Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

Before bringing home my laying pullets last year, I bought them a coop with attached pen, one of those prefabricated units.

Well, it was cute, but the materials were shoddy and it began falling apart within the month. Last winter pretty much finished it off.

I have zero woodworking ability. My plan was to hire someone to build me a coop, but my husband said that he would do it. I brought up lots of DIY plans, read through the topics here, and went over what was essential and what is cute but an unnecessary frill. I told him it needs ventilation, roosts, next boxes, a raised door so I can open it in the snow. He decided to build a raised coop with attached run.

Months later, this is what I've got. It is a box. The side opens. There is no ventilation, no windows, no nest boxes. There is a roost, at least. He says he will add another door and a pen "later" in the spring.

Can I put my hens in here? I can't imagine that they will continue to lay, being kept in a dark box. But the coop they are in is disintegrating. It is going to fall apart completely any second. What can I do?

Please don't put your birds into this...u will regret it in every possible way.....it doesn't say where you are but pls call a competent carpenter and your coop will be up in no time...the right way... :running-chicken:

I second Tom’s opinion. How about a used shed?

You definitely don't want to put your hens in there, it would basically put them in to a forced molt, meaning they would drop their feathers and then freeze.
The basics for any living thing, light and air circulation are missing, so all you have is a good storage box.
Somehow your wish list must have lost something in translation, happens with husbands sometime

Oh, my. I could have built that, and I'm terrible in the carpentry department as well. I agree with others, do not put your hens in that like it is, not even for a few days as an emergency measure. It CAN be fixed to be habitable, but as it is, your hens will get sick and the wood will rot. I'm not very wise to the ways of photo editing, but my youngest son is and I'll have him "draw" on your box what needs to be done tomorrow.

for a vent
and change the wood above the door for plexiglass (or the whole roof) for light
and it will be ok for temporary use in winter for two birds but 1. it will overheat in summer
2. the door is too big and will be hard to close or birds will run out when you feed
3. when you open the door straw, manure will fall out
4. raccoons will fiddle with the latch and open the door and kill your birds
5. if they lay eggs on the far side you'll need a tool like a spoon tied on a handle to get them

I forgot to ask, How many hens and what is the floor space of the box?

Sorry but this box is absolutely usless for chickens, bite the bullet and pay someone to repair your other coop.
This one is way too small, needs light and ventilation. Your chickens will die in this. I know you asked how to make it usable, Baron has given you some good ideas but personally I don't think its worth it. Put an ad on kijiji looking for a coop I'm sure you'll have lots of replies and if you put a price range you'll get one you can afford.

so my thoughts. put this out where you would *like* your coop to be, and if it has a solid floor in it, store your feed bins in it. Then, bite the bullet and tell hubby you want a garden shed with windows on 3 sides, and a door on the other. with a vent near the roof on the one side and a screen door for the door (with a window that opens and closes). tell him 8 feet tall x at least 8 feet wide (you should be able to do an 8x12 without a permit if it's not attached to the ground). then YOU put the roosts in - 2x4 on their sides (4inch side up)screwed diagonally across the corners, and you can even use just plastic bins for nesting boxes.
you can get second hand windows at habitat for humanity or restore (or the dump probably)-or if someone you know is replacing their windows.....
same with the doors.
but please, don't put your chickens in there UNLESS you have that open all the time and inside another barn/shed/building/garage LOL.

What WLL said. But for me, perches, I like to use smaller diameter cedar poles or branches. Nature has built chickens to perch on branches, and the flat of a 2x4 is pretty good, but I like the roundness of poles/branches so they can grapse better.