Coop Builders - What would you have changed or done differently?

Mtn Laurel

Crowing
11 Years
May 18, 2012
1,534
217
256
Northern Virginia
My Coop
My Coop
We built a chicken tractor for 4 chickens in June. After living with the tractor for 3 months, we're already making plans for a different coop. Much of our desire for a different coop is because of things we wish we had done differently. We had no prior experience and failed to anticipate some very basic things.

A few things we wish we had done differently include:

  • Larger - Yes, we've become victims of "Chicken Math"!
  • More Windows - Sometimes I don't want to stick my head or hand into a place that isn't well lit [especially after seeing pics of snakes in nesting boxes. Arggghh!] and the girls need the light, too.
  • Roosts higher than nesting boxes - Oh, we figured that out and fixed it but what a mess!
  • Chicken pop door situate at side of coop wall instead of in the middle - Takes away too much valuable interior space if door is in the middle of the wall, especially in a tractor.
  • More large "people sized" openings - Especially for a tractor to make it easier for cleaning. The ideal would be to be able to lift up or open an entire side of the coop.
  • Nesting boxes extending outside - To give more interior space and to keep them totally away from roost area.
  • Shaded or Roofed Run - The heat wave hadn't hit when we were building it. We moved it to shade but still needed to use reflective tarps in areas to keep them out of the sun.
  • Storage Space - I guess running to the house to get stuff is good exercise but I sure would love a small area to keep the things I need daily.

As we begin to plan for a larger, permanent coop, I'm curious as to what other coop builders would have done differently. I'm trying to anticipate our mistakes before we make them!
 
We have a barn that we use for the chickens. It's continually changing. I do agree with all your input though.
  • Figure out how many chickens you want to keep in coop. Multiply by 3. That's how you figure out space (in my case, multiply by 50).
  • It comes in handy to have a divider in your coop to separate injured or broody hens.
  • Nesting boxes should have something slanted to prevent roosting (even if they are lower than the roosts!)
  • Lots and lots of ventilation.
  • Something that goes in front of door to keep shavings in.
That's all I got. :) Here is my coop for reference..
_MG_4632.jpg
They still roost on those darn makeshift nesting boxes. We plan on building a huge set of them eventually, but this is all we have for now. I have to kick a few off at lights out :rolleyes: Also, tiered perches work great. I have more roosts then needed, which is also a plus. There is less fighting that way.
 
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Congrats! Ours is still being modified a little here and there. We went small because as much as chicken math wants to get us, it can't because we're restricted to 6 :(

After lots of research here on BYC we decided to put in 2 nest boxes and have a "flap door" on the outside so we can easily reach in and clean and gather eggs. The door is the width of the coop. On the other end, we have another flap door for cleaning. We arranged the interior so that we can put the wheelbarrow up to the door, reach in with a rake and just pull out the bedding straight into the wheel barrow for transport to the compost.

We also put the entire roof on a hinge so the whole top opens. This provides easy access for reaching the light fixture and such and also for putting new bedding down.

The chicken door was originally cut straight out of the floor (3/4" ply) but it was really heavy and we could only put cleats on it for about 2/3 of the way...and a couple of the girls were really leery of that bottom bit. We've since replaced it with a piece of 1/4" ply and configured it so that we can put cleats all the way to the bottom. It's much easier to use the pulley on now because it's not so heavy and the girls easily and willingly climb in and out all day long.

We had considered making it longer and making a storage area but we felt the extra size and weight would make it more difficult to move. Our yard isn't that big and it's pretty simple to walk to the shed where we keep the feed. We didn't put windows in other than a small shuttered one for airflow. I've never seen a snake in our yard, and the coop is about 22" off the ground on 4 x 4's so I don't foresee a problem in that regard. The birds are able to get under the coop for shade or protection from a sprinkle. We put the feeder under it for the same reason.

We built the run out of metal conduit and hardware cloth and it fits snugly against the opening under the coop. The whole thing is moved about every three days. When it's moved to the center of the yard where there's no shade, we stake a tarp over one end of it so they have both the coop itself and the tarp for shade. So far, it's working great. If we could have more chickens, we'd go with a MUCH larger, permanent coop, one we could get in and out of ourselves but I think we'd still keep the portable run so we could move them around a bit so they could have fresh "pasture" :)

Here's a photo of ours


 
Nice coop. Lots of windows for lighting. I just built my nesting boxes. It was fun and only took me a couple hours and cost nothing.I put it on a slant so the chickens won't roost and poop on it.
 
I just put my 11, five week old guineas in their coop.

What I would do differently:
Have 2 sources of water, my main water-er is 1 gallon and is near empty in about 8 to 10 hours.
As they get bigger they will drink more.
I plan on adding a 10 gallon water barrel with about 6 nipples. (In case some should clog/fail)
And use both.
Less waste/mess and assured of enough water so I can go away for the weekend.

Add low roost poles so smaller/younger birds can access them.

Have a plan to remove sick or injured birds.
My friend uses a small fishing net/pole and a large dog crate to quarantine them.

Inspect the perimeter daily for any indication of predator attempts to get in.
You may not see predators before you put your birds out, but the smell and noise will attract them.
I raked all around the coop, and spray water around the coop in the evening, in the morning I check to see any tracks left from the night before.
I've found out even the deer come to check them out!

Dump the droppings AWAY from the coop, I have a raised garden bed for droppings.
As I get more birds (chickens etc) I'll make tumbler barrel composters.
It will keep rodents from coming for a free meal.

Keep your coop/run dry, moisture breeds bacteria, the #2 killer of birds (predators are #1)
I used asphalt shingles to extend the roof/run so rain water will run off away from the coop/run.

The same with the feed.
Bird food is very dry, keep it that way.
I use a galvanized barrel, keep the grain in the plastic sack, cut the top and put it right in the barrel, roll the bag and close it with a couple of bag clips, the kind you use for chips.
Since I live in a damp climate zone, I use a pair of women's nylons and put instant rice in the stockings and put that in the feed bag.
I put one leg in the other (for extra strenght), fill it up then use a re-usable baggy tie.
The rice will collect the moisture. It last about about the time the bag is empty, I then take rice out of the stockings and dry it out in the oven...it's ready to use again.
Guys, just do like I do, put the rice and women's nylons on the counter together, then explain it to the cashier...you know how women think!!
The same thing when I bought Kotex and Tampons for my emergency medical kit...I explained, "These are for my emergency medical kit, did you know Kotex was first produced as a bandage for soldiers in World War 1"?

Maybe your coop is almost finished? Chicks on the way?
Here's what I learned in the 'brooder stage':

These birds can fly when they get feathers! Have a cover ready for that time!

The area around your brooder will be covered in a very fine 'dust'.
If kept in the house, your looking a real mess to clean up!

Have a plan to get them from the brooder to the coop, I raised them in a 20+"x34+" Rubber Maid tote, it would fit through the doorway, I just took the food and water out and slid it to the patio, since it was heavy, (amazing how heavy a tote with 11 five week old birds can be), I used my garden lawn cart to get them to the coop.
 
My coop is 95% complete although I have moved the chickens in already. This is what I've learned so far:

  • Whenever possible, design/build in increments of 2 feet! Everything is based on 2' - studs, sheets, and corrugated roof. I knew this going into building mine, but to maximize the area I had my coop ended up 9' wide and 10'-1" deep. That extra foot on the width and inch on the depth probably cost me at least an extra $100-150. (Still working on final totals.)
  • Buy in bulk if possible. I have spent about $76 for (2) rolls of 2'x10' and (1) roll of 3'x25" of 1/2" hardware cloth. I could have bought a 4' x 50' roll of it online, delivered, for about $10 more and had extra for a quarantine pen, repairs, or something.
  • Should have started building the coop before we got chicks or at least had a realistic plan of what would get done and when. Our 21 chicks turned 9 weeks on Friday and they just moved into the coop Sunday. Every time we were ready to start, we'd get crazy amounts of rain or it would be freakishly hot. Being rushed made us cranky and less careful.
  • The classic "Measure twice, cut once." Seriously. For everything. Even if you have extra materials.
 

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