2nd coop

[LaurenRitz]

I need to build a second chicken coop for the chicks arriving in February.

As planned, it will be 12 feet long, 6 feet high and 4 feet wide for ease of cleaning, backing on the bachelor pad. It will be divided into 2 sections. Broody coop (4×4), egg boxes on one end of the main coop (4×8), food and water on the other end, and perches in the middle. It will have a dirt floor, and a hardware cloth skirt for predator protection.

The broody section will have a solid door, but hardware cloth between so the other chickens can still see the occupants.

The plan is that the doors will be the whole front of the coop. Solid door will swing up, to create a roof and provide a larger space during the day. Hardware cloth door will lie flat on the ground, effectively doubling the available coop space during the day. They will have a 40x40 run but eventually will be free ranging on 3 acres.

In good weather the solid door can be left up, providing plenty of ventilation.

As planned, I have most of the materials I will need. I just tore a deck off the house, so I plan to repurpose those materials. I'm just not sure if I have missed anything in the planning.

 

[aart]

Got any drawings/sketches?
Door "doubling coop space" scenario is not making sense to me.

Will the run be split between broody space and the rest?
Will the February chicks be integrated into another main coop?

 

[LaurenRitz]

The hardware cloth door will be let down, the other lifted to create a sort of roof. Just creates more space where they can be sheltered without actually being IN the coop.

No, the run will not be split. Once Mom has hatched her chicks I'll open the door and they'll be integrated from day 1.

This will be the permanent coop for this group.

 

[saysfaa]

Letting the hardware cloth door down might be a problem - is meant to be walked on by the chickens? Might it be hinged on the top or sides instead of the bottom?

Also, ventilation is very important when the weather is bad too. It can be done so that there is so much ventilation that some can be closed off while still having enough but more often that isn't the case. Think square feet not square inches as you plan what will be open for ventilation when as closed up as it gets.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I was hoping to give them a place out of the mud, but I guess I'll have to think some more about the doors. Doors hung from the side tend to warp and twist far more easily simply because of the weight of the door. Especially if the door is less than twice as tall as it is wide. It puts different stress on hinges and the door itself.

I did this kind of door for the bachelor pad, but I did notice that they didn’t like walking on it.

The top foot along the back of the coop will be hardware cloth windows, or at least that's the way I'm envisioning it at the moment.

 

[ltcffl03]

I can't quite picture your design but am looking foward to seeing it.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Back wall and one side went up today. Where the two support beams are closer together will be the broody box. The side walls will be board just like the back.

 

[LaurenRitz]

I am working on the doors for the broody box. Then the main coop doors. I can't do the roof until I have the rain gutters in place.

 

[LaurenRitz]

Broody box and brooder are finished. Rain gutters are finished but I ran out of poly panels. The last panel will be metal.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

It's Lookin good! I like your creativity!