Hoosier newbie

Hello

I am a new member from east central Indiana. I am planning to build my first coop before the warm weather gets here. There is a local farmer who is selling pullets that are due to start laying in March or April so I am thinking of going that route to start. I plan on only about 6 birds so I am not going too large. I am just wanting enough eggs for me and my family of four and then I can divvy out excess to friends and family etc.

As far as a coop goes I am planning on building it with a friend of mine. Nothing super fancy but this is the basic overall design I am looking at.



I might do something with a sloped roof instead of the peak/rafters like the one pictured below. I am also thinking about making it big enough to stand up in. Maybe 4 foot deep and 8 foot wide. Still not exactly sure. I live in the country and have 5 acres of yard so space is not an issue.

As I am reading this site and watching you tube videos I have a couple questions. Are there any "must do" designs for the interior or will they adapt to about any shape design. I didn't know if I should place vents and windows in a certain location compared to the nest boxes etc? I plan to have exterior type nest boxes accessable from the outside and good ventilation. I also have access to a large amount of old barn lumber that is mainly 1x8's and 1x10's. I might use that for the walls and roof instead of plywood or paneling. Still in the initial planning stages so any advice that some newbies overlook would be great.

I'm glad you decided to join us!! I wish I could help with your questions, but I don't really know anything about building coops...

My link in the original post didn't work, here is the pic I was talking about.

Hi and welcome to BYC. Im personally a fan of sheds - more space and more flexible than coops, and more importantly, you will have space to accommodate more chickens, which is an inevitability I'm afraid!

all the best
CT

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. They have some really beautiful coops that members share. Some even put up their blueprints and what works well and what they would change. That's how we build ours. A lot of those prefab coops, don't last long and they are super expensive. So it's good you are building your own. Good luck with your endeavors.

I would strongly encourage you to build a coop and run tall enough to stand up in. Chickens poop all night long and trying to clean stooped over is no one's idea of a good time.

Good luck with your plans and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

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

I definitely think the little extra expense to build a large enough to stand up in will be worth it. Are their any rules or guidelines that one must adhere to as far as the layout of the interior? I just don't want to get it built and have people say "you should never put windows near your nest box" or you should never do this or that? I am assuming that for the most part as long as you have the basics, nesting, roosts perches, ventilation, etc. the chickens will adapt. I am assuming the layout might be more for my convenience then something that the chickens require.