My coop is 8 yrs old now. I started out with a 4x4 dog house my husband had built and the dog didn't use he raised it up a couple feet, a ramp and added a pull out tray to clean under the roost. At the time I started out with 4 silkies. Then in a couple weeks time I ended up with 13 silkies. I soon realized this is not going to work when they are full grown and winter arrives, where in northern NY we measure daily snowfall in feet not inches. So I started making plans with my husband to build a bigger coop. I knew I wanted a walk in and 8ft by 16ft for ease of winter chicken chores and so the silkies would have enough room to stay in the coop all winter. By this time I was learning that I had about 5 roosters and should only keep 1. So that meant I was down to 9 total and 128sqft would be plenty. I had read about Woods coop and really wanted that style but at the time I couldn’t find good pictures of one completed and tried explaining to my husband what I wanted. Well I guess I didn’t do a good job because the open area should have been on one end, not the whole front. In the end it all works though. We made it through winter.
Fast forward to spring. I spent all winter on BYC reading about chicken care, broodys, hatching eggs, and raising chicks (I had gotten juvenile silkies off heat the spring before). I got an incubator and started hatching eggs and found another joy of chicken keeping hatching and raising chicks, then the silkies were broody and hatching chick before I knew it I was over run with chicks and needed more room. So I talked my husband into adding additions to the ends of the coop so I would have more space for brooders, supplies and broody hens. So we added 8ft on one end and 4ft on the other (this was supposed to be 8ft too but we realized the ground wasn’t level enough).
Then I added bantam ameraucana. Things were going really smoothly I loved learning about breeding to standard. I had plenty of space to breed and brood chicks. Then this past November I lost all my bantams to a predator attack. I hadn’t realized that the red squirrels had chewed into the back corner and this let in what I think was a weasel or ermine. I went out one morning and found all my birds dead and piled up. I was devastated, all those birds I had hatched and raised. I was so heartbroken I didn’t think I could keep chickens anymore. Hindsight, I think I got overwhelmed I was keeping 25 bantams, hatching large numbers in the spring and growing out all summer for breeder selection the next season. I had been behind on my fall maintenance, if I had done my clean out I would have seen the damage in the wall behind the food can.
But then spring came and I really missed having chicks in the brooder and chickens in the coop. Plus my husband was encouraging me to get more chickens and he would repair and reinforce the coop. So I started researching breeds. But when it came down to it I really loved the ameraucanas and decided to start over with that breed but in large fowl. I found a couple of breeders and drove to get eggs. Fast forward now I have (9) 13 week old BBS and (6) 8 week old splash large fowl ameraucana grow outs. I plan to keep only 10, 9 pullets and 1 cockerel. My daughter really wanted silkies so she has 4 black silkies. I’ve decided no more breeding big numbers. I’m just keeping a small flock to enjoy. One small hatch in the spring to keep the flock sustainable without having to bring in new birds.
The coop 8ft wide by 28ft long. It is 7 ft tall, I love being able to walk in and move from one end to the other. My favorite thing to do is go in and sit to watch the flock antics. We reinforced the bottom with hardware cloth behind 16” skirt. We will add gravel on top of buried hardware cloth apron.
For winter we add corrugated clear panels, these lasted us 6 winters, they have become brittle and cracked so we will buy new in the fall. The first winter we stapled up plastic, but we found it didn’t allow enough ventilation and the humidity built up. The corrugated panel provides ventilation without drafts or snow come in. Plus you can only use plastic one season as it’s pretty tore up by the end of winter. So it ends up cheaper in the long run to use panels.
The 8x8 section can be closed for inter grating younger group or separating a mating group. Etc..
I have 2 roost with PDZ underneath, so I can sift manure with kitty litter scoop to keep it clean and fresh. The floor is dirt with added peat moss and a thin layer of fine shavings. I love the trough feeders we made out of PVC. They stay clean. Never any wasted feed because they can’t beak it out. No bullying away from food bowl everyone can eat at once.
The 4x8 section is for storage of supplies.
Under the roost can be sectioned off for young chicks.
I hope you enjoy and get some ideas for features in your coop.
Fast forward to spring. I spent all winter on BYC reading about chicken care, broodys, hatching eggs, and raising chicks (I had gotten juvenile silkies off heat the spring before). I got an incubator and started hatching eggs and found another joy of chicken keeping hatching and raising chicks, then the silkies were broody and hatching chick before I knew it I was over run with chicks and needed more room. So I talked my husband into adding additions to the ends of the coop so I would have more space for brooders, supplies and broody hens. So we added 8ft on one end and 4ft on the other (this was supposed to be 8ft too but we realized the ground wasn’t level enough).
Then I added bantam ameraucana. Things were going really smoothly I loved learning about breeding to standard. I had plenty of space to breed and brood chicks. Then this past November I lost all my bantams to a predator attack. I hadn’t realized that the red squirrels had chewed into the back corner and this let in what I think was a weasel or ermine. I went out one morning and found all my birds dead and piled up. I was devastated, all those birds I had hatched and raised. I was so heartbroken I didn’t think I could keep chickens anymore. Hindsight, I think I got overwhelmed I was keeping 25 bantams, hatching large numbers in the spring and growing out all summer for breeder selection the next season. I had been behind on my fall maintenance, if I had done my clean out I would have seen the damage in the wall behind the food can.
But then spring came and I really missed having chicks in the brooder and chickens in the coop. Plus my husband was encouraging me to get more chickens and he would repair and reinforce the coop. So I started researching breeds. But when it came down to it I really loved the ameraucanas and decided to start over with that breed but in large fowl. I found a couple of breeders and drove to get eggs. Fast forward now I have (9) 13 week old BBS and (6) 8 week old splash large fowl ameraucana grow outs. I plan to keep only 10, 9 pullets and 1 cockerel. My daughter really wanted silkies so she has 4 black silkies. I’ve decided no more breeding big numbers. I’m just keeping a small flock to enjoy. One small hatch in the spring to keep the flock sustainable without having to bring in new birds.
The coop 8ft wide by 28ft long. It is 7 ft tall, I love being able to walk in and move from one end to the other. My favorite thing to do is go in and sit to watch the flock antics. We reinforced the bottom with hardware cloth behind 16” skirt. We will add gravel on top of buried hardware cloth apron.
For winter we add corrugated clear panels, these lasted us 6 winters, they have become brittle and cracked so we will buy new in the fall. The first winter we stapled up plastic, but we found it didn’t allow enough ventilation and the humidity built up. The corrugated panel provides ventilation without drafts or snow come in. Plus you can only use plastic one season as it’s pretty tore up by the end of winter. So it ends up cheaper in the long run to use panels.
The 8x8 section can be closed for inter grating younger group or separating a mating group. Etc..
I have 2 roost with PDZ underneath, so I can sift manure with kitty litter scoop to keep it clean and fresh. The floor is dirt with added peat moss and a thin layer of fine shavings. I love the trough feeders we made out of PVC. They stay clean. Never any wasted feed because they can’t beak it out. No bullying away from food bowl everyone can eat at once.
The 4x8 section is for storage of supplies.
Under the roost can be sectioned off for young chicks.
I hope you enjoy and get some ideas for features in your coop.
