The Peeps | |
Black Crested Polish - "Tulip" Born 2/26/2011 (13 days old) | 
Ameraucana - "Rosie" Born 2/26/2011 (13 days old) |
Buff Orpington - "Peaches" Born 2/26/2011 (13 days old) | 
Black Cochin - "Daisy" Born 2/26/2011 (13 days old) |
Golden Laced Wyandotte - "Goldie" Born 3/7/2011 (4 days old) | 
Rhode Island Red - "Blossom" Born 2/28/2011 (11 days old) |
Here are the proposed Google Sketchup plans for our first chicken coop. We are in San Jose, California with pretty mild weather. No snow in the winter and summer temps usually in the 80's with one or two hot spells where it might go over 100. We are looking to get some standard sized hens like RIR and Barred Rocks. This coop and run design is going to be for 4 hens at the most. The size of the run is 10' x 4' (including the portion under the coop) and the size of the coop is 4' x 4'. The frame in contact with the ground is going to be pressure treated 2 x 4's, all the other framing is non-pressure treated 2 x 4's. Welded wire (1/2" hardware cloth) will be stapled around the entire outside to keep out intruders. I couldn't figure out how to draw welded wire in sketchup so it is not shown. The coop itself is 2 feet off the ground. The roof is about 6 feet tall at the shortest spot so I can stand inside the run for cleaning. Details of coop:
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| Below is a view of the side that shows the large access door, measuring about 36" x 36". |
View of the same side but I removed some of the side panels to show the inside of the coop. There are two roosts that are each about 4 feet long. One of them is 24" from the floor and the other is 32" from the floor. Both roosts are about 14" away from the wall. The perch is 2" wide. Designing and positioning the roosts was one of the more challenging pieces and I know I probably only need one 4 foot long roost for my 4 hens. But it seemed like a good idea to add another one so they can have a little more space. Is this a good idea or should I go back to having only one roost? |
All comments welcome - thanks!