[b]Someone who knows what the *HECK* the are talking About![/b]

[Cats'n'Chicks]

Hi,
I'm new to all of this. I had these plans drawn up for a coop. they are revised based on comments i had here.
it's for 8 chickens. the coop is 6x6 and run is 6x12.
Feedback please. don't worry, you won't hurt my feelings I want to get this "right."
Previous comments were invaluable.

 

[HEChicken]

Great job so far. The only advice I could give would be to raise the height of the roosts. Chickens like to roost as high as they can get. I would put them about 18" under the ceiling. The people door - is it wide enough to wheel in a wheelbarrow?

 

[Junkmanme]

I know "what the heck I'm talking about !!!

Uh...could you repeat the question?

-Junkmanme-

 

[chickened]

You forgot the toilet It looks great, I would add as much overhang as you can on the roof especially over the run area helps keep it dry.

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
Not necessarily. Depends on the size of the bird. A big Orp would kill itself or break a leg trying to jump down from that height. No way mine could even get up there, much less get down. If you have bantams, yeah, high roosts are okay. So much depends on the breed/size of chicken. They like to look out the window when they roost, too.

 

[Cargo]

More windows are always good.

Keep the roost low if you will have heavy birds.

6x6 will cost the same to build as 8x8. If you have the room, go bigger.

 

[Ema]

good job...

2 things I had to rethink after doing mine....the door was not wide enough for a wheel barrow...duh....why would I need that ...uhmm well I know why now!!!!!! but you could just throw everything outside and then clean it up.

poop boards....again...that is just silly, they don't really need that.....now I am endlessly scraping poop off the side of the walls....Poop boards highly recommended!!!!!!


anyhow I like your design.

 

[teach1rusl]

My input:
You don't want your roosts too high if you'll have heavy breeds. Even with a chicken ladder, many birds will jump down, and it's hard on heavy breeds' legs.
I'm not sure about the wheel barrow thing...I guess if you're planning on using the deep litter method that might be a consideration. I use dropping boards and have never had to worry about cleaning out my coop with a wheel barrow

I totally agree with the 8x8 comment. We did a 6x8 coop, and later I was kicking myself. Pretty much all material out there comes in 8ft lengths. So why dispose of 2 ft. of it, when you could have a bigger area with the same amount of material???
I can't really tell what your ventilation consists of in that picture. If you're in a cold winter area, you'll want ventilation besides windows so that the windows can be closed/covered during the winter (drafts), yet still have vent. up high.
Another weather related comment. If you get much snow, make sure the pitch of your roof is slanted enough (and strong enough in the run) to deal with a snow load. That's not a big deal though if you get very little snow.
I also agree that a bit of an overhang is nice...

 

[georgialee]

I think it looks great! You pretty much have everything covered.

 

[Cats'n'Chicks]

what exactly is a poop board? (what does it do? Where does it go?)