Advice Needed: All The Things

[Flappy Bird]

I recently had a flock of 16 chickens! That was a lot for me because I could sadly not maintain a flock of that size. Fortunately, my friend took nine, and I was left with 7. This Friday, I am dropping off a rooster to a lovely home and hope to have his three sons rehomed soon. After those four are gone, I am left with 3, which I will keep.

What I am asking is for any advice about a coop. I am located in Texas, and I have a current set-up that is decent but nowhere near as nice as I would want. Eventually, I want to expand my flock when I am ready. I’ve come up with as many questions as I can. Please, any extra advice is very well appreciated.

Coop

- What is the size of a coop and run that accommodates up to twenty chickens?

- What is the best material to create a coop?

- Should the floor of a coop be the ground?

- What are the best areas for ventilation?

- What roofing material should I use?

- Best door material? Should I have an automatic door to open for the chickens?

- Are poop boards a good idea?

- Should I create a brooding area for new chicks?

- Best feeding and watering arrangements?

- Should I sand materials?

- Height for roosts? How many roosts?

- How many best boxes should I have?

- Should I include cameras?

I can’t think of any other questions at the moment. Answers to these questions and all additional advice is appreciated.

Thank you,

Flappy

 

[3KillerBs]

I don't have time to answer in detail tonight, but I'll drop a few general pieces of information. I HIGHLY recommend an Open Air style coop for anyone in a hot climate.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-much-room-do-chickens-need.66180/

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

20 hens

• 80 square feet in the coop. 8'x10' is the most practical because 7'x12' or 6'x14' require a lot of weird cuts.
• 20 feet of roost
• 200 square feet in the run. 10'x20', 12'x16' or 8'x25' as suits the land available.
• 20 square feet of ventilation.
• 5 nest boxes.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/using-deep-bedding-in-a-small-coop.76343/

Open Air Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-positive-local-action-coop.72804/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/california-living.68130/

I don't have a coop page for Neuchickenstein yet, but here's the build thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/large-open-air-coop-in-central-nc.1443812/#post-23969601

 

[BrandonsBirbs]

No need for food/water in the coop overnight. If your chickens don't free range and spend their time in a run, consider using hanging drinkers/feeders. I find they stay much cleaner, just put them at the height of the smallest birds neck. You could also just elevate your current feeder or waterer by using bricks etc.

 

[saysfaa]

...I am located in Texas..
...
I can’t think of any other questions at the moment. Answers to these questions and all additional advice is appreciated.

- What is the size of a coop and run that accommodates up to twenty chickens? 280 square feet for both is reasonably likely to be enough for most flocks to get along well. That is assuming it isn't so narrow that one chicken can block another from getting past her. More is better. Less can sometimes work if the chickens like each other. Clutter (anything that lets one chicken get out of sight of another) helps in all cases but is especially helpful if space is tight.

- What is the best material to create a coop? In most of Texas, hardware cloth for the majority of the walls, with partial walls solid to shelter the roost and nests from storm winds. The "solid" could be anything from tarp to pallets to anything you would use as the walls of a garden shed. This is because the heat down there is much more of an issue than the occasional cold spells you get. Up in the panhandle or similar climates, I would make panels that could close off three sides completely for the blue northerners and maybe all winter there.

- Should the floor of a coop be the ground? That can work if you have a predator apron (hardware cloth attached to the bottom of your walls and laid out from your walls by about 2'). And if you have reasonably good drainage. Some people like dirt floors because it is easier to do deep litter. Deep litter is basically a slow compost pile. As opposed to deep bedding which is a thick layer of bedding that is too dry to compost at all. Either works well.

- What are the best areas for ventilation?
My preference is a three-sided building with the fourth side protected from predators by hardware cloth for winter. And open up the eave vents, ridge vent, and big windows open from early spring to late fall. But I live in the upper midwest. If I lived in the south, I'd have more of the walls be wire.

- What roofing material should I use? Anything that keeps the water off. I have shingles like my house.

- Best door material? Should I have an automatic door to open for the chickens?
People door? Whatever a garden shed would have. Nearly any exterior door from Habitate for Humanity's Restore or craigslist works. Or you can make one from boards or plywood and 1x3 or 1x4 boards as trim.
Pop door? A piece of plywood or sheet metal works well.

- Are poop boards a good idea?
This depends. If you have generous space for your chickens then you might rather skip the daily scooping. It catches about half the poop, so you can go longer before you need to clean out the deep bedding. The extra poop can actually makes deep litter work better - it depends on how tight your space is and how much and what kind of litter you have.

- Should I create a brooding area for new chicks? Yes, if you want to brood chicks. It can also be used for other things - like a hospital space. I would try to make it openable as additional floor space when not using it for brooding or such.

- Best feeding and watering arrangements? There is no one best way for this. I like my arrangement: for food, a stainless steel dog dish elevated to about as high as their backs by setting it in a different container. For water, a three-quart, stainless steel, double-walled, vacuum-sealed ice bucket (designed for cooling wine) set on cement blocks so the top is about even with their backs. Both in their coop 24/7. They have never spilled either food or water, and I have a fort knox coop; I'm not worried about attracting pests.
If I had more chickens, I would get more of the same containers and spread them out.

- Should I sand materials? It has some pros and cons. I didn't but It did take a lot more paint than it otherwise would have and it catches the dust unbelievably. I have rough-sawn boards for siding, though, so very, very rough. My floor is plywood and was rougher than I expected. I might have sanded that if I had left it as is. I coated it with Blackjack 57 with smoothed it better than paint would have. I would sand roosting bars if they are very rough.

- Height for roosts? How many roosts? Some people like roosts high enough to easily check the birds after dark without lifting them.
The chickens like to roost as high as they can get. They will roost fourty feet up in a tree and possibly higher if there are taller trees with suitable branching. They will also be happy roosting six inches high if that is as high as they can get.
Any amount noticeably higher than anything they can get to that you don't want them to roost on is the best height. Usually, that means higher than the nests.
If you have birds that have silky or frizzle feathers, they need low roosts or steps or a ramp. Very heavy breeds shouldn't be landing from very high, even if they can get up that high.
Some people like a single roost, some people like multiple roosts. The chickens don't care. Diagonal in the corner doesn't work very well because so much clearance is lost from being to close to a wall.

- How many best boxes should I have? One for every 4-6 hens but at least two.

- Should I include cameras?
I have no opinion on that for you. I don't want them.

Other.
I like being able to walk into my coop.
I like having two "rooms" in the coop. One is for the chickens. The other lets me carry bulky things in without worrying about escapees. It is really nice to putter around filling bowls and whatever without being rained on or stepping on chickens. My storage space doubles as storage for chicken feed, bedding, and other supplies and for garden tools so it is pretty big; the elbow room makes taking care of the chickens very enjoyable.

Don't forget a feeder for oystershell and probably another dish for grit.

 

[Brooks_]

I recently had a flock of 16 chickens! That was a lot for me because I could sadly not maintain a flock of that size. Fortunately, my friend took nine, and I was left with 7. This Friday, I am dropping off a rooster to a lovely home and hope to have his three sons rehomed soon. After those four are gone, I am left with 3, which I will keep.

What I am asking is for any advice about a coop. I am located in Texas, and I have a current set-up that is decent but nowhere near as nice as I would want. Eventually, I want to expand my flock when I am ready. I’ve come up with as many questions as I can. Please, any extra advice is very well appreciated.

Coop

- What is the size of a coop and run that accommodates up to twenty chickens?
Coop should have 3-4 sf per adult standard size bird: run 10+ sf
- What is the best material to create a coop?
A lot of variables. I used plywood on one and cattle panel hoop for another.
- Should the floor of a coop be the ground?
Can be with deep litter.
- What are the best areas for ventilation?
Above their heads when roosting. 1 sf each.
- What roofing material should I use?
Corrugated sheeting is popular.
- Best door material? Should I have an automatic door to open for the chickens?
Their are mixed opinions on that.
- Are poop boards a good idea?
Yes.
- Should I create a brooding area for new chicks?
Depends on how you want yo brood.
- Best feeding and watering arrangements?
Are you asking where to feed water?
- Should I sand materials?
Unlikely you'll need to.
- Height for roosts? How many roosts?
A few ways for the height, 1 linear foot each.
- How many best boxes should I have?
1 box for each 3-4 birds, minimum of two for choice.
- Should I include cameras?
I have not seen anyone regret them.
I can’t think of any other questions at the moment. Answers to these questions and all additional advice is appreciated.

Thank you,

Flappy

Answers in red above.

 

[Brooks_]

I am a beginner myself so don’t necessarily listen to me. I bought a waterer from the feed store that I’ve been using. The chickens poop in it and they knocked it over the other day when it was super hot out and I was at work. I will be making them a waterer using horizontal nipples to prevent those issues in our new coop.

A lot of people swear by the nipple style. Have you considered a hanging style? Also, most recommend against water in the coop.

 

[Becks Chicks]

A lot of people swear by the nipple style. Have you considered a hanging style? Also, most recommend against water in the coop.

Yes. Not in the coop. Waterer and feed in the run. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[3KillerBs]

OK, I have more time now to offer more detail for the specific questions I didn't directly answer last night.

Coop

- What is the best material to create a coop?

In a hot climate, the best coops are made of as much wire as possible. 1/2" hardware cloth, possibly reinforced with a layer of sturdy 2x4 wire if you've got a lot of larger predators, especially feral dogs.

An Open Air coop is, essentially, a roofed wire box with a 3-sided shelter on the windward end. Maximum ventilation, as shown in my hot climate article linked above.

- Should the floor of a coop be the ground?

That's entirely a matter of personal preference. If you go with the Open Air design, combining coop and run into one unit, a dirt floor with bedding over it and a wire anti-dig skirt to keep predators out, will be the easiest to construct and maintain.

- What roofing material should I use?

Another personal preference thing. Shingles over plywood are a lot of labor. Once upon a time, it was cheaper than metal but with the current inflation of wood prices it may or may not be.

We chose metal over purlins for ease of installation.

The various forms of plastic/fiberglass/etc. have varying reputations. The critical thing in a hot climate is to absolutely NOT use a clear or translucent roof because it would turn the coop into an oven.

I actively advise against Ondura. It's heavy and does not stand up well to southern weather. There was an Ondura-roofed structure on this property when we moved in, but the roof was utterly shot despite being only about 5 years old.

- Best door material? Should I have an automatic door to open for the chickens?

I used old screen doors -- reinforced with a layer of hardware cloth.

Automatic doors are reputed to be a great convenience. I will soon find out because I have one that I haven't installed yet.

- Are poop boards a good idea?

That depends on your management style. I use deep bedding/deep litter so there's no point to poop boards. For others, poop boards are a great convenience.

- Should I create a brooding area for new chicks?

It's very handy to be able to brood in your coop. It starts integration on day 1 and smooths out the transition.

I don't brood in my coop right now, but I do brood outdoors and I love it. I have no worries about my chicks making the transition because they acclimate all along.

- Best feeding and watering arrangements?

That's another personal preference. How big your coop is also matters.

With the Little Monitor Coop I HAD TO keep feed and water in the run: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/an-outdoor-shelter-for-the-feeder-and-waterer.76487/

With Neuchickenstein I still use that shelter, but it's convenient to have feeders inside too.

- Should I sand materials?

That's another personal preference thing. How fine a finish do you want? How much does appearance matter?

Barn paint is designed to go onto unprimed, rough wood without pre-sanding.

- Should I include cameras?

I would LOVE to have a coop camera, but haven't been able to justify it on my budget. It's a cool thing to have if you have the money and *can* be important beyond just the entertainment value if you're suffering predator breaches or, worst case, human-caused security breaches.

 

[Flappy Bird]

@3KillerBs

This link is incredible!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/

The coop seems fantastic all together! I hope to make a great coop like this one!

@BrooksHatlen

Thank you for answering my questions! This is very helpful!

@Becks Chicks and @BrandonsQuails

The waterer ideas definitely helped! I will consider both the nipple waterer and the hanging method!

@saysfaa

My goodness! You provided so much information and I thank you very much! You are obviously educated in this area!

Thank you all. You are incredible!

- Flappy

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll add my opinions to these. What you are reading are others' opinions, there are very few of these answers that are absolute, many different things work.

- What is the size of a coop and run that accommodates up to twenty chickens?

If you follow the link in my signature below you'll get some of my ideas about space and why there is no one specific answer to this question. Reading that might help you in your decision.

Are you really talking about 20 birds maximum? Your question about brooding area for new chicks implies it might not be. That also implies you will be integrating. You need additional room to integrate. I'd need to know a lot more about your goals and your management plans before I could come up with a recommendation for coop size or run size. People don't complain about having too much room in either the coop or run. They do about not having enough room or look for solutions for problems caused by not having enough.

Without having any real information and assuming a maximum of 20 adult birds, I'd suggest a minimum of an 8' x 12'. It's probably a bit more room than the absolute minimum you could get away with, but I find the tighter I squeeze them the more behavioral problems I have, the harder I have to work, and the less flexibility I have to solve issues that come up. I really like that extra flexibility, it often lowers my stress level a lot. If you are buying new material the standard sizes are 4' and 8' dimensions. If you design around those dimensions you can usually save cutting and waste. If you are reusing materials that are not 4' or 8', plan around what size you have.

Where you are you could probably get by with an 8' x 8' if 20 adults is your maximum. In East Texas your chickens should be able to be outside practically all day every day. Instead of looking at square feet per chicken I try to look at how it is likely to be used. And I don't look at coop space only and run space only but look at the two together as your space system. If your 20 chickens don't spend a lot of their awake life locked in that coop only it doesn't have to be quite as big.

The run is harder to talk about. The bigger it is the more the poop is spread out so you don't have to work as hard to manage the poop. How are you going to build it? If you are going to cover the run, you don't want it too wide, the wider the span the larger and more expensive the material needed to span it. If you are going to use lumber then think in terms of those standard 8' dimensions. If you are installing posts and stretching wire you have a lot more leeway in how you can build it. You might look at what lengths the rolls of wire you will use come in. If you are building it with 8' dimensions in mind and are covering it, I'd go with an 8' x 24' as a bare minimum. 8" x 32' Would be better. If you are not covering it the run could be wider.

- What is the best material to create a coop?

Wood and wire are pretty common. A hoop coop that used cattle panels are fairly popular, could work in your climate and are often less expensive tham other options. Some people use metal roofing material for the coop sides or plastic siding. Someone is building one out of brick, should be really predator proof and well insulated. If you have some materials to recycle I'd consider it, whatever it is.

- Should the floor of a coop be the ground?

You want your coop and run to be dry. If the location is where water drains to, you probably have a problem. If water drains away from it you are probably in good shape. I like a dirt floor, but that is a personal preference. Others are quite happy with concrete or wooden floors. When I built my coop I hauled in enough dirt that the floor level is high enough that it will not get wet from rainwater running on the ground. I use wood shavings as bedding and it works great. Others do things differently and that works for them. For 20 chickens you will have a walk-in coop. I think dirt works well for those as long as you can keep it dry.

- What are the best areas for ventilation?

You have two issues with ventilation. One is to get rid of heat, the other is to get rid of moisture. In colder climates too much moisture can cause frostbite. That's not much of a concern for you but too much dampness can cause mold.

As poop breaks down it creates ammonia. Ammonia can kill your birds if it builds up. But ammonia is lighter than air. If you have an opening up high where the ammonia can escape it becomes a non-issue. Hot air rises and warm air holds more moisture than cold air. It is a really good idea to have openings up high. In colder climates you don't want a cold breeze blow directly on your chickens on the roost. In hot weather a breeze when they are on the roost feels good. I like the majority of the ventilation up higher than their heads when they are on the roost but having something, like a window, at their level that you can open in the warmer weather is a good thing, even in colder climates.

For warm air to rise you need cooler air to replace it. Even if all of your openings are up high it will still work but the process is much more efficient if you have an opening so cooler air can enter. Some of us may have trees, buildings, or something that creates cool spots around the coop at strange places but in Texas your coolest spot is probably on the north side of the coop in the shade and down low.

If you build an open air coop as many people are suggesting (with good reasons) these issues pretty much go away. Rain will blow in but with good ventilation and if it drains instead of collects water you should stay dry enough. Don't let the feed or nests get wet.

- What roofing material should I use?

As others mentioned you can use a lot of different things. The critical thing here is that there is enough slope on it so water runs off instead of stands. Standing water can cause problems.

- Best door material?

You will want a human sized door that you can use comfortably, even if you are carrying things. That can be covered with wood, screen, metal, or plastic. For your chickens you probably want a smaller door. We call those pop doors, the usual size is around 12" x 12" or a little bigger. The smaller doors let less weather inside. That weather could be a cold wind, rain, or snow. Again the material could be about anything.

Should I have an automatic door to open for the chickens?

There is a lot of personal preference in this. Many people love their automatic doors for their own reasons. I like to lock my chickens up at night and let them out myself in the morning. That way I can check on them. I've found dead hens, a possum, and a few snakes in my coop that I would not have seen if I hadn't walked in. Mine is a walk-in, 8' x 12'. On one of those tiny elevated coops you are not going to walk in anyway so you aren't going to see much.

- Are poop boards a good idea?

Depends on how you manage the poop. Chickens poop constantly. During the day they are moving around so it doesn't build up very much. At night they are on the roost and not moving so the poop can build up. Some people turn their coops into compost piles, they can handle that poop as long as it gets mixed in. For a lot of people being able to remove that poop really extends how long they can wait to clean out the coop floor.

- Should I create a brooding area for new chicks?

Depends on what you would use it for and how you would use it. Do you have electricity in the coop? I have a brooder built into the coop, the top is my droppings board. My chicks go in there straight from the incubator or post office regardless of weather or the time of the year. For me, a brooding area is a must. I built this brooder so it could also be used as a broody buster or to house a chicken I want to isolate. I think having a dedicated area available to house a chicken in short notice is a good thing, whether it is used as a brooder or for something else.

- Best feeding and watering arrangements?

For their own reasons some people feed and/or water in the coop only, some in the run only, and some feed and/or water in both. As far as I'm concerned any of these can be right and none are wrong, it just depends on your circumstances. I have food and water in the coop and several feed and water stations outside. I practically always have immature birds in the flock, I find multiple feed and water stations helps with integration and keeps a more peaceful flock. Others do it differently.

- Should I sand materials?

I don't paint much and most of what I paint does not need sanding. However, paint will not stick to a razor edge. I often sand the sharp edges of wood so it is more rounded so the paint sticks there.

I don't generally sand any wood I'm building with except to remove splinters. If I am making a roost out of sawn lumber I typically round the sharp edges to remove splinters so they don't get in the chickens' feet. Things that I will be rubbing against a lot may get sanded, like the opening to a nest or a door frame.

- Height for roosts? How many roosts?

The way I determine vertical design in a coop is to first determine the height of the floor, including bedding. Then I position the nests. Some people put the nests at floor level, others up higher so they don't have to bend over to collect the eggs. People worry about this a lot more than the chickens do. Then I position the roosts noticeably higher than the nests. In a coop your size 12" higher should be enough. Chickens often like to sleep at the highest point available. If that is your nests then they probably won't use the roost. So figure out where your nests are before you position the roosts. I like the roosts as low as reasonable. The higher the roosts the more clear landing space they need when they fly down. At the same time, I don't want them too low. When I integrate the roosts give the juveniles a safe place to go to avoid the adults as long as they are high enough that the adults can't peck their feet. Also, taking the chickens from the roosts at night is a good way to catch them. Trying to catch them during the day when they can run away can be a pain and very tiring. I made mine 5' high, my full-sized chickens have no problems flying up or down.

How long of roost space? I've seen everything from 7" per chicken to 15" mentioned on his forum, usually taking no regard to whether they are those tiny Seramas or huge Jersey Giants. If they are all about the same age and integrated two 8' long roosts should handle them. If you are integrating it's not about roost length per bird but more can the more mature get to the juveniles and bully them. In that scenario I'd want them spaced out, horizontally separated by several feet.

- How many best boxes should I have?

The simple answer for 20 hens is at least five. And make those at least 12" x 12", a little bigger doesn't hurt but no smaller than 12" x 12". I made mine 16" x 16" and they work fine.

- Should I include cameras?

Again personal preference. I don't but it is a good way to see what is going on down there. I don't consider a camera a necessity but it is good entertainment and can be educational.