Chicken Coop Do's and Don'ts

[fuzzi]

I'm a huge fan of this article as it pertains to coop building:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/yakisugi-coop.76398/
@Yakisugi Coop did a great job of doing research prior to building. Much of that research is linked in the article. And, while you may come to different conclusions, the article does a good job getting you 'thinking the right way.'

If you read through @fuzzi 's chicken journal, you'll see a great example of how the community can help and guide you as you go. This ended up with a very nice hoop coop.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fuzzis-chicken-journal.1550586/

Have you considered an Open Air coop? @3KillerBs has good info on those.


To really know what you want from a coop, you'll also need to know what you want from your chickens. Are you in this just for eggs? Are you looking to harvest meat? Will you cull chickens after 2 years when their production slows down? Will you raise baby chicks? Do you want a broody hen to raise chicks for you? Do you have any interest in breeding chickens for show? Many people just want the chickens as pets. Some people on here don't care about eggs and the chicken manure for compost is their primary motivation. Those answers can impact decisions you make in how you construct your coop.

Oh, before all else, check your local laws and ordinances.

Thank you for your kind words about my build.

Here's a link to my timeline:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/fuzzis-chicken-journal.1550586/post-26819925

The people here at BYC have been incredibly helpful.

 

[Double Yolked]

It's already been mentioned, but I'd like to double down on NO nooks or crannies that are hard to get to or hard to clean. And make very sure your perches and roosts can be entirely removed and cleaned as well.
My reason is one that can break your heart and damage your soul as a chicken keeper.
Red bird mites.
I went for years with no problems with mites until I got a chicken tractor with very small nest boxes and not so easily accessed spots in it. I had a nightmare of a time getting rid of the mites and from then on, they would come back, where I'd never had problems before. All it takes is one nosy hungry sparrow and you've got an infestation. I used buckets of diatomaceous earth, it does work but you've got to be on it almost daily once you have the nasty pests.