From SC. 1st time coop builder and chicken farmer

Hello and I guess Ive finally join here for some advice and hopefully some good stories to share from my future flock. Started a coop design about a week ago and posted some photos for thoughts and review here https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...questions-and-comments-welcomed#post_16433624

Please give me your opinions. I'm a small timer here so no large walk in coop. (Unfortunately)

Thanks for having me here. Look forward to joining on the fun soon.

Welcome to Backyard chickens- hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

Hello!

Welcome to BYC and the coop! There's a lot of great peeps here! Feel free to ask lots of questions. But most of all, make yourself at home. I'm so glad you decided to joined the BYC family. I look forward to seeing you around BYC.

Hi and a warm welcome to BYC - great to have you join us. All the best with your build and your new chicken adventure

Ct

If at all possible, I'd encourage you to build your coop tall enough for you to stand up in. Chickens poop all night long and trying to clean it up will be easier if you don't have to stoop down. Also, if you can make the nesting boxes accessible from outside, egg collecting will be easier.

Good luck with your build. I hope you enjoy your flock as much as I do mine!

Hi welcome to BYC

Welcome to the flock! What part of sc are you in, i am in florence sc & experienced in building coops plus i have the hook up with some great local chicken people. Also, as luck would have it, i am building my 3rd and 4th coop which will be much like yours.

As for your coop build, if you are going with layers, i agree with a stand up coop being best. If your set on a small off the ground coop though. I will say, 1 side should open completely up like a giant door. This will save a lot of head and back ach(learn from my mistake on this one).
Ventalation is a must other wise when it gets cold frost bite from moister build up will cause issues. I went around the top of my new coop on 3 sides with hardware cloth following the pitch of the roof. Absolutley my best feature of this coop. My tractor i did a big window covered with hardware cloth and a wood door....terrible so far as the water hits the wood and runs down the cloth into the nest boxes. Now it's tarped to prevent this. I will also say a hardware cloth floor can be a blessing and a curse, allows some breeze and poo threw in the summer but will get caked up and need a good scrubbing. Then in the winter straw or pine flakes can be added for insulation on the floor. Floor space i would go no less then 4sq ft per bird and 1-2 nest boxes. I have 5 layers in a 7x7x8 tall coop and they are happy. They were in a 8x4x5 high tractor and the thing looked like a sardine can. Plus i had to free range them in my yard which is not so much fun for my flower beds or mulch.

So yeah, welcome again and if you want to talk more and don't want it on the forum....pm me. Hope that info will help ya some and Good luck to ya, David.

Thank you everyone! I am looking forward to building my coop and flock shortly! I've been good about trying to research before asking a ton of questions. But thankfully you all are very forgiving with new chicken keepers! Lol.


Hi Dave, I'm about 2.5hrs south of you on 95, Beaufort sc.
Thanks for the advice, I've now added two things to the plans, making it tall enough on 4x4 posts not to have to bend into. And making a door on the front or back that is almost half the length so about 3-3.5' and the entire height.
I'm thinking of making the vent/hardware cloth doors hinge at the top with left and right overhang for keeping the rain out.

What ya think? Building an incubator also.

matt4068 said:

Thank you everyone! I am looking forward to building my coop and flock shortly! I've been good about trying to research before asking a ton of questions. But thankfully you all are very forgiving with new chicken keepers! Lol.


Hi Dave, I'm about 2.5hrs south of you on 95, Beaufort sc.
Thanks for the advice, I've now added two things to the plans, making it tall enough on 4x4 posts not to have to bend into. And making a door on the front or back that is almost half the length so about 3-3.5' and the entire height.
I'm thinking of making the vent/hardware cloth doors hinge at the top with left and right overhang for keeping the rain out.

What ya think? Building an incubator also.

Click to expand...

The revised plan sounds great!