Interior Layout - storage room or more coop space?

Building a 10x12 shed for ~16 LF birds and trying to decide if I should include a small storage area or leave it all open for chicken access (and potential future chicken math). Below are possible layouts, the front of the coop with the man door will face south.


And here's a general coop/run layout for reference. The roofed portion of the run isn't as deep as the shed because of code restrictions. I designed the run so I can add a rafter-type structure for a welded wire cover if I decide it's within budget.

I vote for the indoor storage area. Even with "Chicken Math" that is lots of room.

Ooh, that's a beautiful setup you've got planned.

I would go for the plan without the separate storage. You can easily put a storage cabinent along the wall to hold supplies handy without going to the trouble and expense of building a separate wall. It's also more flexible that way...you have the extra space for chickens if you need it. I have a small recycled chest of drawers in my coop, off in one corner. The key thing to me is the isolation pen which is very, very useful to have, and you've already planned for that in both alternative designs.

One thing I would suggest is increasing ventilation. You've got 12 square feet already designed, which is generally considered good for up to 12 birds in winter, but you might consider extentding those vents to the full width of each wall, and you might well appreciate having even more than that for summer especially if the coop gets summer sun and will tend to heat up inside without more ventilation. I didn't see from your plans whether there were windows in the coop, but operable windows are good for providing additional summer ventilation down at roost level that can be closed off for cooler weather.

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I've also got adjustable vents planned for the eaves on both long walls, nothing fancy just hardware cloth and hinged covers, that will provide another 12 sq ft, and two windows, one on the east and one on the south wall. And if I can get the design down, I want to make the man door a dutch door with the top half having an interior screened portion so I can leave it open during the day for extra light/ventilation.

Storage!

It makes sense to keep your chicken-related stuff close to the chickens (otherwise it gets totally LOST in the garage or basement). If you try to store stuff in the coop without a separate area, then they'll roost (and poop) all over everything that you put in there. It's also nice to keep partial bags of feed, oyster shells, etc in plastic bins right close to where you feed chickens. Lugging those 40-50 lb bags gets real old real fast.

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I've also got adjustable vents planned for the eaves on both long walls, nothing fancy just hardware cloth and hinged covers, that will provide another 12 sq ft, and two windows, one on the east and one on the south wall. And if I can get the design down, I want to make the man door a dutch door with the top half having an interior screened portion so I can leave it open during the day for extra light/ventilation.

Sounds perfect.

Storage for sure!! Plus you can put your nest boxes along your "wall" and collect the eggs without having to step inside of the coop

I have a similar setup, 11x17 coop for, presently, 15 chickens -- more when one goes broody. I have storage for all chicken supplies IN the coop. Feed, oyster shell, etc. is stored in two metal garbage cans. Small items such as BluKote are presently in a plastic bin on top of the nest boxes; the chickens leave it alone as it has several odd shapes sticking up out of it. One corner, maybe 4'x5' or 5'x6', is penned off for a broody or whatever. It presently holds straw, pine shavings and an extra feeder. Last time I used it for a broody I left the hay, etc. in with her. I do wish I had a small cabinet mounted high on the lower wall for the BluKote, etc. Wouldn't change anything else.

I vote for the storage area. My feed tubs fit under the table and I use the tabletop for lots of stuff. This winter I raised the table using buckets, added a heat lamp under it and brooded some chicks. Right now I have a sick hen in that area. I also put a hen in a dog crate sitting on top of the table. My area is approx. 4 x 5. I added hangers to the exposed 2x4's for odd items.

With the am't of space you have I don't think it's at all unreasonable to set a little aside for storage.

HOWEVER can I suggest that you do it with easily removable divider panels, rather than by actually permanently-attaching anything to the coop structure. Build two stud-and-chickenwire walls, one of which has a people door in it, hinge them together with hinges or baler twine or eyes-and-snaps, and attach them to the walls with eyes and snaps. They can be made *quite* secure enough this way for normal use, yet if you should ever change your mind about where in the coop you want them (perhaps you may need a breeding-trio or chick-starting area) or want to remove them entirely, it will take mere minutes.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat