Alison24201
Hatching
Hi Everyone,
We purchased our home with an existing coop....fast forward 11 years and 2 kids later we are contemplating getting some chickens this spring. I would love some advice on our existing coop and ideas to ensure it's functional/safe for our chickens. The coop hasn't been touched (or even looked at) for well over 15 years. I cleaned out all the spiders and I'm working on getting rid of ants that seem to keep coming back. The size of the coop is 7ft x 4ft, with a 7ft by 4ft storage area on the other side. Vinyl is on the floor, under the roost bars, and in the nesting boxes. I suppose this is for an easier clean-up? We are planning on putting down pine or hemp on-top of the vinyl.
I'm a little worried the nesting boxes and roost bars are too high, although the previous home owner did have chickens so perhaps they are ok. Also slightly concerned about ventilation. It does have a cupola on top, and ventilation through to the storage area, but no other exterior windows/vents. We live in the rainy PNW so moisture is a concern 9 months of the year. Additionally one of the roost bars is splitting; it has several splinters coming off. I don't know if this will be an issue for the chickens, I'm guessing I should probably replace the bar (?). We were planning on 6-8 chickens, is this too many for the size of our coop?
Any thoughts on how we can improve and get our coop ready for spring is greatly appreciated!
We purchased our home with an existing coop....fast forward 11 years and 2 kids later we are contemplating getting some chickens this spring. I would love some advice on our existing coop and ideas to ensure it's functional/safe for our chickens. The coop hasn't been touched (or even looked at) for well over 15 years. I cleaned out all the spiders and I'm working on getting rid of ants that seem to keep coming back. The size of the coop is 7ft x 4ft, with a 7ft by 4ft storage area on the other side. Vinyl is on the floor, under the roost bars, and in the nesting boxes. I suppose this is for an easier clean-up? We are planning on putting down pine or hemp on-top of the vinyl.
I'm a little worried the nesting boxes and roost bars are too high, although the previous home owner did have chickens so perhaps they are ok. Also slightly concerned about ventilation. It does have a cupola on top, and ventilation through to the storage area, but no other exterior windows/vents. We live in the rainy PNW so moisture is a concern 9 months of the year. Additionally one of the roost bars is splitting; it has several splinters coming off. I don't know if this will be an issue for the chickens, I'm guessing I should probably replace the bar (?). We were planning on 6-8 chickens, is this too many for the size of our coop?
Any thoughts on how we can improve and get our coop ready for spring is greatly appreciated!