Coop and feed room storage question

[Swbertrand1]

We like the idea of a separate area for feed/tools, so we put a full length storage closet on the back of our coop. However, we later found that we really didn't need all that much space for a few items: 5 gal bucket of feed, 2 gal bucket of scratch, a small rake, a few feeders, and a bag of oyster shells,.

Then, we decided to segregate the coop for smaller birds and wanted a 2nd coop entrance, so the decision was made to shorten the height of the rear storage closet by raising the floor and decreasing the door size, adding a tunnel entrance, and trimming the remaining opening to look presentable. See Photo #1 below. It gave us what we wanted in a 2nd coop entrance and reduced unusable space in the storage closet, two "wins" there.

My point is that you can add a storage area with either inside or outside access pretty easily with a little minor framing and trim work, but think about utilizing your space as efficiently as possible. Do you need tools in your coop storage? Take a good inventory of what you REALLY need and plan your "closet" accordingly. Our is separated so that dust does not enter, and it stays remarkably clean.

For what it's worth, I added a view of the inside of the tunnel entrance in Photo #2 and the divider for the roosting area in Photo #3, the original motivation for reducing our closet size in the first place......

 

[Alaskan]

The shed is 8x12 the actual coop space will be 8x8 …they free range so plenty of room for 20 chickens to roost at night.
@Alaskan I’ve had the the all in one coop design already…I’m done scraping poop off garbage cans…lol…

Well, an 8x8 coop means if you are going with 4 square feet per chicken of indoor space then that is space for 16 chickens. With 20 chickens they have 3.2 square feet per chicken.

Of course, i have no idea what kind of climate you live in... how much rain or snow..

And, are you going to add on a roofed run? A roofed run, especially with some wind block is almost as good as coop space, and that can help greatly.

 

[Alaskan]

We like the idea of a separate area for feed/tools, so we put a full length storage closet on the back of our coop. However, we later found that we really didn't need all that much space for a few items: 5 gal bucket of feed, 2 gal bucket of scratch, a small rake, a few feeders, and a bag of oyster shells,.

Then, we decided to segregate the coop for smaller birds and wanted a 2nd coop entrance, so the decision was made to shorten the height of the rear storage closet by raising the floor and decreasing the door size, adding a tunnel entrance, and trimming the remaining opening to look presentable. See Photo #1 below. It gave us what we wanted in a 2nd coop entrance and reduced unusable space in the storage closet, two "wins" there.

My point is that you can add a storage area with either inside or outside access pretty easily with a little minor framing and trim work, but think about utilizing your space as efficiently as possible. Do you need tools in your coop storage? Take a good inventory of what you REALLY need and plan your "closet" accordingly. Our is separated so that dust does not enter, and it stays remarkably clean.

For what it's worth, I added a view of the inside of the tunnel entrance in Photo #2 and the divider for the roosting area in Photo #3, the original motivation for reducing our closet size in the first place......

Outside access storage sounds like a great way to save floor space.... as long as you have a huge roof overhang so you can stand out of the rain.

 

[Sally PB]

I store my chicken feed in my mudroom. It's in a chew-proof container.

The chickens' feed bowls are inside 10x16"ish Rubbermaid-type containers. I seal them up and bring them in at night. In the morning, I fill the bowls, put the top back on, stack 'em up and carry them out, along with a couple gallon jugs of water.

When it gets down to freezing temps, I'll empty and bring the waterers in too. Right now I empty them, wipe them out, and leave them next to the run.

The poop bucket is a kitty litter bucket with a lid. I put the lid on and leave it next to the run. When we start getting snow, I'll probably put it between the run and the garage. Or on the porch.

I figure the chicken coop is for the chickens. I try not to fill their space with my stuff, even if it's for them.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

i moved to a place that mostly doesn't snow. can't help, sorry

 

[Swbertrand1]

Outside access storage sounds like a great way to save floor space.... as long as you have a huge roof overhang so you can stand out of the rain.

With the storage inside, it doesn't save floor space except to the extent that we don't access it from inside.
As for rain, we don't spend much time out in the rain and really don't need to access what's in the storage closet that often, maybe 3 times per week. We can find a window in the week when it's not raining too.
An overhang might be useful if we had constant rain, but we don't........... :-\

 

[saysfaa]

Looking for ideas and advise on dividing my coop into 2 separate areas. One for the hen house the other for feed and tool storage. What are your ideas about having a solid wall to keep out all the chicken dust versus a wired wall….

I have a wire wall. I like it but it has some disadvantages. The dust, of course. Also, I get a lot of spill of feathers, mostly, and also litter. My design has a ten inch solid wall along the bottom that was supposed to hold the litter. It doesn't hold it very well because I left cracks (redoing hasn't reached the top of the todo list yet), and because they kick it over the top.

I would not want a solid wall because I like the open feeling, I like seeing the whole chicken side easily from anywhere on the noncoop side, it cost a LOT less (I reused wire no long needed for a garden), and I get good extra ventilation through the storage side through the eave vents and the doors opposite the wire wall. But you do you.

I haven't installed my windows into their openings yet so don't know personally, but I have read that some people like glass because plexiglass scratches easily - like, even from the coop dust. This might not matter much in windows for light but if the purpose is mainly to look through, it might matter a lot.

 

[Happy hen lover]

I have a divided coop. Total overall is 4x 8, coop side is 4x5 and storage is 4x3. Storage area is to the left. There is a glass door that opens out ( main door ) and screen door (summer door) that opens in.

Its divided by chicken wire and I have a 12" tall board standing up on coop side to keep litter back on the coop side. I get feathers, some poo and it's dusty for sure! I store extra feed, small rakes, partial bag if bedding , weekly litter cleaning supplies, vinegar, light bulbs, extra horizontal nipples, oyster shell, heatable circulated water jug, light, fan in summer and miscellaneous tools in there.

It works for me but eggs and cartons would get gross.

I like your idea mostly but I do agree to
1.open doors OUT not in.
2. I have 5 hens and they use I nestbox to lay 99% of the time.
3. Solid wall would be cleaner.
4. Really think about what tools you need on storage side.

I keep most of bedding in a steel trash can outside of coop. I also have my scratch in a rodent proof container outside my run. But not any predators here except feral cats.

My coop was my brooder when girls were little. Could do that on storage area in future if needed. I could use it to quarantine with our plastic curtain dividing 2 areas (pbly not secluded/ quarantine) enough though. Anyway that's my experiences and help on your design.
I too have deep bedding but almost all the poo ends up right under roosts now that they're a year old. I like the poop collection plan cause for me mine is mostly in one area.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters, especially for housing.

Storage in the coop is a great idea and protecting the stored items from chicken dust is an even better idea.

One issue I see with your plan is the corner roost bars. That design appeals to a human sense of efficiency and aesthetics, but it isn't functional for chickens because the ends near the wall are unusable -- costing you at least a foot of effective length on each end.

The shed is 8x12 the actual coop space will be 8x8 …they free range so plenty of room for 20 chickens to roost at night.

This is one of the places where climate MATTERS. Here's a quote from an article I'm writing:

But I free range/have a huge run and my chickens only use the coop to sleep and lay eggs! Why do I need all that space inside?​

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You might not. As I've said, these are guidelines, not hard-and-fast rules.​

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If you never close the pop door so that your coop and run function together as a fully integrated system that is the equivalent of a huge, open-air coop, then your flock might be just fine for years, even decades.​

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If you are always out there to open the pop door at the crack of dawn or you have an ultra-reliable automatic door so that your chickens never lack access to their free range territory during the daylight hours, then your flock might be just fine for years, even decades.​

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If you live in a mild climate where chickens can always go out into their run/range and are never kept in by snow or storms, then your flock might be just fine for decades. People who keep chickens in places with tropical and subtropical climates do successfully go without a coop at all, just offering a covered roost and some nestboxes.​

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But when something happens ...​

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When a determined predator moves in and breaks through the fencing so that you have to confine the flock to the coop itself so that you can fix the run,​

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When an extreme weather event prevents your chickens from leaving shelter for days,​

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When an emergency calls you out of town and you can't find someone willing to be there at the crack of dawn to open the pop door,​

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Then you could have a mess on your hands.​

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Which brings us back to the issue of flexibility and options. Any time you push a system hard against it's limits you have to count on everything remaining stable -- exactly as it is without any changes. How well that's likely to work depends on your specific circumstances. You may never encounter an unfortunate circumstance -- some people DO hit the lottery, after all.​

You mentioned blowing snow in one post. If that means snow enough that the chickens don't want to go out then you need extra space in the coop beyond the recommended 4 square feet per adult, standard-sized hen minimum.

In re: ventilation -- at least 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation per adult, standard-sized hen -- soffit and gable or soffit and ridge vents are and excellent, weather-proof options. Likewise a monitor or a functional cupola (my Little Monitor Coop was unoccupied during Hurricane Florence but when I checked inside afterward it was perfectly dry). The key is sufficient roof overhang.

Alternately, top-hinged windows that can be opened wide in good weather or just cracked in inclement weather and which form their own awning.

Do you need tools in your coop storage? Take a good inventory of what you REALLY need and plan your "closet" accordingly. Our is separated so that dust does not enter, and it stays remarkably clean.

This is a good point.

In addition to feed, bales of straw/shavings, egg cartons, and spare equipment I've found the need to store certain small items -- packets of Sav-a-chick, the fence tester, spare horizontal nipples, etc. We're on the lookout for a wall-mount cabinet -- maybe discarded after someone's kitchen remodel -- to mount on the wall under the roof overhang next to where the tool rack will be.

(I'm in an extremely mild climate so I don't actually need walls around my storage).

 

[Swbertrand1]

(I'm in an extremely mild climate so I don't actually need walls around my storage).

We're in NC too...