I built a coop this past summer for our six new hens. I took various parts of a bunch of different designs and pictures I found on-line and took into account the size of windows and a door I had on hand and I am mostly happy with how it came out. There is one problem though that I have not seen addressed anywhere and that is the height of the doors. I naturally put the doors (both person and chicken) at the very bottom with just a 2x4 sill. I never took into account that if you use the deep litter method that the pine shavings will build up to 12-18 inches and spill out of the coop when the doors are opened. If I could do it over I would raise the bottoms of the doors to around 16 inches off the floor and maybe have a hinged, drop down sill under the person door to make it easier to clean. Also, I made the coop tall enough that I could stand in it and that really isn't necessary. I can reach their food, water, and perch from the door so there is really no need to go in on a regular basis. I think I wouldn't make it taller than 4 or 5 feet if I could do it over. Unfortunately I built the thing solid enough to last for years so I don't see myself incorporating these changes into a new coop any time soon.
Just wanted to pass on what I learned.
Just wanted to pass on what I learned.