Need Help on Coop Design from Shipping Crates

This is my first post. I'm designing coops from automotive shipping crates, and I'd appreciate some objective reviews on the functionality of my design prototype (as shown in pictures). These coops are intended for egg-layers.

By the Way

Please forgive me for showing a price on a coop. Realistically I couldn't sell you one of these coops anyway unless you live near me in North Carolina. Let's please keep purchase/sales discussions off line when that is inappropriate to the terms of service. Thanks.

Statement of Problem

Will this coop design work "as is" for egg-layers or do I need to change things? It is my understanding (or misunderstanding) that many egg-layers were bred to walk off from their eggs and you don't need a special place for the hens to set. If egg setting boxes are needed then there is room to add shelving about 12 inch above the floor.

Crate Design Data

I have 17 chickens in one of these coops/boxes and there is room to spare. The dimensions are 42 x 30 x 22 inches with a volume of 16 cubic feet. A coop weighs 90 pounds. The lids are removed by lifting. They are light weight and covered with a water-proof tarp. The doorway is 10 inch tall x 7 inch wide.


My Background

I began raising chickens this past Spring. I started out with two dozen chicks and lost one when a barrel rolled over it. I have all the others (see pic). I understand I should expect eggs this Fall season -- with or without a rooster.

16sf is only good for 4 chickens max,17 is way to many. It would be better if you could attach two crates together with a pitched roof and legs a couple of feet off the ground and 2 external laying boxes with a access lid and a roost bar.A large clean out door wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Hi Supercoops, welcome to BYC. I hope you use the site to learn more about caring for your birds and coop design. I wouldn't be keen on using the coop you have built but I've learnt from my own mistakes too. Here are some things I would consider in coop design-

- easy to clean. chickens are poop machines and if you don't clean out the poop regularly (daily) in a small area like that coop then you are going to have health problems with your birds very quickly. A side that is hinged and opens up would allow you to easily sweep it out.

-ventilation. especially in hot weather that coop would be quite uncomfortable.

-roosts (perches). Chickens like to be up off the ground when they sleep.

- nest boxes. hens like a safe, cosy place to lay their eggs and it will protect the eggs from being broken before you collect them. Usually you would have a nestbox per four or five hens.

- predators. Depends upon what dangers lurk in your neighbourhood. My coop is fox and cat proof.

I'm still learning about chicken care myself but I hope this helps you. There are some good info pages in the learning centre, just search for coop design.

At 8.5 square feet I would say 17 hens is Way to many, I would say it would house at and absolute push, if the hens are free range or have a very big run (at least 10square feet each) and you get little or no snow, around 6 hens at most. If you get a lot of snow then 2-3 hens. Hens need nest boxes, around 12"x12"x12" is good for large fowl. 1 box to every 5 hens is a good rule of thumb. I don't see any roosts in the pictures, do they have roosts? Each hen will need around 8" of roost space each, that is 18" from the ceiling and at least 12" from the floor. Tree branches with a diameter of 2-3 inches are best, but 2x2 timber with the edges rounded off a small bit are also good.

jetdog said:

16sf is only good for 4 chickens max,17 is way to many. It would be better if you could attach two crates together with a pitched roof and legs a couple of feet off the ground and 2 external laying boxes with a access lid and a roost bar.A large clean out door wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the response. It looks like I need to define some terminology:

o The coops/crates are 16 cubic feet in volume. They are 8 square feet in area.
o When I say "coop" I actually mean the box/crate. I'm not including the run area. I assume the owner can provide that part.

Please refer to the last picture in the OP. One coop/crate has no problem housing the 17 chickens on the left side. No problem at all. I lined the bottom with horse bedding and it controls the odor very well. In the winter time they snuggle together to keep warm. Our winters typically get into single digits (degrees F) or -15 degrees C. I lost one chicken before I set up the coop on the left side of the picture. They snuggled behind a barrel and rolled it over on her. Now they all go inside the box for protection. It is a sturdy box. It was rated to transport 800 pounds of cargo across the ocean and stack ten levels high with a forklift.

I attached a picture of a box with sliding shelves in this response-post. I can fit 8 egg laying boxes on each level for a total of 16 boxes in one coop. If one box is enough for 5 birds then this coop will hypothetically handle 5*16 = 80 chickens (assuming they have plenty of room to run). I know it won't handle 80 egg layers. I please need a formula that works, and I appreciate the time you've taken to respond.

Are there any roosts?

hollys chooks said:

Hi Supercoops, welcome to BYC. I hope you use the site to learn more about caring for your birds and coop design. I wouldn't be keen on using the coop you have built but I've learnt from my own mistakes too. Here are some things I would consider in coop design-

- easy to clean. chickens are poop machines and if you don't clean out the poop regularly (daily) in a small area like that coop then you are going to have health problems with your birds very quickly. A side that is hinged and opens up would allow you to easily sweep it out.

-ventilation. especially in hot weather that coop would be quite uncomfortable.

-roosts (perches). Chickens like to be up off the ground when they sleep.

- nest boxes. hens like a safe, cosy place to lay their eggs and it will protect the eggs from being broken before you collect them. Usually you would have a nestbox per four or five hens.

- predators. Depends upon what dangers lurk in your neighbourhood. My coop is fox and cat proof.

I'm still learning about chicken care myself but I hope this helps you. There are some good info pages in the learning centre, just search for coop design.

Click to expand...

Hello Hollys Chooks from Australia. Thanks for your response. Let's please discuss your points:

Cleaning: Wow -- if you are cleaning your coops everyday then you are working yourself to death. That isn't necessary when you use horse bedding in the bottom. They really like it too. That's typically the way people do it in our neck of the world. I thought about using vinyl catch canvas, but found it probably isn't necessary with the horse bedding in place. (see attached picture with yellow catch canvas liner). I gave up that idea.

Ventilation: I understand that chickens like to stay cool and we really get some heat in the Southern USA. My chickens go underneath the coop and bed down on the dirt. ., I'm using a nursery canopy netting that filters 50% of the sunlight (please refer to 2nd picture in this response). The netting takes the heat way down. You can buy 80% filter canopies. It is soft against the chickens' wings and feathers.

Nest boxes: Please refer to pictures in my first response to jetdog. I can get 16 nest boxes in a coop/crate with the addition of a loft that has sliding shelves. I know I can't keep 80 egg layers in there. Two dozen could be a reasonable number according to one chicken grower I've spoken with here in town.. I haven't seen it done so I don't know.

Roosts: Yes they do like to feel the breeze in the day and get off the ground at night. In this response I attached a picture of a coop raised up on another crate. The crate is good for storing the food, bedding, etc.

Predator protection: The netting protects against barn owls and hawks. Barn owls have been known to carry off human infants. That's how big they are. The original crates were rated to carry 800 lb (364 kg) . They weigh 90 lb ( 41 kg). An extremely large dog can not budge one of these crates. It won't stop a bear or a large feline predator. A powerful rifle is about the only thing that will stop them.

Thank you for taking the time to explain. Maybe I'm not getting it. Please do help me with that.

.

Irishhenman said:

Are there any roosts?

Click to expand...

Do you mean -- something that elevates the coop? Is this the right idea with a coop raised up on a crate (reference picture)?

With this set-up it's easy to reach the bottom on the inside of the elevated coop without bending over.

No, inside the coop there should be horizontal tree branches or 2x2 lumber around 18" from the ceiling and at least 12" from the floor for the hens to sleep on

My camera is broken so here are some images I got off google (not mine)

There have been some great suggestions given. As a chicken keeper I provide 3-4 square feet of floor space. I believe floor space is what is referred to when this rule is used, not cubic feet, and most chicken keeps on this site will agree. If trying to fit 17 in, it is more like a boxed roost than a coop. It definitely needs more ventilation and the roof on an angle for the rain to run off of. They're going to poop in there and the ammonia needs to escape somehow. The crate on its side is an interesting idea for storage but not for food (unless using metal containers). One end of this should be hinged for cleaning. On the raised one (if end hinged) a customer could easily roll a wheelbarrow under the end and clean it out. Truthfully if I drove by and saw the coop I would not purchase it (for the above reasons). If someone around here offered the crates that are seen in the background I'd be interested in purchasing those.