Chicken coop plans

[rolohman]

Another vote for the narrower elevated coop! That’s essentially what we have and I love being able to access it easily. Past three feet deep and it’d be a lot more difficult.

 

[Happy hen lover]

The bedding falling out of pop door in middle of coop was 1st thing I thought of. I have an elevated coop with deep bedding. Bedding is 4" deep in summer then in winter I add more for warmth. I just crawl in weekly to scoop poop. I only change my bedding once a year and I use mini pine shavings for bedding and in my nest boxes. The red door is my pop door on a pulley.
I have since added poop boards (which is just a suspended tray) filled with sweet PDZ directly under roosts, which makes poop cleaning go really fast. It's like cat litter only better and I just use a cat litter scoop to clean.
Just make sure you keep your roosts higher than nest boxes.
I love the idea of gathering eggs from the shed!
I have taken down wood soffits and replaced with hardware cloth for ventilation . I'm sorry I'm rambling here I'm just trying to share all the improvements from my experiences.
Warnings : when girls are pullets " teenagers" they are too stupid to go to bed in coop. So the little buggers hide under coop at dark so I have added a nightlight to coop on a timer to help that. You may need to block underside of coop till they figure that out so you don't have to chase them back into coop at night.
I wish you all the best you're very lucky to have such a talented hubby on this journey.

 

[Witchychickens]

I figured I should update!

We ended up with a walk in style run in front of coop type design. It’s under construction as we speak.

My husband has it basically framed out. He only has Saturdays to work on it and it’s still really cold here but he’s making good progress all things considered.

We are focusing on finishing the coop section as we have chicks that will need to go out early May.

We have 7 chicks, one is a silkie and the coop itself is 33 square feet so they have just about 5 sq feet per bird and we will not have more than 7. I got guaranteed hens but if anyone is a Roo, they will have to find a new home (sad).

Someday when we move I will be able to experience “chicken math” and Roosters but I cannot in this location.

We have attached hardware cloth on the underside of the coop already but still have to attach skirts. He framed out a large window for the back. We will need major gutters on my garden shed and the coop and will do some rain barrels for water collection.

All in all, we are excited! I am extremely lucky to have a husband who is so talented.

Today, he is finishing the rafters and possibly a few other parts. I will continue updating as things unfold.

We decided to pour concrete in the run and that will have to wait until it’s a tad warmer. We don’t think we have any issues with rats but I don’t want to find out the hard way. We will be using a treadle feeder and storing the feed in a completely different location. We have cats that are phenomenal mousers.

I am also making the garden around the coop enclosed with chicken wire so they might be able to forage in the garden off seasons While I’m outside. We may eventually have a pop door from the back side for free ranging if that seems to make sense as things unfold.

 

[Witchychickens]

This was todays progress, window installed, framing is complete, we ran out of plywood and he didn’t want to buy more because he often has overage from work that customers do not want to keep and he gets to take so we are hoping to get some overage.

this week we are expecting some light snow midweek but I will get out there and try to dig out the high spots and level the run ground for him to pour concrete. We were planning more windows but he decided to forgo that right now. If I want a window in the future on the eastern side, he said he could cut one in.

 

[Witchychickens]

Updating with our progress!

Today my husband got the fascia on and weatherproofed the roof, he completed the interior walls.

We also ordered the last of the hardware cloth. I am going to finish the interior this week and also put the hardware cloth ground apron around.

He completely enclosed the base in metal and hardware cloth but we will still be adding an apron for further predator deterrence.


Our roosts will go at the very end on the right, we need minimum of 56 inches of roost space but will be adding a 3rd tier for 84 total inches of roost space.

I’m getting excited. I’m also tired of the stinky chickens in my basement bedroom

 

[Witchychickens]

Today I am going to be raking and leveling the run floor, adding some sphagnum moss and trying to get the hardware cloth skirt on.

The chickens came outside yesterday for a little while. I will bring them back out today. I have to add something to cover their playpen because my Australorp and Leghorn like fly out.

 

[Witchychickens]

Painted the interior walls with 2 of my kids today and did the hardware cloth skirt on 3 sides. I ran short for the back side and decided to quit because that side needs to be cut in width because 24 inch won’t fit.

I did the HWC by hand with poultry staples. I am so stiff and sore.

 

[Witchychickens]

Today I painted the interior surfaces of the run with porch and floor paint and also did the floor in the coop with the same paint. The interior is painted and my wallpaper is hung. I will put a coat of flex seal over the wallpaper tomorrow for easy cleaning.

This weekend my husband is going to install the roof and possibly the coop door. I’m hoping to get the roosts cut, painted, and installed, Also, the roost under shelf and the HWC on the run exterior, the ventilation eaves, and the window.

That will leave pop doors, nesting boxes, exterior trim on the run, and the coop siding/painting.

Hopefully we can get it inhabitable in the next 2 weeks. The goal was to have it done when they are 6 weeks. Everyone is almost totally feathered other than their heads.

Pics of the wallpaper and interior of the coop.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Pics of the wallpaper and interior of the coop.

Oh my goodness, the wallpaper!!

 

[Witchychickens]

Oh my goodness, the wallpaper!!

I couldn’t resist and I wanted them to have inspiration!

We are naming our homestead “Sunny Side Up Farm” it just made sense.