working on are
1) walls inside...

I don't think you need inside walls. I agree with others. It's just asking for more trouble.

4 Flooring... Would it make sense to put in a pvc/vinyl flooring (removable for ease of cleaning) or would something (like plywood?) that could be painted be better?

I put down a vinyl sheet on my coop floor and it has held up for about 4 years before it started to crack and rip. I guess it has done its job and should not complain.

If I had to do it over again, I think I would just lay down some sacrificial wood on top of the flooring and replace it as needed. But that is because I now have lots of free pallet wood to work with. It would not cost me anything to line the coop floor with pallet planks and they would be easy to replace.

One thing I really like in my coop is that I use deep dry bedding. I have maybe 4 inches or more of litter in the coop at the start of every winter. I don't use poop boards under the roost. I just let the poo drop below and once or twice a month I toss on more fresh litter into the coop and especially under the roosts. The poo will automagically disappear into the deep bedding, dry up, and not cause a problem. I only clean out my coop every six months. And that seems to be enough. Of course, your nose will tell you if you need more fresh litter or if it's time to do a complete clean out. Depends on how many chickens you have, of course.

Another thing about using dry deep bedding, in my coop, is that the floor never gets "wet" from the chicken poo. All that moisture is absorbed into the deep bedding before it reaches the flooring. That is why I don't think I really needed to put down a vinyl flooring at all.

As someone else mentioned, I am not into oils or other preservatives in my coop, either. I prefer to keep everything as chemical free as possible. I would rather replace a sacrificial board once every 4 years than adding chemicals to my coop.

I like how you made the front door bigger. I would just rake out all the coop deep bedding through the front opening into the chicken run and let it compost in place. If you use enough deep bedding, it should not smell. If it does smell a bit, cover it with fresh leaves, grass clippings, etc... Then just let the chickens work the run litter and break it down into compost for you.

I converted my entire chicken run into a chicken run composting system after my chickens destroyed all the grass in the run and left nothing but bare dirt. The chicken run compost works better for me anyway because I have lots of raised bed gardens to feed with compost.

Love to see your upgrades to your coop. Thanks for sharing.

 

[BDutch]

IMHO... If the wood "breathes" then it will absorb contaminates. I scrape out my nesting boxes with a putty knife when they get nasty. The high gloss oil base white gives the wood a durable finish.

Yes... oil base gives off fumes (VOC's) while drying. That's why "the powers that be" are trying to eliminate paints with VOC. But when fully dry, there is no odor or VOC's.

Wood is naturally antiseptic and therefore very hygienic. Dont you use a wooden cutting board in the kitchen for that reason?

By applying a chemical paint , you destroy that ability .

You can apply a layer of lime or a layer of diatom earth on wood (not on high gloss paint) . Line and DE also ensure a good indoor climate and makes it hard for larvae of lice and mites to surviving in your coop.

 

[2 Acres]

I do not use DE at all, it is so humid here as to render it useless and it is a hazard to the chickens' eyes and lungs.

I agree with this. And over the last few years my chickens have made a rut between 2 fence posts. The soil there is natural coarse sand. So they have a natural bathing spot protected from predators.

 

[2 Acres]

 

[2 Acres]

The nesting boxes you see in the pic above.... sat long enough until I couldn't smell any VOC emissions

 

[McChooky]

O
ve seen some

Thank you SO much! Our landlord is a builder who has his own construction firm.

Now that was the kind of advice I was looking for.

The ridge vent will not work in our case, hubby said. We will enlarge the one on the back of the coop for sure. We are not sure yet what to do about the window in the door, as this side of the coop is facing west and the weather is "coming in that way" a lot.

I already bought various sizes of plastic trays. I was going to use a large one to put underneath the roosting bar (straight across, but set higher than the nests). Could have thought of using some for the nest box, too. Great idea! Sounds so easy to clean out that part.

Concrete blocks. Yes, that is what we planned on using to raise the coop. We just bought a few more today in case we have to raise it even higher (our garden has a falling surface).

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and taking the time to write this reply. I do appreciate it very much.

That coop is built like a tank but going to be difficult to ventilate without causing a draft when on the roost Its also not big enough but for 4-5 hens . I know because being a rookie coop builder I made the same mistake.It also doesn't have secure latches