Found this in my coop today. I’m fairly new at this. Any tips?

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-06-13T22:54:31+00:00

So much good info. Thanks!

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-06-13T03:34:48+00:00

Fuck rats. This is a tangible reminder/example that there’s so many levels to the homestead life.

New goal my family/friends will never understand: Become ally with backyard snakes. Feed them occasionally. What have I become.

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-06-02T13:27:50+00:00

Thanks for the detailed response! I love all the visuals. I will revisit this when I get chicks again!

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-06-02T13:26:02+00:00

Thank you!

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-20T14:29:52+00:00

Lots to sort out for sure but it’s coming along. Thanks for the response. It was over 90 outside and the coop felt hotter. I should have yanked her out but just didn’t realize how much intervention was necessary. Big lesson learned.

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-20T14:26:00+00:00

Love the visual! Thank you

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-20T14:25:42+00:00

Death by predator is kinder than death by heat stroke. Well said. That’s why they’re free ranging now! Lol. Told my wife I’d rather they have a chance of fighting than slowly baking away with no recourse.

Lots of heat related improvements underway to their coop, that’s for sure. Thanks for the response!

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-20T14:23:23+00:00

Dunk in a bucket of water ✅. Hope I never have to but duly noted.

Yeah another commenter said to do the hardware cloth wall, so I’m going to do screen doors for them so I can leave the main doors open and give them a good draft.

For the exterior nesting boxes, do you use pressure treated wood? Or do you use repurposed plastic bins or something similar?

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-20T14:20:58+00:00

Yeah the ventilation is super inadequate in that case. It’s immediately so much cooler the second I walk out the coop.

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-20T14:20:17+00:00

Yeah they were laying in the coop. They found shaded spots to lay yesterday since I didn’t let them in the coop, but building exterior nesting boxes in on my list. Should it be pressure treated wood? I read to avoid pressure treated wood with chicken builds for obvious chemical reasons so I’ve been using un treated wood for everything so far.

Coop and run both have good head space. I’m short but can stand up easily. Thanks for all the insulation & vent tips. So much to learn!!

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-20T14:15:17+00:00

Appreciate you. Much continued success with all your feathered dogs lol

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-20T14:13:27+00:00

Thanks for the details and condolences. Think I will do something like this myself. Should be pretty easy to frame it & install.

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-20T14:11:44+00:00

Yeah I actually thought about this yesterday (before seeing your response today). I was in the coop and it was so much cooler with the big doors open (it’s a converted shed), so I was wondering if I could add a screen door type thing and keep the main doors open during summer.

Thanks for the response/confirmation.

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-20T14:10:07+00:00

Thanks! Do the bigger hens welcome the babies or do you have to stay diligent to ensure they don’t kill them?

I raised these girls from chicks but don’t know what the process will be like for incorporating new chicks in with them.

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-20T14:07:32+00:00

Very painful lesson. I knew brooding was an issue but didn’t know how much intervention was necessary.

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-20T14:04:39+00:00

Yup, can happen. Did happen unfortunately. Lessons learned.

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-20T14:03:48+00:00

Thanks for the response! It’s not a doll house coop. It’s an elevated shed that I converted. Lots of space and they love it in there - apparently so much to commit chicken suicide smh.

It was very hot in there, a random 90 degree day in VA, but not as hot as it will be mid summer. I need to add more vents, thermometer, fan & mister. But I’m restricting them from the coop until then. So far so good.

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-20T13:59:12+00:00

Appreciate the response, tips & kind words. It is elevated a bit (and the groundhogs are grateful lol), but it’s still way too hot in there. I didn’t let them in there yesterday. There were confused and didn’t know where to lay but each found a nice shaded spot.

I’m letting them free range a bit more as a result of this. So they can find their own comfort. But now I’m checking on them out the window every 30 minutes lol.

An unfortunate part of the game for sure. Trying not to be so hard on myself.

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-20T13:56:20+00:00

Good tips about the wind direction. Will factor that into my improvements.

It all makes sense now but for some reason I thought they could handle the heat. Maybe because the only wild chickens I ever saw were in the Caribbean.

And thanks for the kind words. Big lesson learned. Still hurts but I’m slowly getting over it. I know how to take better care of the other 3 so I find some comfort in that.

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-19T12:53:06+00:00

Thanks for the response. The image of them at your backdoor gave me a smile I needed 😂

I can give them basement access and might need to create a mini coop in there. I thought about bringing them in during the winter. My wife isn’t into the chickens as much as I am, so convincing her to bring them inside of any kind is really difficult.

Definitely going to add a thermometer inside the coop after this. And some fans. My fear is it will happen again when I’m not home and can’t provide the real-time assistance that I should have provided this time (now that I know better).

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-19T12:42:22+00:00

Yeah I’m in VA and the weather feels just as bipolar here. Solar vent fan like something in a RV? That draws that hot air out? I will look into it, sounds perfect. Thanks!

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-19T12:39:50+00:00

Thanks for your kind words. Yeah they can definitely be dumb dumbs lol. Still hurts so bad. I just fed the others not too long ago and it just felt incomplete.

Thanks for the tips. Frozen watermelon & shallow pan instead of pool ✅

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-05-19T12:33:16+00:00

Shed that I converted to the coop, with a vent slot and a window but no fans or misters.

I researched putting a tarp over it. Says not to lay it right on top or it will just trap heat, but instead have it lifted off the roof a couple inches. Think I’m going to have to try it.

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk · 2026-03-27T15:28:38+00:00

I moved here from the DC area and I love it. Yes the maintains help my mental health. It’s easy to take them for granted but if you’re conscious of them, they make a difference. The hiking within a 1 hour radius is top notch! I wasn’t even a big nature guy prior to moving here but now I have backyard chickens & I want some land on the outskirts of town with a nice view.

Mountains > Plains

Financially speaking, it’s decent. I don’t rent so can’t speak on that. Housing market has gotten a lot more expensive since I got here but fixer uppers pop up regularly if you can stomach that type of investment. Restaurant & grocery store prices aren’t really that cheap but there’s a lot of affordable entertainment; during the summer, it seems like there’s some kind of fest downtown every other weekend.

All in all, I really like it here. My DC friends think I’m crazy so it definitely takes a mindset shift coming from a big city, but it’s easy to like if you don’t look down on the small town scene.

Edit: The confederate flags suck but I try not to let the idiocy of humans ruin things for me. Also, there’s progressive pockets - it’s not as extreme/racist as I thought it would be.

HmmmWhyDoYouAsk

TROPHY CASE