1st time building a coop

[RoseCassFarm]

Hello all!

I just brought home four chicks last Saturday. Even before we brought them home, I started looking into idea for coops...but I just can't decide!!! I feel overwhelmed by all of the choices and variations! Any tips? How did you choose your coop? How long did it take you to plan it and build it? I live on 3/4 acre and the chickens, by law, have to be contained in a run at all times (which I don't mind since we live on a main road). What size coop and run did you settle on? Was it enough? I basically want to pick everyone's brain -- how did you make your decisions?

 

[Judy]

I just built as big as I could, particularly for the run. Just an ordinary shed; materials were determined by what was free, cheap or already here.

I do not like those little boxes; I will be able to walk into my coop, or not have chickens.

 

[aart]

Would strongly suggest you do a lot of reading about housing, predators and hardware cloth before building.
Good Luck, Have Fun!!

 

[joan1708]

My suggestion would be, to see what you have, make a basic plan and just start working! It will take longer to build and cost more money than you want. I solved most of my problems as I built. Of course there were mistakes and things I would have done differently. But, I made my best decisions and "adjustments" out there building it. It took me six months to build mine (I'm a little slow). My issue's were that the site was tight (small congested area), on a slope, it had to be hidden behind a fence and under large bushes (I don't want anyone to be able to see my coop), and had to be as rat/mice proof as possible. I got frustrated some, but I am satisfied with my coop and I'm glad I did it!

I think we all have different needs and situations. No one can tell you how to build your coop. There are so many ideas at this site to help you. With lots of effort and work, you will figure it out, mostly as you build it.

 

[redhotchick]

Bigger run and smaller coop!!!

 

[arcatamarcia]

I agree. Bigger run and smaller coop. I think the minimum for a combo run/coop is about 10 sq. ft. per chicken, but I would go much bigger if they are going to be in there all the time.

Also, think about what you're going to do on the floor, both of the coop and the run. In the coop, sand versus deep litter seems to be the best choices. Deep litter you can maintain once or twice a year, just dumping the whole thing into compost and starting over. Sand stays cleaner (all the poop stays high and dry, waiting for you to come get it), but you have to maintain it regularly. That's what I use. I clean it about once a week, sifting the sand through a colander. Takes less than five minutes. In the run, if they're going to be there all the time, I'd leave just a dirt floor so they can peck at bugs and dig for seeds. It will also make a difference if your run is covered or not. If not, you'll need a bigger coop because they'll spend more time there in inclement weather. If your run is covered (even just a portion), they'll spend most of their time in the run. Also, if it's uncovered it will likely smell when it rains. If it's uncovered, they will need some kind of sun protection. They mostly don't like to be in bright sun.

And spend a fair amount of time considering your predators. If you want to keep rats out, you'll have to encase the entire run in 1/2" or smaller hardware cloth. Including the floor. They will tunnel under to get at the chicken food. Or you could dispense with that and just bring the food in at night. In any case, you'll at least need to protect your girls from Raccoons and hawks. There's lots of valuable information in the Forum about this.

Finally, make sure the coop has adequate ventilation. More is better even in the winter where it snows. There's lots of ways to do it. I live where the winters are mild, so my coop has three walls. The fourth wall is 1/2" hardware cloth. It never smells in there and the birds are always dry. But make sure there's wind protection on the side with the screen. There's also lots of information in the Forum about this.

Everything else is personal preference. You can get as fancy or as primitive as you like. But the chickens will not care. It's all about whether you can see it from your house and if so, what you want to look at. But also, it took me two years to build my coop. I did it entirely by my own hand and am very proud of it. But you don't have that kind of time. Your girls will get big faster than you think. So if I were you I'd start roomy (if you have it, 80 sq. ft. would not be too big for four chickens) and pretty basic. You can make modifications as you figure out what your preferences are.