Building new chicken coop. Need ideas

[chickenmama109]

Hi everyone I'm going to build my chickens a new coop and I need some ideas. I have 13 chickens, three if which are bantams. I was wondering what kind of coops you built and what kind of DIY stuff you have done inside.

 

[Jules1349]

Hi everyone I'm going to build my chickens a new coop and I need some ideas. I have 13 chickens, three if which are bantams. I was wondering what kind of coops you built and what kind of DIY stuff you have done inside.

Here are the 2 coops I’ve built the purple one was the first then upgraded and did 1/2 of my shed

 

[chickenmama109]

Here are the 2 coops I’ve built the purple one was the first then upgraded and did 1/2 of my shed

Thank you for the pictures you have an awesome coop

 

[Liddy]

I'm presently redesigning my coop complex, which is built into an old equipment shed added to the north side of the garage. It grew out of an 8 x 12 coop in the rear of the structure. Outside and in front of the original coop, I added a wall-mounted box, about 2 x 4, that I call the Infirmary. I use it for isolating whatever bird I may need to. Then I acquired another group of chicks and built another coop in front of the Infirmary. The Infirmary was in a kind of aisle -- until I enclosed it all into a 2-part coop that I can partition.

Five years later, after learning a lot and losing a quarter of my flock to a respiratory ailment in February, I'm tearing most of it apart, sterilizing the space and rebuilding.

This site is AWESOME for inspiration and ideas! Here's what I have decided:

The flexibility of removable partitions is going to be increased. I plan to make panels I can fit into the framing and secure with hooks or bolts. Chicken wire in narrow frames, so they are lightweight and easy to handle.

I really really REALLY like the hoppers that hold a whole sack and dump feed into a trough at the bottom. This will make my life easier and take up less floor space for metal cans. I'll have one in the front area and one in the rear, which is likely to be used as a grow-out coop.

In a former configuration I had the roosting bars in a slightly enclosed area with a raised poop platform. I will incorporate that again. It's easier to clean and the hens really preferred to roost in there. I think they like being cozy and sheltered.

Hanging buckets with poultry nipples in the bottom is the way to go! I use a birdbath deicer in the winter and it works even in -30 degree nights. (I have had to take a cup of warm water out to thaw the nipples on bitter mornings but it takes no time at all and not having to chip ice is fabulous.) I need more flexibility in placing them but hooks are cheap. Note: Keep the buckets away from the roosting areas and keep the lids on! If a chicken likes to sit on the lid, suspending an empty cottage cheese container in the center takes up the space and keeps them off.

Nesting boxes need to be lower than the ones I have. The upper row winds up hosting hens overnight and gets filthy. To prevent this, I plan to have all low nesting boxes - and have them in both major coop areas for flexibility. I'll either have them topped by an Infirmary (or two - those can function as a broody nest or brooder as well as cleaning out chickens prior to butchering) or a roosting area. I have always had my nesting boxes backed with a hinged door so they are accessible from outside the coop. I'm not lazy, I'm efficient!

Last month I came nose-to-nose with a weasel in the attached garage. I suspect its small size is the only reason it hasn't raided the coop and killed hens. Right now the coop is constructed of poultry wire and 2 x 4s, with 18" of OSB at the bottom of every wall. This open mesh will be replaced with hardware cloth. The weasel will grow and and at some point it will feel bold enough to take on the hens. I do not want to give it access.

I wish I could raise my pop doors. The back one is level with the coop floor, which is not ideal. I use Koop Clean (expensive but worth it) and it gets kicked out into the run. The front one is better but I would like it a little higher.

I've spent a lot of time looking through the Large Coop descriptions and photos. I recommend you do that and you will find all kinds of cool ideas that inspire you!

Good luck and take pics to post! We all like to see what others do.