1 thing I wish I knew when I was starting out...

[lazy gardener]

I did so much research on building my own coop and learned from others what not to do. I even bought plans for an ark, but when I added up the costs for lumber and realized how much work was involved I freaked out. I couldn't fathom spending so much money and time on something that housed only a few chickens. Many of the coops I've seen in stores (Rural King, TSC) couldn't possibly fit even one of my big chickens. When you buy baby chicks you really can't imagine how BIG they actually get when full grown. I happened to run across in these forums a picture of a chicken coop hoop house. It only cost us about $150 for 8x8, was so much simpler to put together than other coops, and we're in the process of building two more (cause yes, chickens are addictive). You can very comfortably put 10 full size chickens in it. The deep litter method works well in it, and because cattle panels are used for the hoop part it's so easy to hang feeders. Everyday that I walk into my coop hoop I thank God I built one that I can walk into. It's a lot sturdier than you might think. When the winds are so bad that our shingles are flyin off our house the coop hoop stays put. I wanted simple and thought that too many people complicated the heck out of chickens. Funny thing was after I built my coop our neighbor comes over and says, "Ya'll coulda just put up a fence and made a small metal shed." Which is exactly what most people do in rural KY, but I did want something that wasn't too tacky. I guess I could have housed my chickens simpler. I think the point of this is that you don't have to spend too much money on a chicken condo, and I totally agree with the other posts saying the chickens don't care. Simpler is better. I do plan on landscaping behind it with bushes, trees, smelly flowering plants like lilac in order to hide it better and mask any smell.

Nice build. I'm planning the same style, have made a cattle pannel green house and LOVE it. The coop is going to have wheels, hopefully drop down, to make it mobile, and I'm going to build a raised, closed in, insuated area in the back end to give the girls some extra winter protection. Will cover the front half with poly in the winter, and tarp in the warm months. What do I see banked against the right wall as you're facing the coop? Is your's open at the bottom, or does it have hdware cloth floor? What are you using for closing in the front? and did you use any type of fencing product under the tarp?

 

[stefan333]

Thanks. That's what's nice about this style -you can customize it very easily. I live in a milder winter climate -southern KY, so we didn't have to winterize it. The stuff banked against the right wall are a bunch of logs. My husband was so proud of his log splitting ability that one day I went out to the coop and found these nicely decorating the sides. It is open at the bottom with only deep litter (pine shavings). We used 2 inch poultry netting under the tarp and an extra plastic 1/2 inch netting that goes around the bottom (so little chicks won't peck at the tarp). The front door only has one sliding latch at the top that we put a carabeaner(can't spell that) through. I also used a heavier duty rabbit cage wire for the front door -mainly so kids and husband don't push on it (you know like they do to screens in windows) I didn't exactly predator proof it, cause it's sitting right next to our house and is easy to see from the inside. We're in the process of building two more and plan on putting a fence with electric wire around all of them for a run (now I'm thinking I gotta make it higher than 6ft). We did have a minor problem with our cats climbing on top scratching the tarp, but the BB gun took care of that. One of the most important materials in building this was lots and lots of different sizes of zip ties. You just gotta make sure the pokey end sticks away from the tarp.

 

[chickenmomma16]

Being new to this, and not having built our coop yet, was particularly interested in your " no smell" comment!  What is a "poop board" and what is PDZ?  Do you have any pics? thanks!

The question has already been answered but here is our coop with the poop board under 2 levels of roosts. We made it pretty high (top roost is 6ft from the ground) so I can make a broody area under it. Their regular nesting area is over by the door.

Not as fancy as some coops out there. This was an old cattle trough we updated to be a chicken coop. What I really like is there is enough room under this whole coop for the girls to hang out and when the turkeys alert them to a hawk or something they have a place to escape quickly.

Do you mix the PDZ with the shavings? I have been waffling back and forth between using sand or shavings. Have not made up my mind yet.

I do. It keeps everything dry and the odor down. I heard you can mix it with sand and it keeps the smell down too, I guess sand smells pretty bad after it gets poopy...

Edit to add: Do you use the granular or powder PDZ?

On accident I use both. The granular form on the boards and the powder in the wet/poopy areas. If I had the choice I would use granular only.

6. no smell--sorry, but poop boards holding fresh, uncovered poop up in the air sounds pretty smelly to me. If a chicken poops on the window sill in my coop I can smell that one poop very strongly, whereas there's no smell from a lot of poop falling in and getting scratched under the deep litter (hint: add table scraps to the area under the roost so your chickens will scratch and hence do the turning under for you).

I didn't think there would be as much difference in PDZ vs no PDZ but there is! Those little granules are amazing at soaking up odor on the poop board, even sitting right on top. I mix the powder in the shavings and it keeps the floor dry, a must in the wet PNW. The girls have to be able to come in to a dry place in winter.

I wish had known hens can fly over 6' fence.

I would have liked to know that one too. I learned really quick how to clip wings!

 

[CourtsCacklers]

Love the pictures! thanks!!! This might sound dumb but we never clipped wings growing up and my chicks don't come until middle of March--- but if you clip their wings so they can't fly over fences, which I intend to do, how high of a roost can they get up on? will they need a ramp? or should we build a roosting ladder and can they then climb that ladder? Insight would be helpful! Thanks!

 

[Scooter&Suzie]

I wished I had covered the half of the run that was close to the coop. This way, the chickens can go outside when it is snowing. Mine won't go into the snow. Plus, it would give the chickens a shaded area to go into. Oh, and I also wish I can made the coop higher up. And used river sand as bedding...

 

[4 the Birds]

Quote:

Love the pictures! thanks!!! This might sound dumb but we never clipped wings growing up and my chicks don't come until middle of March--- but if you clip their wings so they can't fly over fences, which I intend to do, how high of a roost can they get up on? will they need a ramp? or should we build a roosting ladder and can they then climb that ladder? Insight would be helpful! Thanks!

Our birds stay inside a 50" high 1 acre fenced in area without clipped wings. They use to jump up on the gates and over (farm gates same height as the fence) but some added gate wire solved this. I would add ramps to your roost bars. You can run them parallel to your bars to save space (see picture below of the ramps to the bars to the left and right). Ours use the ramps often.

 

[Pixelvt]

Get a good mat and keep it by the door to clean your shoes. Also, I do not agree bigger is better, it all depends on how many chickens you want, how much room you have, where you live, all that. Oh, and if you name them, like we did, they become pets, fast.

 

[Time-Out]

1 thing I wish I knew when I was starting out... is that I'd end up with waaaaaaaaaaay more birds than the two I initially planned on. As for all the rest... I did months of research before starting, so I knew ABOUT chickens, just not how addictive they are... I need a bigger allotment!

 

[ms4runr]

This thread is for recommendations, but based on what I've read I have a couple of questions.
We built the nesting boxes sticking out of the side of the house with a slanted roof that can be opened to get eggs. They are using it. But now I'm wondering how it can be used for brooding in the Spring? It is 3ft off the floor. How do the babies keep from falling out? I'm wondering if I should build a brooding area under the roosts and use a poop board. If I do, will they use the higher nesting areas for egg laying? I'm confused.
Also, I used an irregular tree branch (appr. 3 1/2" thick) for their roosts. I'm reading that the 2x4 is more comfortable for them. For Guineas also? I have guineas in with the chickens since there are only 4 of each for now. Thanks for the input.

 

[ducks4you]

I wish I had known that it was too easy to incubate TOO MANY CHICKS!!!
I sold half of my young layers--15 of them--at auction last November. This was after we ate all of their brothers.