Basic Coops?

[Chicken-Lover0808]

Can anyone posts pictures or layouts of a basic chicken coop so i can get an idea how to build my coop??? I need some help!

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

You are welcome to look at our BYC pages. We custom build backyard coops.

 

[NonnasBabies]

Here ya go!! Check out the Coop pages!! https://www.backyardchickens.com/coopdesigns.html

And

 

[ChickenSahib]

Lot's of people have found cheap/free coops on craiglist.... or they have found a playhouse or something of the like and converted it.

I think if you find a shed with lots of vertical height and put it on it's side, add a run, some roosts, a window or two, slant the roof a little bit, and your set! And raise it off the ground.

 

[wingsofglory]

For how many chickens? Will you need a baby pen in it, and a grow-out pen as well as general layer flock area? How many roosters, if any? Isolation/jail/roo/broody pen needed? For bantams only, large only? How large?

What kind of weather/climate? Need four walls or can two be open wire?

Tall enough to walk into, or a half-high one up on 3 or 4' legs, and reached into to clean, etc?

How much money do you have to put into it?

I generally go look at my scrap wood pile and see what I have on hand for 2x4s, plywood, windows, wire, etc.

Then figure what I'll have to buy new and what I can scrounge. Check Craigs List.

To keep costs down, I start with figuring the minimum number of sheets of plywood needed. One sheet for the floor makes a coop 4' x 8'. Two sheets for the floor makes a coop 8' x 8'. Three sheets for the floor makes a coop 8' x 12'. I've found four sheets for the floor makes the most usuable size for me of 8' x 16' - good for a flock of 15 over a long winter with deep snow when they won't go outside for 5 or 6 months.

How high? An 8' tall wall, count how many sheets of plywood standing up all the way 'round.
A 4' outside wall on two ends, with a center peak of 6' to 8' saves plywood on the two ends.
Takes more plywood for roof than the floor to allow for an overhang all the way round - 2' overhang is nice although this is your weather/sun conditions and personal taste. One side of the roof can go out 12 feet or so to make a covered run - nice to prevent mud in rainy weather.

My first coop was a wooden shipping crate with the open side covered with chicken wire, and a little door for me to get in. The chickens and loose rabbits loved it. The wooden shipping crates are 8' square floor and 4' tall (laying on its side).

 

[Chicken-Lover0808]

Quote:
Well, for about 8-10 standard hens no roosters, just a general layer flock area, and a run. I have about $300-$350 to spare and i have nothing yet. haha I'm building the coop for my FFA project and i want it to look nice but i dont want to go broke. It's doesnt have to be fancy or huge(as much as id like it to be) but just something basic so the hens are comfortable living and laying inside the coop and run area. i drew something up but it was far to big and far to much to build money wise. i think im going to spend the rest of the night drawing something else up. Im in FL. so weather is usually the same. I've raised chickens before but only 2-3 at a time and they were show birds. We had a flock of white leghorns last year and i basically raised them but the "coop" was not fit for the 15-20 layin leghorns. I want something challenging and fun, some my hens will be happy!

 

[ChickenSahib]

I thinking taking advantage of reclaimed wood and stuff of that nature would be great in this situation. Especially with the budget and amount of hens.

 

[okhippie]

My husband built this small coop from old wood he had laying around. He scavenged some from a few friends, too. Overall he said he put about $50 into it. Good luck with yours! There are several things we would do different, such as the roof pitch NOT going into the run, but we are first timers. STill need vent covers for winter, etc, and are thinking that an interchangeable door for summer/winter would be great. A solid door for winter and a wire mesh door for summer. I also asked him to make the door one big swing out door, and wheel barrow height so I could just sweep the floor into the wheel barrow for compost. And to put food and water right inside the door. You can't see it in this pic but the nest boxes are on the outside of the main coop area, with the lid.
You can also find free wood pallets on craigslist.

 

[HallFamilyFarm]

Here is a photo of our newest coop. A riding lawnmower crate coop with US Senator John Boozeman and wannabe govenor Jim Keets signs. We already had the screws and hinges. The roof is feed sacks as we ran out of campaign signs. We will replace the roof as soon as we can. But it works. The waterer is a 5 gallon peanut oil jug from a local restraunt. We took the lid off and cut a whole in the side. it holds about 2 1/2 gallons of water and can be filled by the original top. Feeder is a recycled rabbit feeder taht was given to us.

Not bad for a fellow who custom builds backyard coops. We are planning on painting the siding...sometime.

The coop currently houses our Black/Self Blue Splits Orpingtons.

 

[Nicole01]

We built a very basic room in our garage using particle board, we fully insulated the coop and added an eletrical box on the ceiling and a light. The coop size is 12x5x8. Our run consists of heavy duty wire and big posts in the ground along side the house. The run size is 22x5x5. We already had a steel door leading to outside. We bought a scratched 6 panel solid door for 10 bucks for the entry inside the garage. Our coop cost us about $250 and we have 8 chicks.

We just installed metal shelving for the roost. The shelving has slots to poop through. We need 2 plastic trays for their poop tray yet. We used an old solid oak cabinet for their nest boxes.

I'm very happy with the coop. It will be easy access during the winter. I do not have to walk though the snow. We are hanging a heat lamp during the winter months with the subzero temps.