Best design ideas of BYC!

[Northie]

Hi everyone !
We're currently in the design/planning stage of renovating an old wooden granary into a chicken coop. Since I have found this sight I have been finding piles of great ideas that will make keeping chickens easier and clean up more efficient. If I have a question it is so easy to find an answer. All you have to do is type your question into the search bar at the top and you've got your answer .
I tried looking for a thread about the best design ideas people have shared, but I couldn't find one. Sooo... I made one.
So far my favorite finds are;
Externally accessible next boxes (I have an idea how to work them in even up here with our bitterly cold winters.)
Nest boxes should be lower than the roost.
Poop trays filled with pdz or stall fresh under the roost ( anything to make clean up more efficient is awesome!)
Using hardware cloth instead of chicken wire for added protection.
And
The thermo cube, thermostatically controlled outlet.

It's a pretty short list so far but I'm sure there are plenty more ideas and tricks out there so, what's your favorite coop design feature?

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

My favorite design feature of my coop is my poop slide. My roosts are in a sloped ladder formation and there is a sheet of plastic, reinforced with wood at the sides that is below the roosts at about the same angle. At the bottom of the slide the lid from a big rubbermaid container. When the chickens roost at night, any poop they produce drops onto the slide and rolls down into the lid. I can remove the lid about once a week and dump it in the compost pile and remove probably 90% of any of the poop produced in the coop.

 

[Northie]

A poop slide sounds like an interesting idea... Hmm.. No scooping eh... Going to think about that one.


Another thing I noticed... Every coop looks different and some are quite beautifully decorated on here. I might paint daisies in mine. Maybe even put in some cool antiques or something...

 

[Hummingbird Hollow]

Here's a photo of my poop slide arrangement. I had to change things about a year in because my roosts were too high for my heavy breed hens, but the idea is the same.