Building our first coop

prez2028

In the Brooder
Mar 18, 2022
7
22
34
Eastern Kansas
Ok, so a few weeks ago I had asked for some ideas on how to build a coop on a budget since everything pre-fab was either too small or way too expensive. I got a few great ideas (like the hoop coop and converting an old kids playhouse) and realized that our neighbor was trying to give away their old wooden swing set/fort! So we are currently in the process of converting said play set.

My husband (who is a welder and has worked on random wood projects with his dad in the past) drew up some rough sketches to figure out what he would need material-wise and a general idea of what we are doing. it will be about 25 sq. ft when we are all said and done and are building an A-Frame run from the old swing set part with a portion of it covered. Here is what I have already told him I need:
- 2 doors (one on each side of the coop) for cleaning out the coop
- wire cloth for the run and to cover vents/the window we are putting in and to go under the coop
- one window for the summer
- 3 nesting boxes (we only have 6 chickens but they are RIRs/ISA Brown so I want them to be comfortable)
- roosting bars
- potentially poop boards
- pop door (which I would like to be automated if possible)
- space for water/food in the coop
- area for dust bath
- door to the run that I can walk through if need be
- vents in the coop
- insulation (between sheets of plywood)

If there is anything I am missing, help a girl out!
Here are some things I know I need some help with though. I am a visual person and I have found a lot of articles and commentary on the these subjects, but I really need to see these in action, so if you have examples, I would love to see them!

1) Roofing - We live near Kansas City (United States) and we have anywhere from mild-single digits in the winter time and very humid summers with the average temperature being in the mid to high 90s depending on the year. (our weather is crazy. For the last 2 months it has snowed at least a little every Thursday, lol). So I need a roofing that will keep rain out and keep the temperature semi constant. The shape will be more like a normal housetop. What roofing do you use?

2) Floor of the coop - Since we are planning on putting the hardware cloth on the bottom of the run area, what should we put down over it? As I mentioned their will be a potion of the run that is covered for shade/weather protection and the rest would be exposed. Under the coop part, I was thinking we would do the dust bath since it would be more protected. Thoughts?

3) Dust bath - what do I use for that?

4) Latches - we do have raccoons around here and I would like to have some good ideas on predator proof/highly resistant latches for the Nesting box, the 2 doors and the walk in door to the run.

5) Vents - I see so many articles about the importance of vents and an idea of where they need to go, but I have yet to see examples of what those vents look like, since they need to not be drafty but still keep the air fresh. Our weather typically comes from the west/southwest (northwest in the winter time). Also, while I like the idea of the Deep bedding method, I don't think I would have the ability to stay on top of it like I needed to, so I am planning on cleaning out as needed.

6) Ramp from the coop - So the run will be about 10ft long, and the coop is about 4ft off the ground. I have read you don't want to have the pitch too steep without having extra slats, but I also don't want to have the ramp go from the coop to the end of the run. Thoughts?

7) Feed and water in the coop/run. Is it good to have both food and water out in the run, or just the water? Any great solutions that make it hard to scratch out the food? We have been looking at making a food box/PVC piping in the coop for the food, but my concern is it will take up too much space. Thoughts are appreciated!

Currently, those are all the burning questions I have been trying to figure out! I have tried to look stuff up on here as much as possible, but with two kids under 3, I can only spend so much time! Thank you so much for bearing through my newbie questions and dilemmas and I look forward to seeing responses, examples and inputs!

Here is the before before pictures, and I am excited to see the finished product!

IMG_1746.JPG

IMG_1745.JPG
IMG_1743.JPG
Coop Skeleton.png
 
I use sand for my dust bath. But there is dirt in there. I think you have a really great plan here is a picture of my coop. The dust bathing spot is under the coop. I use tarps for the winter. But tin for part of the roof.
Messenger Kids_creation_113499118.jpeg
 
There's no need to have an inside layer of plywood or insulation, it can cause issues later with moisture retention and pests living in it.
You can just use traditional roofing or corrugated metal for the roof. Most people have soffits under the roof overhang for ventilation. The window isn't really needed unless you need light.
As long as the door latches are at least 4 feet up, raccoons shouldnt be able to reach them, but you can use carabiner clips with a gate latch. Good old dirt is best for the run and dust bath, like find a wash somewhere and fill some buckets. Your build sounds great! I've seen.people use 4-6 " pvc pipe to store feed for the small footprint.
 
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Ok, so a few weeks ago I had asked for some ideas on how to build a coop on a budget since everything pre-fab was either too small or way too expensive. I got a few great ideas (like the hoop coop and converting an old kids playhouse) and realized that our neighbor was trying to give away their old wooden swing set/fort! So we are currently in the process of converting said play set.

My husband (who is a welder and has worked on random wood projects with his dad in the past) drew up some rough sketches to figure out what he would need material-wise and a general idea of what we are doing. it will be about 25 sq. ft when we are all said and done and are building an A-Frame run from the old swing set part with a portion of it covered. Here is what I have already told him I need:
- 2 doors (one on each side of the coop) for cleaning out the coop
- wire cloth for the run and to cover vents/the window we are putting in and to go under the coop
- one window for the summer
- 3 nesting boxes (we only have 6 chickens but they are RIRs/ISA Brown so I want them to be comfortable)
- roosting bars
- potentially poop boards
- pop door (which I would like to be automated if possible)
- space for water/food in the coop
- area for dust bath
- door to the run that I can walk through if need be
- vents in the coop
- insulation (between sheets of plywood)

If there is anything I am missing, help a girl out!
Here are some things I know I need some help with though. I am a visual person and I have found a lot of articles and commentary on the these subjects, but I really need to see these in action, so if you have examples, I would love to see them!

1) Roofing - We live near Kansas City (United States) and we have anywhere from mild-single digits in the winter time and very humid summers with the average temperature being in the mid to high 90s depending on the year. (our weather is crazy. For the last 2 months it has snowed at least a little every Thursday, lol). So I need a roofing that will keep rain out and keep the temperature semi constant. The shape will be more like a normal housetop. What roofing do you use?

2) Floor of the coop - Since we are planning on putting the hardware cloth on the bottom of the run area, what should we put down over it? As I mentioned their will be a potion of the run that is covered for shade/weather protection and the rest would be exposed. Under the coop part, I was thinking we would do the dust bath since it would be more protected. Thoughts?

3) Dust bath - what do I use for that?

4) Latches - we do have raccoons around here and I would like to have some good ideas on predator proof/highly resistant latches for the Nesting box, the 2 doors and the walk in door to the run.

5) Vents - I see so many articles about the importance of vents and an idea of where they need to go, but I have yet to see examples of what those vents look like, since they need to not be drafty but still keep the air fresh. Our weather typically comes from the west/southwest (northwest in the winter time). Also, while I like the idea of the Deep bedding method, I don't think I would have the ability to stay on top of it like I needed to, so I am planning on cleaning out as needed.

6) Ramp from the coop - So the run will be about 10ft long, and the coop is about 4ft off the ground. I have read you don't want to have the pitch too steep without having extra slats, but I also don't want to have the ramp go from the coop to the end of the run. Thoughts?

7) Feed and water in the coop/run. Is it good to have both food and water out in the run, or just the water? Any great solutions that make it hard to scratch out the food? We have been looking at making a food box/PVC piping in the coop for the food, but my concern is it will take up too much space. Thoughts are appreciated!

Currently, those are all the burning questions I have been trying to figure out! I have tried to look stuff up on here as much as possible, but with two kids under 3, I can only spend so much time! Thank you so much for bearing through my newbie questions and dilemmas and I look forward to seeing responses, examples and inputs!

Here is the before before pictures, and I am excited to see the finished product!

View attachment 3054830
View attachment 3054834View attachment 3054832View attachment 3054841
I think your could have something really cool with that as a starting point! I'm still a newbie, so take my suggestions with a grain of salt:
1.) Corrugated metal! Awesome stuff for snow removal. We have a dark green, but it's in a shaded area. Galvanized metal or a light color could be good for full sun.
2.) We have a plywood floor painted with black jack for water resistance. Don't want chicken litter on bare plywood for moisture/mold reasons and because mites can congregate in nooks and crannies in wood.
3.) Technically not needed if their run is on dirt, but we have a galvanized metal bucket of peat moss and sand in their run.
4.) Don't skimp on hardware! We have good, sturdy carabiner clips on every latch. Cheap padlocks and keys work too, but it's a pain to remember bringing the keys.
5.) Honestly, can't have too much ventilation. Our whole coop is covered and I still sometimes think we could have more. See mine (attached) for examples. A cupola was a great idea for ours, if I do say so myself haha. Functional ventilation without drafts.
6.) Not sure about this. Our ramp is about 3' from the ground and we built a "staircase" style ramp that they use just fine. They fly off about halfway down. You can see it in the attachment.
7.) I keep food and water in the run. Only time I've put them in the coop was when we had a blizzard and they wouldn't come out. It creates mess and attracts rodents. A plastic dog food bin in our garage is how we keep our feed (holds about 50 lbs at a time). We upgraded to a heater water bowl and aart has a great feeder design. I do wish they took up less space though. Oh well, it's working.

Hope this helps. Best of luck and enjoy the process!
 

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Welcome to BYC and the wonderful world of chickens.

So I need a roofing that will keep rain out and keep the temperature semi constant.

Rainproof, yes, but constant temperature, no.

If you have adequate ventilation the temperature inside the coop will be approximately the same as outside. You don't need to keep them warm, you need to keep the DRY and out of the wind. Keeping them dry requires excellent ventilation with plenty of draft-free airflow to move moisture up and out of the coop.

Airflow Crayon.png


Metal roofing is surprisingly easy to work with if you have the right tools. Some people claim that it's more prone to condensation -- and it *might* be in certain circumstances -- but that's largely a matter of having adequate ventilation.

Since we are planning on putting the hardware cloth on the bottom of the run area, what should we put down over it?

I recommend against putting hardware cloth on the floor of the run itself. It both frustrates chickens' natural instinct to dig and scratch and presents the risk of injury to their feet. Better to protect against digging predators with a hardware cloth apron around the outside of the coop/run.

0827211219a-jpg.3012652


Dust bath - what do I use for that?

When you give the chickens access to the natural dirt in their run they will dig their own dustbaths to please themselves.

0531211918a.jpg


Vents - I see so many articles about the importance of vents and an idea of where they need to go, but I have yet to see examples of what those vents look like, since they need to not be drafty but still keep the air fresh.

I discussed a number of different kinds of vents in this article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

You can see other examples here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/run-to-outdoor-brooder-conversion.76634/

The main thing to remember is that you need square FEET, not square inches and that the rain shouldn't get in.

Ramp from the coop - So the run will be about 10ft long, and the coop is about 4ft off the ground.

Ramps are traditional, but chickens are quite capable of hopping up and down steps if you need to save space. I don't have a photo, but I saw one coop article where a person made the steps up to the coop from different size logs.

Feed and water in the coop/run. Is it good to have both food and water out in the run, or just the water? Any great solutions that make it hard to scratch out the food?

This is one of those great debates that boil down to "What works for YOU?"

I prefer the food and water outside in the run as a space-saving measure, but in my huge, open air coop they're both inside and out so that I have multiple feed/water stations for a large flock.

I'm a fan of the traditional, hanging metal feeder to keep the feed from being scooped out and wasted. But if I'm using a different feeder and I see too much on the ground I just don't feed them again until they've cleaned up the spillage.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/in-praise-of-the-traditional-hanging-feeder.1452899/
 
I recommend against putting hardware cloth on the floor of the run itself. It both frustrates chickens' natural instinct to dig and scratch and presents the risk of injury to their feet. Better to protect against digging predators with a hardware cloth apron around the outside of the coop/run.

The picture didn’t come through, but how big should that be? Would it be like a 1’ strip around the outside into the ground?
 
Lots of great advice!!

I'm happy with plastic hanging feeders suspended from a shepherd's hook outside. I do have a hook to hang inside the coop when weather is wet. Feeders are gross when feed gets wet!

Many newer chicken keepers, myself included, assume chickens will suffer in the cold. They're jungle birds, right? My area ranges from the teens in winter to mid 80s in summer. My birds dealt with the cold much better.

If you're looking to keep costs low and are able to stay close to home, skip a heated waterer. I was pretty happy filling metal bowls with warm tap water from an old pitcher. It was like tea time and takes hours to refreeze. The chickens loved warm water 1st thing on a cold morning.
 
I'd skip the insulation, it's just unnecessary cost in your climate. And considering doing platforms for chicken access so the chickens fly up on those to get into the coop, or you could do a partial ramp with platform(s) combo to help save on space. I'm not at all sold on ramps, I do steps.

The picture didn’t come through, but how big should that be? Would it be like a 1’ strip around the outside into the ground?
I agree that wire on the run floor isn't ideal for foot safety. For an apron, I'd aim for around 16" minimum. 18-24" is even better. Here's a good post showing clear photos of an apron install.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208
 

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