thehomesteadwitch
Chirping
A little over a week ago, I posted the beginnings of what was (at the time) going to be our coop for our future chickens. So many comments were encouraging me to rethink our plans and offered up some great advice! (Thread here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/honey-im-building-the-coop.1500268/)
I hadn't replied because, to be honest, I was stumped. I wanted to come back with some good ideas and incorporate what I had been told!
I also realized that I hadn't actually shown any plans or gone into detail. That's not going to be a problem in this thread; I've come with plans!
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First off, the plan is now to build a coop that is 12' wide, 16' long, and a height of 8-9'. It will be enclosed on the front half to allow for protection from gusts of wind from across my backyard, but will be enclosed with wire on the other half (protected from the wind.)
The chickens will not be in their coop 24/7, but will be allowed out all day with ample hiding spots in the free range area outside their coop. I plan on planting fruit trees, garden veggies, and placing a chicken safe compost pile in the pasture for them to pick from (I'll have my own garden/farm on the other side of the yard, so any of these foods will be really for them to mainly have.)
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^ This is the area they'll be living in. The coop iteself is just under 200sq ft, and the area that will be fenced in (from large ground predators) is around 7,000 sq ft.
^ Here is a painted version of what I'm thinking. I'm hoping to get a rainwater collection system installed for their water, and I plan on doing a deep litter method so we can use their bedding for compost
I don't think I'll keep more than 25-30 chickens in here at a time, this will be for my egg layers and any babies they raise. I'll have a tractor system in a small meadow on the otherside of the property for meat birds.
^ Here is what I've drawn as far as the look of the coop.
^^ And this is what the draft/air exchange of the coop will ultimately look like. I realize I didn't draw up a 3D render, but where the roosts are will be a small wall partition to block any small drafts from the forest (the forest is thick though, so I don't anticipate many 'gusts')
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I live near the southern North Carolina coast (a quick 15 minute drive to the ocean) so it is hot and extremely humid here most of the year. It rarely gets below 30F here, so I've taken the route of focusing on the hot months (it stays 85-95F six months out of the year) than try and box up my chickens for a cold that they can ultimately handle on their own.
I am beyond excited for this build, especially because I've designed it myself, and also because my husband and son are really excited to help this dream happen!
Updates coming soon!
I hadn't replied because, to be honest, I was stumped. I wanted to come back with some good ideas and incorporate what I had been told!
I also realized that I hadn't actually shown any plans or gone into detail. That's not going to be a problem in this thread; I've come with plans!
------
First off, the plan is now to build a coop that is 12' wide, 16' long, and a height of 8-9'. It will be enclosed on the front half to allow for protection from gusts of wind from across my backyard, but will be enclosed with wire on the other half (protected from the wind.)
The chickens will not be in their coop 24/7, but will be allowed out all day with ample hiding spots in the free range area outside their coop. I plan on planting fruit trees, garden veggies, and placing a chicken safe compost pile in the pasture for them to pick from (I'll have my own garden/farm on the other side of the yard, so any of these foods will be really for them to mainly have.)
------
^ This is the area they'll be living in. The coop iteself is just under 200sq ft, and the area that will be fenced in (from large ground predators) is around 7,000 sq ft.
^ Here is a painted version of what I'm thinking. I'm hoping to get a rainwater collection system installed for their water, and I plan on doing a deep litter method so we can use their bedding for compost
I don't think I'll keep more than 25-30 chickens in here at a time, this will be for my egg layers and any babies they raise. I'll have a tractor system in a small meadow on the otherside of the property for meat birds.^ Here is what I've drawn as far as the look of the coop.
^^ And this is what the draft/air exchange of the coop will ultimately look like. I realize I didn't draw up a 3D render, but where the roosts are will be a small wall partition to block any small drafts from the forest (the forest is thick though, so I don't anticipate many 'gusts')
----
I live near the southern North Carolina coast (a quick 15 minute drive to the ocean) so it is hot and extremely humid here most of the year. It rarely gets below 30F here, so I've taken the route of focusing on the hot months (it stays 85-95F six months out of the year) than try and box up my chickens for a cold that they can ultimately handle on their own.
I am beyond excited for this build, especially because I've designed it myself, and also because my husband and son are really excited to help this dream happen!
Updates coming soon!
