coop height

Great thoughts! I hadn't even thought about putting the people door on the back. I think I might do that. My concern would be structural so I would probably put the egg box on the side maybe. I'm building out of pallet 1x4's (the reason for 4x6 instead of 4x8. 6' pieces are standard for the pallets I have I'm hoping to spend no more than 150.00 for my coop and run...but hardware cloth is expensive so I'm sure I'll push 200.00)

I've decided to place a gutter on the back as I want it to run down into a rain barrel to use for the water for the hens.

Nest boxes on one end/side and roosts on the other...makes sense to me.

I understand now the six foot dimension. I will say that now is the time to enlarge it if you feel compelled to do so. But, staying within the dimensions of your pallet wood I fully understand the 4x6 size....what about a 6x6 coop? Sure, you couldn't stand on the ground and reach across it, but with a small kiddie rake and hoe set you could pretty well do what you needed to do. That would be a comfortable size for eight hens.

Do you feel that I'm trying to get you to go BIG? I've just seen too many folks regret not building a bit bigger....and then there's that blasted chicken math!!!

Something you could do is build it with screws so that later on if you wanted to expanded you could un-screw one wall and extend it several more feet. Or, if building with nails then simply use screws on the walls or just a wall or two.

Have you got started building yet? Get some pictures!!! I love pallet coops!!!

Best wishes,
Ed

haha... I do get that feeling and I've got some more time to ponder now.

I haven't started building. Funny thing is we're moving from PA down to MD so I'm a little closer to work....and my and wife and I are excited about the chickens. I've always wanted a mini homestead (1-1.5 acres)...I grew up in Baltimore City so it's all new and exciting to me.

Anyway, we were all set to buy a house and it fell through last week at the last minute...so back to square one..and I'll have to spend more time wrestling my mind back and forth about different methods..haha

6x6 might be a pretty good idea! That won't take up too much extra room at all!

Eh, that house wasn't meant to be for you...something else will come down the tube for ya'll! I don't believe in luck nor coincidence, things happen for a reason!

Yeah, it would take up but very little room. Building it at a height to lean into comfortably should still leave plenty of room for the chickens to walk beneath it....include the coop within the perimeter of the run and it really doesn't take up any more area for chickens!

Best wishes on the chickens' coop and you and your wife's future coop!
Ed

Thanks Ed. I really appreciate it. I think you've sold me on it! When I finally do start construction, Ill be sure to post some pics!

This is a 4x7 coop on stilts with skids. Two roosting bars full length of coop and external mounted three nest box. The back has access door for grabbing birds if needed and cleaning.

Egghead_Jr said:

This is a 4x7 coop on stilts with skids. Two roosting bars full length of coop and external mounted three nest box. The back has access door for grabbing birds if needed and cleaning.

Click to expand...

I like smaller coops built on a roughish 4x8 footprint. Good use of material and a good area for a half-dozen chickens. How many chickens will you be housing in it?

How are you liking the electric netting? Premier?

Here are a few things that stand out to me regarding your coop. You may already be addressing these...

That birdhouse might not be a good idea sitting beside the coop. Wild birds can bring in diseases. I'm not sure what type of birds your're housing there, normally purple martins are colony dwellers but most martin houses have more cavities...?? Whatever the case, once the nestlings get so big they get smart and start hanging their rear-ends out the hole and pooping. It wouldn't surprise me in the least that Henrietta and Miss Drumstick find those little poop bombs as being delicacies to gobble up.

The next thing is your "people door". How far is the door from the ground when it is raised? Have you considered hinging it from the side? Hinging it would give more head room and also remove the prop from the middle of the opening which might make working inside the coop a bit easier on you. Or, you could hang the door from hooks and have a tension clasp at the bottom and completely remove it when working inside the coop.

Finally, the dreaded ventilation query. I see very little ventilation at this stage of construction other than a small crack between the roof and the walls. Will you be adding more vents/windows? One square foot per LF bird is usually recommended. I know that Vermont weather is drastically different from south Alabama weather but it seems (to me, anyhow) that in a colder environment chickens' moist breathing could build up condensation even faster than in my warmer climate. Thus, all the more important to rid the coop of excess moisture in freezing conditions to avoid frostbite. From most accounts it seems that up high, above the chickens heads is the better venting area in cold weather. Having said this, what is your take on ventilation?

I'm not trying to be negative at all about your coop, but rather giving (hopeully) constructive criticism. You're ages ahead of me with your build...mine is still on paper.

Just some thoughts...

Best wishes,
Ed

How did you mount the nest box? I see the 1x2's on the coop itself but how did you end up connecting? I've been going back and forth about a good way to do that too!

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We have an open style coop - It's super hot in texas - so confining them with out fresh air in the summer would be bad for their health. They free range during the daytime, have 4 built in nesting boxes, and 3 roosting bars at different levels, to help prevent fighting so top chickens get the highest roosts.

We don't have a bottom on ours, so that it can be moved to clean the floor, or just easily remove the top layer of dirt/straw and use it for compost in our garden and replace it

It's big enough we can get into it - and jsut the right height for all our kids to go in there and get the eggs.

It was designed for a flock of up to 10-12, since we free range and it's most just used for laying eggs and sleeping. It's big enough our stupid goats go sit in there by the nesting boxes. - that's the only thing I regret is that the goats can get into it.

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You can see the nesting boxes behind him.

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We have two doors. - Our chickens put themselves to sleeep at night. I don't know the exact dimensions. We only made the coop for laying eggs, and for them to sleep in at night. They don't usually "hang out" in it during the daytime.

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That dog house is our goat house and was large enough for 150lbs mastiff before she died.... (these pgymy's were babies at the time of this picture. They are a bit bigger now.)

Our coop was designed in mind, not to house the hens/chickens all the time - but just when they are sleeping and laying. We want them to run around loose during the daytime.

We live in South Texas - it's hot, humid, and even in winter, it never really reaches freezing temps.