ColoradoChicken89
Chirping
- Apr 20, 2025
- 33
- 42
- 56
Ok, I am finally to the point where I am ready to fully set up the coop and get more things ready for the chicks to move outside, but I want a solid plan. this coop is pretty heavy, and I'm working with minimal space, so would prefer to build things where they will stay. I've kinda settled on this design so far, but any input of somewhere else to put it would be helpful.
Here is kinda the design idea so far:
The wind heads from left to right (if looking at the door, its Northwest to Southeast direction wise but closer to W/E). This isn't a very strong wind generally, though it can pick up kinda harsh, as it's a vally spot between two tall mountain ranges. I'm hoping the coop becomes a nice windblock during those few times on that back right corner, though we have discuessed using some clear plastic if we need to.
The right side has some willow sapplings (that look more like bushes rn) and a few various wild bushes, with a aspen grove grouping just off to the side. Together these block the morning sun, and make the right side shady for most of the day. It's around midafternoon by the time the sun can make it over enough to really shine light on the whole run. The sunny side, is basically in the sun most of the day (it's just on the tips of the early morning shade), and as the suns set there isn't much to block it until early evening and the sun just goes behind the mountains. I do have a UV tarp to put over the top to kinda help make it more shady overall throughout the day, as the direct sun can be pretty intense here. Though, it's high mountains CO, so also, it can get pretty cold in the shade (especially winter). So not really sure how to get the best use out of shade/sun...
The well house (and source of water/power) is about 200 feet off to the back left of the run. I would like to keep the coop towards that side just for convience just in case I would need some kind of heater or something.
Either 6'6" sides of the run are about 4' tall, and it gets to 6'6" tall in a peak at the middle of back and front. This is kinda why I was thinking using those shorter sides to have a long perch on either side about 2' off the ground, with a few ways for them to get on off safely. One on either side so they can decide if they would like to be in the shade or sun when they are in here, and it is the best use of the shorter areas (also so I can fully open the top of the coop).
Food/Water/Shells are going to be in 5 gallon buckets, with holes cut out for those "no waste" feeder/water systems you can drill into the bucket. I plan on doing something like this cause we do have a TON of field mice in the area (it's 43 acres of wild land next to national forest) and I would rather replace a bucket or a lid than anything fancier. If I have enough hardware cloth, I've thought about lining the inside of the bucket and lid with it just to deter them. They have caps too so I plan on closing them off at night, but we will see if it really keeps the mice out. Though, I do have the whole run with hardware clothes, we have some TINY field mice, so I'm sure at least one or two young ones will get in.
I plan on feeding an "all flock" feed, hence why I plan having some type of calcium available nearish the nesting boxes. This is mostly because I do have a little roo (cockriel still and don't know which one). I may move this around a little, kinda depending, and I might end up putting this in a smaller bucket. I'm not really sure which I want to go with, so I might try a few different types of calcium (though any suggestions are welcome).
The coop I got came with 6 nesting boxes, I only have 6 hens... I so i figure I'm going to find a way to raise that roof a few inches more, and add another roosting bar. This coop really should only fit 6 chickens total, and I have 7 (with the rooster), so I'm just trying to figure out a comfortable way to fit an extra chicken without building a whole new coop. Our winters get REALLY cold, so I'm hoping that 7 snuggled a little tigher than usual would help them stay warm, and this way I'm getting more use out of the space I have. Plus even our summer nights are "cool" (50-60s even through July/August), so I'm not too worried about them over heating (except on a hot day but they shouldn't be in it).
Right now for the warmer months, I do plan on just keeping sand in the coop as their bedding; though I plan to experiment this winter with maybe some straw to see if I can at least keep the coop itself from below 0 on cold nights without a heater. I don't want enough heat to trigger egg laying, but enough to at least make sure they are comfortable and can't get frostbite. I do plan on emptying/replacing any straw often, as i really won't have enough space to do the deep liter method. As for the run, that will be sand year round, though I might scatter some of the hay in spots with ice if needed, and/or add more fresh sand over it.
I do plan to eventually build a really small extra coop off to the front right side (where the water bucket is). something like 2 boxes of 2'x4'x2 just for breeding and chicks. Though, I don't plan on doing that soon, it would be more just if one happens to go broody in a few years, once I start getting less eggs. My goal is to keep around 5-9 hens and 1 rooster, and have about 4ish egg layers that are solidly laying every summer.
I know the space is small ish for 10ish chickens, but this run is more just for mornings/evenings/really bad weather days. I have a chicken tractor I've got going that I'm going to have them for most of the day if I can. It has a covered area that will have a roosting area and a feeding area with a huge open area that will cover different parts of a large grass field as needed.
The plan sort of is that my mom will go out at 6-7am (sunrise) and open the coop doors (eventually plan on getting automatic doors), since she lives on the property they are at. She will check their food and water, and get them to come out for at least a little bit and eat and drink. Then I will show up about 8am-12noon (depending season earlier in the summer and later in the winter), and get them into their chicken tractor for 4-10 hours on permittable days; coming back between 4pm and 6pm to put them back into their run. My mom again going to check on them around 7p-8pm to close up the food buckets and secure them in for the night to the coop.
The eventual plan is to also line the walls with some willow branches (making like a living willow fence), and then eventually planting some vineing rose bushes to climb up the willow. I am hoping eventually the willows/roses start to build a more natural barrier (with hardware cloth inside) to stop predators from being able to get in. While also eventually giving the chickens a "bush" like feel and hopefully making it able to be entirely a coop (kinda just with an inside and outside), that they are safe.
Here is kinda the design idea so far:
The wind heads from left to right (if looking at the door, its Northwest to Southeast direction wise but closer to W/E). This isn't a very strong wind generally, though it can pick up kinda harsh, as it's a vally spot between two tall mountain ranges. I'm hoping the coop becomes a nice windblock during those few times on that back right corner, though we have discuessed using some clear plastic if we need to.
The right side has some willow sapplings (that look more like bushes rn) and a few various wild bushes, with a aspen grove grouping just off to the side. Together these block the morning sun, and make the right side shady for most of the day. It's around midafternoon by the time the sun can make it over enough to really shine light on the whole run. The sunny side, is basically in the sun most of the day (it's just on the tips of the early morning shade), and as the suns set there isn't much to block it until early evening and the sun just goes behind the mountains. I do have a UV tarp to put over the top to kinda help make it more shady overall throughout the day, as the direct sun can be pretty intense here. Though, it's high mountains CO, so also, it can get pretty cold in the shade (especially winter). So not really sure how to get the best use out of shade/sun...
The well house (and source of water/power) is about 200 feet off to the back left of the run. I would like to keep the coop towards that side just for convience just in case I would need some kind of heater or something.
Either 6'6" sides of the run are about 4' tall, and it gets to 6'6" tall in a peak at the middle of back and front. This is kinda why I was thinking using those shorter sides to have a long perch on either side about 2' off the ground, with a few ways for them to get on off safely. One on either side so they can decide if they would like to be in the shade or sun when they are in here, and it is the best use of the shorter areas (also so I can fully open the top of the coop).
Food/Water/Shells are going to be in 5 gallon buckets, with holes cut out for those "no waste" feeder/water systems you can drill into the bucket. I plan on doing something like this cause we do have a TON of field mice in the area (it's 43 acres of wild land next to national forest) and I would rather replace a bucket or a lid than anything fancier. If I have enough hardware cloth, I've thought about lining the inside of the bucket and lid with it just to deter them. They have caps too so I plan on closing them off at night, but we will see if it really keeps the mice out. Though, I do have the whole run with hardware clothes, we have some TINY field mice, so I'm sure at least one or two young ones will get in.
I plan on feeding an "all flock" feed, hence why I plan having some type of calcium available nearish the nesting boxes. This is mostly because I do have a little roo (cockriel still and don't know which one). I may move this around a little, kinda depending, and I might end up putting this in a smaller bucket. I'm not really sure which I want to go with, so I might try a few different types of calcium (though any suggestions are welcome).
The coop I got came with 6 nesting boxes, I only have 6 hens... I so i figure I'm going to find a way to raise that roof a few inches more, and add another roosting bar. This coop really should only fit 6 chickens total, and I have 7 (with the rooster), so I'm just trying to figure out a comfortable way to fit an extra chicken without building a whole new coop. Our winters get REALLY cold, so I'm hoping that 7 snuggled a little tigher than usual would help them stay warm, and this way I'm getting more use out of the space I have. Plus even our summer nights are "cool" (50-60s even through July/August), so I'm not too worried about them over heating (except on a hot day but they shouldn't be in it).
Right now for the warmer months, I do plan on just keeping sand in the coop as their bedding; though I plan to experiment this winter with maybe some straw to see if I can at least keep the coop itself from below 0 on cold nights without a heater. I don't want enough heat to trigger egg laying, but enough to at least make sure they are comfortable and can't get frostbite. I do plan on emptying/replacing any straw often, as i really won't have enough space to do the deep liter method. As for the run, that will be sand year round, though I might scatter some of the hay in spots with ice if needed, and/or add more fresh sand over it.
I do plan to eventually build a really small extra coop off to the front right side (where the water bucket is). something like 2 boxes of 2'x4'x2 just for breeding and chicks. Though, I don't plan on doing that soon, it would be more just if one happens to go broody in a few years, once I start getting less eggs. My goal is to keep around 5-9 hens and 1 rooster, and have about 4ish egg layers that are solidly laying every summer.
I know the space is small ish for 10ish chickens, but this run is more just for mornings/evenings/really bad weather days. I have a chicken tractor I've got going that I'm going to have them for most of the day if I can. It has a covered area that will have a roosting area and a feeding area with a huge open area that will cover different parts of a large grass field as needed.
The plan sort of is that my mom will go out at 6-7am (sunrise) and open the coop doors (eventually plan on getting automatic doors), since she lives on the property they are at. She will check their food and water, and get them to come out for at least a little bit and eat and drink. Then I will show up about 8am-12noon (depending season earlier in the summer and later in the winter), and get them into their chicken tractor for 4-10 hours on permittable days; coming back between 4pm and 6pm to put them back into their run. My mom again going to check on them around 7p-8pm to close up the food buckets and secure them in for the night to the coop.
The eventual plan is to also line the walls with some willow branches (making like a living willow fence), and then eventually planting some vineing rose bushes to climb up the willow. I am hoping eventually the willows/roses start to build a more natural barrier (with hardware cloth inside) to stop predators from being able to get in. While also eventually giving the chickens a "bush" like feel and hopefully making it able to be entirely a coop (kinda just with an inside and outside), that they are safe.
