Building my 1st Coop and have a few questions

[Taylorbrood]

is it a walk in? we have a walk in with a skylight and I love it, we use LED light for lighting and it works well, I can turn on from outside with a remote.

this is what we did and only because we have Mareks, tarps taped, the baskets underneath have been pulled and replaced with a metal tub filled with straw for nesting, only one uses the basket and its the head hen. so underneath we pile the straw for warmth, our flooring system is plywood, then plastic flooring that came with the shed, then a tarp and fatigue mats. we had the shelves lower but the girls wanted to be high. we also are now lining the poop board with staw because they like to hunker down in it. since they only use one end of it, clean up is fast. I fractured my back so my old coop was not working for me or them.

 

[M.S. Matthew]

1- I install 2 windows, windward and leeward, to keep the coop ventilated.
2- No skylights.
3- No internal lights or electricity. Too easy to start a fire from dander and gasses that build up. best to put a hook and bring out a battery powered lantern.
4- You can put the roost bars anywhere. Just be sure to re-enforce the windows with hardware cloth so pred's can't get in.
5- IMHO, no concrete pad. On the ground is OK or off the ground is OK, just pred'r proof with hardware cloth and buried treated wood.

Hope this helps. I've build a lot of coops so ask me anything you need to.

Thanks so much for your input...

 

[M.S. Matthew]

My coop has a skylight and i love it. We also have electric lights in the coop. No fires in 20 plus coops. You can use a concrete pad or not. You can use a wood floor or dirt. If you use dirt, your coop will need a skirt. Your chickens will all want to perch as high as possible. Check out my thread Helpful hints for building coops.

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions...

 

[M.S. Matthew]

is it a walk in? we have a walk in with a skylight and I love it, we use LED light for lighting and it works well, I can turn on from outside with a remote.

Thanks so much for taking the time to help me!

 

[M.S. Matthew]

Nice sketches.
1 square = 1'?

Top hinged windows so they can be left open all summer and shed rain.

No skylights unless coop has deep shade in summer...
....and you are darn sure you can get it water tight.

Old style florescent not good, flicker rate too slow, will drive birds nuts.
Newer one or CFL are OK.

Raised or on ground might depend on site configuration,
there's pros and cons for both.

Think about elevation too.
Here's my theory on the 'stack up' aspect to coop design:
Bottom of pop door is best about 8" above floor so bedding doesn't get dragged out of coop.
Nice to have bottom of nests about 18" above bedding to allow use of that floor space under them(doesn't count if your nests are mounted on outside of coop).
Roosts are best about 12" higher than nests so birds won't roost(sleep) in nests and poop in them, if you use poop boards under roosts it will also 'stretch' your floor space.

Upper venting works best as high as possible above roosts so no strong drafts hit roosts in winter...and hot/moist air and ammonia can rise and exit coop.

Thank you so much for your time and input...

 

[M.S. Matthew]

this is what we did and only because we have Mareks, tarps taped, the baskets underneath have been pulled and replaced with a metal tub filled with straw for nesting, only one uses the basket and its the head hen. so underneath we pile the straw for warmth, our flooring system is plywood, then plastic flooring that came with the shed, then a tarp and fatigue mats. we had the shelves lower but the girls wanted to be high. we also are now lining the poop board with staw because they like to hunker down in it. since they only use one end of it, clean up is fast. I fractured my back so my old coop was not working for me or them.

Look Great! Thanks you very much for your input

 

[M.S. Matthew]

Once again, I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to help me out. Coop construction will begin directly.

 

[Taylorbrood]

Once again, I would like to thank everyone for taking the time to help me out. Coop construction will begin directly.

have fun and remember to save your back. lol