I enjoyed the intro of how you educated yourself about chickens and their needs.
The brooder is fantastic and having it in two halves means a larger group of chicks can be separated for easier management, or you could even have two age groups at the same time.
I like some of the details in this coop, like the combo pop door/cleaning access door and the under roost poop catching box. Really, really wish this article came with larger photos as I would love to see that in more detail!
I assume the brooder lamp inside the coop is for heat in the winter? I would urge caution in using it as a regular fixture as it is a fire hazard. Would love to see more details about ventilation since I can only see the one window, hopefully there's some directly under the roof line as a lack of ventilation could really amp up humidity inside the coop during winter, which can lead to frostbite (assuming the coop is located in a climate where cold is an issue). Not sure about the practicality of outside egg boxes but I am curious if hens would actually use them, and if weather would make it a bad idea?
I like your sense of humor! Neat idea on the poop containment and removal system. I couldn't exactly see how it works because I couldn't enlarge the picture, but I think I get the basic idea from the description.
How are the nest boxes that are accessible (to the birds) on the outside working out? Are they getting messy from the weather?
If you were to build this again, would you do anything differently?
Did you post your build for your additional 35 birds coming in May??
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas.
