Chicken Coop Redesign

For the last couple of months I’ve been focusing on my chicken coop, how it’s laid out and such. The coop had been laid out for a smaller flock than what I currently have, which means the birds weren’t in the best situation from a health standpoint. The perch was too short, so birds were sleeping in laying boxes at night. Half of the poop chickens poop is while they’re sleeping, which meant eggs were being covered in fecal matter which was a health issue for both the laying hens and the eating humans. Poop filling up in the laying boxes was resulting in the birds sneaking clutches outside the penned in area or on the floor. The clutches of eggs would result in massive amount of eggs lost since I never found them in a timely manner. They did make for fun times when throwing a rotten egg at a distant tree though. Old eggs can actually be dangerous and have the stink of a skunk. I chunked one egg and heard a loud bang which was then followed by a horrific smell my brothers and I both proceeded to run from in haste. 

Earlier in the year I had experimented with buckets as laying boxes. It worked to a point, but in the colder months the chickens didn’t like it. The plastic buckets got brutally cold and the hens would often smash the eggs underneath themselves in the rounded environment. I moved the buckets in the summer and they stopped laying in them all together. The old laying box that I had inherited from the previous tenant was old and in decay. It was crusted in poop and because the perch was too short, birds would sleep on top of it and layer it in the good stuff. I needed a new laying box solution fast. And then the heatwave came. For almost a week we were under a relentless heatwave that was turning into a drought. The birds stood all huddled under the tree panting. The chicken coop became an oven and all the hens stopped laying. Even after the heatwave passed, the hens took a while to recover from the stress, and I was still not back to full production. 

I decided that the coop needed a major over hall so I planed consulting with my parents and my chicken books on making the best coop possible for my flock. One that was comfortable for the birds, easy for me to maintain, and most importantly had a budget of free-dollars. 

With the enlisted help of my father, I set my eyes on the perch. My dad and I just by chance came across a long piece of wood at a surplus store for only a dollar. We snagged it right away. We cut it to run the length of the entire coop and screwed it in place. The perch was too wobbly, so we braced it with some scrap wood to make it sturdy. That evening my father and I stood at the door way watching the flock trying to figure out how to get on top. A new pecking order had to be established right away. Some of the hens pushed the other ones off, even though there was more than enough room for all 20 birds. A few weeks later though, most of the birds are now sleeping on the perch with only a few sleeping on the railing below. 

My mother came up with the idea of using an old dresser for a laying box. We took out every other drough and cut slits into the front of the remaining droughs to make it easier for the hens to climb into. We built perches to make it easier to get access to the upper levels. Instead of using wood chips for laying box bedding like I had in the past, I used straw which has more of a “nesting” quality to it. I’ve found the hens craft their nest using straw so it cradles the eggs. It’s also easier to clean out than wood chips. The hens laid only a few eggs in it at first, but now they lay half of their eggs in it. The majority of that is on the upper level, but they do lay in the middle and lower levels of the laying dresser. The only downside with using the dresser is that it’s higher than the perch, which means some of the chickens want to roost up there at night. My father tried building a deterrent but they’ve still figured out how to climb on top. 

I had read that some hens like laying their eggs inside of dog crates because of the privacy and darkness they can bring. Half of my eggs are laid inside the dog crate. Other than having to get on your knees to pick up the eggs, there isn’t really a downside to having your hens lay inside dog crates. Chickens do like climbing on them during the day, which results with poop on the top. Just be sure to clean it off frequently and you’re fine and dandy. 

Another change to the coop layout was moving the feed and scratch cans inside the coop. Before I had the feed and the scratch up in my shed. Having to take the feeders when they were empty and walking them up to the shed was painful for my hands (it was a bigger problem in the winter snow). I also had problems with mice in the shed, despite having a legion of barn cats nearby. The shed is surrounded by unkept ares and abandoned neighboring structures, perfect for mice. The coop on the other hand is in a well kept area. The grass is kept short and there is no real places for mice to hide. I made space for the feed and scratch cans in the coop and so far it’s been working well. Now I only have to bring the bags of feed down to the cans two times a month to replenish my supply in the coop. I plan on replacing my feed can with a mice-proof one just incase the mice find out I moved the can. As long as I keep the area around the coop well maintained and the barn cats keep hanging out with the chickens I should be fine. 

On one of my little explorations around the barn I found an old wooden box that I thought would be perfect for a “bath” for my chickens. The hens had been dusting themselves by digging holes which I would occasionally fill with diatomaceous earth. But as the ground hardens with winter’s approach I though I needed a new solution. The box was a perfect fit. I placed it inside the coop and filled with what DE I had left. It’s yet to be seen if the hens will take advantage of it or not. I’ll keep you posted.

I am very happy with the coop’s redesign. It can now accommodate the population of my current flock and it just looks and feels much better in my opinion. With the interior more or less done with, my thoughts now turn to the plot of ground the chickens now reside on. The square they’re on currently needs a rest, it’s nothing but mud and burdox. I’m looking into an electric fence for my chickens so I can move them off onto another part of the field that actually has grass they can forage through. I’m thinking that I will move them to where my sunflowers once the plants mature so they can help with the weeds and pests. I also need to focus on the birds themselves. They need to be tagged and ID’ed so I can keep track on which hen is laying and which have stopped and need to be retired to work in a chicken tractor. 

With the changes put in place, the chickens have responded with more eggs for my breakfast table. I’m back to normal production levels, the hens all have a place to sleep at night, and the coop is more sanitary than before. Thanks be to my parents who keep supporting me in my chicken endeavor.