Anybody else regret their initial coop design?

[BWKatz]

Yes I just lift one end to let them in or out...super easy for me. I also keep a folding chair by it and can set it inside to visit with my hens. There is a lift up door that makes it easy for me to get in and to fill feeder or get eggs. Since one has started laying I put in a covered kitty litter box with pinestraw and Easter eggs in it. Real easy to just lift it up to see if any fresh eggs.

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

Yay! Got the new roost in place. Needs some adjustments, but it is much better for me . I never want to get trapped behind roosts again.

Update: Needs major adjustments. They all decided they would rather sleep in the nest box .

 

[catdaddy66]

The biggest issue w/ my coop was that I built it on the ground and not elevated, so I have to stoop to get in for any task

I also do not have a proper roof/material so weather has ruined portions of it. My run was a nice design but I did not have a very secure door and lost 30 birds!!

I am learning bit by bit and currently have 12 more laying so the initial design has already been reworked and improved upon. I guess it is a continuing process!

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

I draft-proofed the roosts with plastic sheets. They are all using the new roost , but tomorrow I will move it down lower for the sloppy jumpers. Soooooo glad I reused those deck screws .

 

[Q9]

We regret ours a little bit - it's a chicken tractor, triangular, but it's quite heavy and difficult to move. Also, the "coop" section goes all the way down to the ground; we've figured out that it would be better to have it elevated, so that it's lighter, the birds have shade, and they have more room to walk around and forage. We also apparently made the door the most difficult way possible.

Fortunately, we're going to build a new one and get more chickens.

 

[stilldeb]

Yes, chicken tractor here, too- very cool design but turned out to be way too small

deb g
KY

 

[Crabella]

Yep, it's not big enough. I have NO room for expansion. (well, I'd never heard of chicken math, what did I know?) If I had it to do over I would have made it 10 x 12 and then built a storage shed for all the feed and supplies. 10x12 because that is as big as I can go without the major hassle of a building permit.

Don't tell the DH, but I'm already planning a bigger better, because, spring will be coming and I might have a hen go broody and then I will just "have" to have a place to put momma and the new babies....and then there are all those trips to the feed store when they have those little fuzzy butts in (who can resist) ... Next thing you know I will be introducing myself ..."Hi, my name is Linda and I am a chicken addict...

 

[chkn]

You can always add on, modify, reuse materials and improve the overall design. My initial design was far from perfect but it's worked pretty much perfectly for 15 years or so,

 

[PaulaSB12]

I am so jealous, there no way I have the skills to buy a coop so I am buying one. A small ark is out of the question as its going on an allotment and its got to be big enough not to be pinched. So next februayry I will buy the coop and then niip to the meat market at Melton Mowbray for the feather and fur market to buy some chickens.
Here is the coop and run
one of either of these

http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/info_M24.html
or
http://www.forshamcottagearks.com/ControlFiles/Graphics/Products/Stands/LenhamStand.pdf
In this run

http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/info_9PP15.html

 

[MamaChic21]

my biggest regret is "location, location, location " !!!!!