MrStop
In the Brooder
At the prompting of @aart and @PapaChaz I'm going to start my own build thread... I'll start with a little background. I broke down a couple of months ago to the pleading of my kids to get some chickens.some chickens. One of my daughter's friends just so happened to pickup ten new chicks. Not needing all of them, they were looking for a home and in a moment of weakness I said yes. We now have 4 rapidly growing chicks, a Buff Orphington, an Australorp, a Barred Plymouth Rock, and an Ameraucana. I was hoping for a turnkey coop or plans for our mid-size suburban lot, but while there is lots of inspiration I haven't found one that quite fit the bill. So I turned to my tool of choice, Sketchup, and started to draw my own.
My goal of this coop is to build something that makes keeping chickens easy, is durable, and fits into the fabric of our neighborhood. My design requirements are:
With those requirements, I am trying to incorporate the following features:
My goal of this coop is to build something that makes keeping chickens easy, is durable, and fits into the fabric of our neighborhood. My design requirements are:
- Coop and run sized to fit 4-6 hens (no chicken math here)
- Provide a comfortable environment for the chickens
- Easy to clean and maintain
- Allow for some self-sufficiency should we be away from home for some period of time
With those requirements, I am trying to incorporate the following features:
- Coop/Run Design
- Compact coop design with ~20 sq ft of coop space and ~60 sq ft of run
- 2 nest boxes
- Storage for food and supplies
- Minimize potential for drafts
- Insulation to moderate coop temps
- Cover run for shade and protect birds from weather
- Pest and predator proof
- Proper coop ventilation
- Feeding / Water System
- Minimize mess and waste.
- Deter rodents while being able to feed and water for several days.
- Keep the water from freezing during the winter
- Cleaning
- Poop board under roost to keep coop bedding cleaner, longer
- Protection for floors and walls
- Automation
- Pop door
- Open at dusk /dawn & automatically adjust for the change of sunrise and sunset throughout the year
- Manual override
- Second chance opening at dusk - reopen the door about 5 mins after close to allow any stray chickens in
- Sound of some sort about a minute before door close to indicate that it is time for the chickens to come in
- Pressure sensor so the door doesn't close on the chickens (or releases if it does)
- Red/Green light that is visible from our house on the coop that tells us if the door closed / opened correctly.\
- Lighting (inside & outside coop)
- Automatically turn on / shut off to extend the egg laying season
- Should have a manual override if we need to turn on during the night
- Should be LED to minimize power consumption
- Temperature / Humidity logging / monitoring
- Pop door