First coop time! Advice?

[ElfenLied89]

Getting ideas for my first coop ever. I admit I got chickens before the coop. But! They are warm and have a sleep area etc. Spoiled feather butts.



Was wondering if there are any good plans for up to 20 chickens? I only have 18 right now, and will be selling down to 10. Am buying more though so no need to worry about that.



What are some helpful building tips? My hubs has the tools and used to be a carpenter in his late teen early 20s time. So he knows how to cut wood and all that. I am looking for easy to build and maintain type designs as I do all the work. I have lower spinal issues so bending alot and all that hurts like a mother trucker. Any ideas where cleaning out the coop is not as difficult is def wanted!



Give me your ideas and experiences! What would you have done differently? What are some good designs?

 

[Jakemedic]

Make it larger than you originally planned. Enclosed and covered run is very nice too. Make it larger than you planned as well. Protection against predators is VERY important. Have access to power so you can have a heater for water and lighting. A poop board under their perches makes for easier clean up. Adequate ventilation is also very important. I’m sure others will post their ideas too. Here is a picture of our girls home. Oh yea, almost forgot, “have fun building it”! My father in law helped me greatly when building ours. He is a gem of a person and I will always cherish the time we spent laughing and building.
Jake

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

https://easycoops.com/

This website is great - it has many coop plans - you don't need to buy them just download the pdf and you can see and the instructions for building on each one!

 

[tripletfeb]

My husband and I built our coop together and we love it! Some ideas we used that I love are how tall the run is. I don't want to have to bend down when I'm in the run. The coop itself is elevated so the chickens have that area to use as well. The nesting boxes hang outside so they don't take up valuable space. The food is in a "silo" type gravity feeder on the side of the coop. But my favorite part of the whole thing is the ease of cleaning it. We made it to the perfect height where our work cart can fit perfectly under it and all I have to do is scrape the bedding into the cart and haul it away(usually to our garden). The floor of the coop is a plastic type of pvc flooring that makes cleaning super easy too. I use the deep bedding method and only clean it out twice a year. The two big windows in the coop are covered in hardware cloth so they stay open all summer long but have slide in covers that we put in for the winter. There are small windows(also covered in hardware cloth) on each side that stay open all year. Here are some pictures. Since I took these pictures, we have expanded the run another 32 square feet. The first picture, you can see the window slide outs are not in and they are in the second picture. We have starting using plastic slideouts so the girls can still see out and get some sunlight during the winter. That long door under those big windows are what I can open and swing down so our cart fits perfectly underneath. The whole run is covered in hardware cloth so I leave their door, from the coop into the run, open all year so they can go in and out as they please. This was made for around six chickens. If I had as many as you, I would, at least, triple the size. Right now, the coop is 4x5 and the run is 12' plus the additional 32 square feet(not pictured). You can research Carolina Coops and get some great ideas as well, that's who we modeled this one off of

 

[BY Bob]

Start with a list of what you need in a coop. You should do that first. For example:

• Where I live I need to be able to lock them in the coop for 3-4 days at a time because of extreme wind chills. That means my coop has to be big enough to hold 6 chickens for several days at a time.
• Are you limited in yard space? If so you may want a raised coop to increase your run space by utilizing the space under the coop as run. If not, then you may want a walk in coop for ease of access.
• How many nest boxes do you need?
• Do you need to be able to store food and other supplies in the coop?
• Do you need electricity? For heat or light.
• What kind of coop door are you going to use? Will you employ an automated door or are you going to close them every night?
• What kind of roosting do you need/want? Here I need 2x4 on the wide side so I am certain their feet are covered by feathers at night to prevent frost bite in the winter.
• How much roost space do you need? What kind of roosts? One long roost? Multiple roosts? Ladder style roosts? Not to mention following the roost to chicken space requirements.
• Will you provide food and water in the coop? You need to plan space for that then. I do because of winter and because my dual purpose girls get up and eat/drink at night when then nights are longer.
• How easy will the coop be to clean?
• Can you easily reach a bird that might be in distress or to just check them over. You should have easy a access to the roosts so you can gather them if you need to.

These are just some things to consider. The most important thing is to make your list before deciding on anything. I put a list in my coop build article. You can check my full list there. The link can be found below.

 

[Penpal]

Even if you are planning on free ranging, give them a run with a roof of some sort. This way, if you have to leave for a day or two or longer they can still get out of the coop with no worries. If you have a predator they can be in the run while you manage the problem. If you have weather problems you can still let them out of the coop by putting a barrier on the wind side of the run.

Have a good roof overhang so that fresh air can get in via the windows, but not rain, snow, or hail.

 

[0die]

build bigger and stronger than you think.

honestly, should have been built first. Chickens later.

 

[Tahai]

HPAI is still in the Eastern flyways (outbreak on a Pheasant farm in downstate PA over Christmas), so make sure you have a large enough run that you can keep them contained and under cover for several months if need be.
https://extension.psu.edu/hpai-is-still-here-is-it-here-to-stay

I also have lower back issues, so a raised coop is a great idea. Make sure to have generous sized doors on multiple sides, and make sure that you can reach the center of the coop from each door (so about 4 feet total width means you only have to reach 2 feet to get to the center.

I agree with BY Bob: Give serious thought to how you will use your set up, and take advantage of this blank slate to build with intention. Visualize yourself going through your daily routines with your birds, and adjust your build to maximize efficiency for your situation.

I've attached some pics of my new Fort Knox as my dad and I built last spring. I have A LOT of predator pressure, so you may or may not need my level of security. It's still a work in progress, but has held up well so far. I have 10 hens who are confined 98% of the time. ( I've added several enrichment items since the last picture below was taken. )

you can see I have 3 doors on each side for ease of cleaning out.

This is the run before I put the tarp on. The hardware cloth was a pain to put on, but necessary for my predator load (I had to go with 16 guage pvc coated 1/4 hardware, which was very pricey, but also critical based on my previous experiences. We used U-nails to attach to the 2x4s - wood stapes are too easy for racoons to pull out) :

And after. The tarp has held up well to weather - even this winter snow/wind storm that swept through the nation recently.