3x3 coop alcove suggestions

[perkolator]

Do you have a storage area for feed/bedding/etc? If not, I'd use that space for storing items.

 

[DoeAndGander]

Where will windows be?

I like to stack stuff, so I would put a communal nest box under the poop shelf. And yes, I think the poop shelf along the west wall looks great.

I worry about chickens getting stuck in corners and getting pecked on... so am leary of sticking food or water into an alcove.

You could make that a broody/ baby chick box on the bottom, and then roof the top as a dust bath. (Think poop shelf with tall edges to hold in the dirt.)

I wouldn't want that alcove to be a perch and poop shelf... I think it would be too awkward to clean... but it shouldn't get that dirty as a dust bath.

Or... you could make the storage area 9.5 feet wide, but the alcove area just 2 feet, not 3 feet deep... and use the 1 foot by 3 feet area as a built in feeder. So... a recessed feeder that could hold a bunch of feed and not take away from the 9.5 x 6.5 coop.

Great suggestions! I really like the recessed feeder idea. I currently use pvc pipe feeders and it works perfect. I bet they would fit perfect there

Love the stacking idea! I will not have external nest boxes. Would nest box under poop board be a pain in the butt to gather eggs? Have you ever had to deal with that? Lol I can just picture myself smacking my head on the board on a regular basis!

 

[DoeAndGander]

Nice sketch, contains pertinent dimensions.
But, is there a door between storage area and coop...which way does it swing??

I would put the nests in the wall between storage and coop...
....and roost/board on west and north wall.

both interior and exterior doors swing out and hinges are on left side. Is there a reason you chose north wall and not south for poop board (besides awkward alcove on south side)?

 

[Aunt Angus]

Gorgeous coop!!! I was thinking broody/isolation pen, too. I have one, and it has been fantastic. I put a board above it, and the girls like to hang out up there. Maintains usable "floor space" even though it's not on the floor.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Lol! I must have misread your posts!


The feeders would work there, or the stacked nesting boxes. I have a similar space on either side of my door in the coveted run. I put an elevated mini coop on one side and the trunk of an old peach tree on the other. They climb all over that tree. Maybe something like that? Aart is the best at this stuff, though.

 

[DoeAndGander]

Lol! I must have misread your posts!


The feeders would work there, or the stacked nesting boxes. I have a similar space on either side of my door in the coveted run. I put an elevated mini coop on one side and the trunk of an old peach tree on the other. They climb all over that tree. Maybe something like that? Aart is the best at this stuff, though.

No! I’m sure I wasn’t clear lol I’m all over the place with ideas. I love the mini coop idea too. I have a few trunks to use, so that’s an option as well

 

[Alaskan]

All of my nest boxes are under my poop shelves.. and no I haven't had a problem.

 

[DoeAndGander]

All of my nest boxes are under my poop shelves.. and no I haven't had a problem.

Good to know! Thanks much

 

[DoeAndGander]

Do you have a storage area for feed/bedding/etc? If not, I'd use that space for storing items.

The coop is preexisting. I have a total of 6’ floor space of storage (9’6” total including door). I’ve run into chicken math and that’s why I was considering including the left section next to door as coop space instead of storage space on both sides. I’ve definitely enjoyed having walk in and storage space in this coop! My other coop is smaller but lacking both.

 

[perkolator]

My bad, apparently I can't read comprehensively

Looking back at the pic, if it were mine I would probably reconfigure storage so there are two vertical storage racks that flank a thoroughfare through the center where your doors are located currently.

You have A LOT of headspace in that shed/coop, so for me chicken math would mean adding roosts higher up in there and going vertical, not expanding the "footprint" of their roosting space. I know my chickens all tend to favor the highest perches.