Chicken Coop Do's and Don'ts

[Lala-chicken]

I am a new chicken owner and we are in the process of building our first coop. We don't have a ton of room for a large coop but are planning on a 6x10 run with the coop elevated. The coop would be 4x6 with 3 to 4 nesting boxes inside (we will only have 5 to 6 chicks). My question is - what are your must haves? Looking for things to include for the coop (flooring, nesting, perching, storage, etc.) and what type of flooring for the coop and run (sand, pinestraw, etc.). Do you hang your water feeders and food? I would greatly appreciate any and all advice so we can start off on the right track.

Thanks!!

 

[mowin]

No need for so many nesting boxes. 2 will be fine. I had 6 boxes, and 14 hens only used 3 of them.
Research ventilation. Its very important to flock health.

 

[RojoMarz]

Remember, if something you try doesn't work, you can change it.

We have both a hanging feeder and a non hanging one. You really don't need 3-4 nest boxes. Make less and use the space for something else.

My recommendation is to fit in/have a poop board with roost above. I find the poop board keeps the coop floor clean.

 

[Shadrach]

We are in Georgia, so really hot and very humid in summer and moderate to mild winters (low of 30's). We have fox, coyotes, bobcats, opposums, racoons, and hawks. I plan on free ranging them only when we are able to be outside with them which is quite often but they will get to roam the yard at least once a day as a minimum. The coop is in a fenced in back yard but I know predators are crafty.

You're going to need a well ventilated fortress.
A popular design here on BYC is to build a coop with the run attached, usually from one end of the coop making a rectangle with coop and run combined.
I've read your yard is fenced but I doubt it's security fencing.
I would sugggest you build you build a high security run with a small coop sat in the middle. This gives your chickens 3 layers of security when in the coop; your yard fence, then the security fence surrounding the coop and lastly the coop itself.
Plenty of people lose chickens in coops because once a predator is in the yard it can gain access to the coop itself without having to deal with what acts as a secure perimeter fence.
If you need lots of ventilation then what people usually do is cover the holes with hardware cloth. I suggest you use one 12 guage inch square weldmesh and then cover that with quarter inch hardware cloth. I've had rats chew through not so good quality hardware cloth.

 

[Krugerrand]

I'm a huge fan of this article as it pertains to coop building:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/yakisugi-coop.76398/
@Yakisugi Coop did a great job of doing research prior to building. Much of that research is linked in the article. And, while you may come to different conclusions, the article does a good job getting you 'thinking the right way.'

If you read through @fuzzi 's chicken journal, you'll see a great example of how the community can help and guide you as you go. This ended up with a very nice hoop coop.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fuzzis-chicken-journal.1550586/

Have you considered an Open Air coop? @3KillerBs has good info on those.

PS, an Open Air coop -- a roofed wire box with a 3-sided shelter at one end -- is an excellent choice in a hot climate.

Open Air Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-positive-local-action-coop.72804/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/california-living.68130/

To really know what you want from a coop, you'll also need to know what you want from your chickens. Are you in this just for eggs? Are you looking to harvest meat? Will you cull chickens after 2 years when their production slows down? Will you raise baby chicks? Do you want a broody hen to raise chicks for you? Do you have any interest in breeding chickens for show? Many people just want the chickens as pets. Some people on here don't care about eggs and the chicken manure for compost is their primary motivation. Those answers can impact decisions you make in how you construct your coop.

Oh, before all else, check your local laws and ordinances.

 

[Shadrach]

I am a new chicken owner and we are in the process of building our first coop. We don't have a ton of room for a large coop but are planning on a 6x10 run with the coop elevated. The coop would be 4x6 with 3 to 4 nesting boxes inside (we will only have 5 to 6 chicks). My question is - what are your must haves? Looking for things to include for the coop (flooring, nesting, perching, storage, etc.) and what type of flooring for the coop and run (sand, pinestraw, etc.). Do you hang your water feeders and food? I would greatly appreciate any and all advice so we can start off on the right track.

Thanks!!

The right track.
What is your climate like? You could fill in your location in your profile which will help people give advice/opinions relevant to the weather you get.
What predators do you have?
Why do you want to keep chickens and how do you intend to keep them, fully confined, out of the coop and run ranging for some hours daily, full ranging?
Once you've got these things clear in your mind then you'll be in a position to think about which breeds would fare best with your keeping model.

 

[2ndTink]

Make sure you have easy access to clean inside the coop, the less nooks and crannies the better for having to fish dirty bedding around or out of. A little light with a timer you can set if you want a light on them to help them lay in the winter can be handy. I use one to help them get settled in at night, I have one coop that they wait until it's late before they try to go in and then it's too dark inside, so the little light helps.

Lots of ventilation as others have said. Easy access to food, water, and the nesting boxes. As easy as it is to buy extra chickens, avoid over crowding your coop, about 4 sqft in the coop per bird, 1 linear foot of roost per bird and 10 sqft per bird in the run minimum. 1 sqft of ventilation in the coop per bird, but in locations so the coop isn't drafty in the cold weather.

 

[Shadrach]

Welcome to BYC by the way.
One last thing. This is imo the best article on ventilation from a person who lives in a similar climate to yours.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

 

[Lala-chicken]

The right track.
What is your climate like? You could fill in your location in your profile which will help people give advice/opinions relevant to the weather you get.
What predators do you have?
Why you want to keep chickens and how do you intend to keep them, fully confined, out of the coop and run ranging for some hours daily, full ranging?
Once you've got these things clear in your mind then you'' be in a position to think about which breeds would far best with your keeping model.

The right track.
What is your climate like? You could fill in your location in your profile which will help people give advice/opinions relevant to the weather you get.
What predators do you have?
Why you want to keep chickens and how do you intend to keep them, fully confined, out of the coop and run ranging for some hours daily, full ranging?
Once you've got these things clear in your mind then you'' be in a position to think about which breeds would far best with your keeping model.

We are in Georgia, so really hot and very humid in summer and moderate to mild winters (low of 30's). We have fox, coyotes, bobcats, opposums, racoons, and hawks. I plan on free ranging them only when we are able to be outside with them which is quite often but they will get to roam the yard at least once a day as a minimum. The coop is in a fenced in back yard but I know predators are crafty.

 

[Lala-chicken]

Thank you! We were thinking something like this.