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

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Odd as can be, I've left my food outside all along, including the fermented feed...which has to mean I have no coons. But I used true value snap on garbage cans and it all stayed dry, no sweating. I always knew I'd need a bigger coop, but started with 8x8 on skids, much bigger and it would be hard to tractor anywhere...yes, I need a real tractor. It's a great idea to think about the shorter person...I have blocks to stand on to reach the top shelf.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I am nearly finished building my first "chicksha" style mobile chicken coop (4'x5') for 6 chickens. In the process I have learned quite a bit. Here are my top five.

#1- Whatever you think it will cost, add 50% more. Things come up during the process that you will need/want to make things more convenient down the road.

#2- Whatever time you think it will take, add 100% more for the same reason listed above.

#3- Removable nest boxes. Mine is in the back of the coop and can be lifted slightly and slid out of the egg access door for easy cleaning. This larger access door can also be used for cleaning out the litter, etc.

#4- Attaching bicycle wheels to 2x4's is not as easy as it sounds. (can give you more details if your thinking about building a "chicksha.")

#5- Removable floor covered with linoleum. My floor also slides out of the egg access door and can be sprayed off, dried in the sun, and replaced with ease. I have 1/2" hardware cloth attached underneath the 2x4 floor studs so that the chickens can still use the coop while the floor is removed.

-Three Acres Farm

All are excellent points but #3 struck a cord with me. We also have removable nest boxes and I LOVE them! They're basically 14 x 14 in. wooden boxes that were placed next to the drop down door at the end of the coop for easy access but can be moved about or removed if you need to rearrange things. We ended up removing one because the girls were all using the same box and the extra one was just taking up room.

BEST OF ALL is cleaning - I just pick the box up, walk to the compost bin and shake it out - and then refill with fresh straw. Nothing could be easier!

 

[Sallysec]

All are excellent points but #3 struck a cord with me. We also have removable nest boxes and I LOVE them! They're basically 14 x 14 in. wooden boxes that were placed next to the drop down door at the end of the coop for easy access but can be moved about or removed if you need to rearrange things. We ended up removing one because the girls were all using the same box and the extra one was just taking up room.

BEST OF ALL is cleaning - I just pick the box up, walk to the compost bin and shake it out - and then refill with fresh straw. Nothing could be easier!

Can I see a picture? I am still working on this for my coop, and I love the idea of simple to clean nesting boxes, and I want to be able to move them about if need be (brooding etc).

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

Mine's a lot bigger than most of these. What I'd do differently is make it possible to easily get a wheelbarrow in/out (right now we shovel shavings out the window) and I wouldn't bother with a loft. We simply don't use it, and we've had raccoons try to live up there. Otherwise, I like it. It has electricity, a small feed room, and a hopper feeder that holds 250 pounds of feed. It also has places to hang waterers and heat lights in the winter. For reference, the peak is 14 feet high. I don't have any photos that show the whole thing, but here is the outside, the perches, and the nest boxes. If you're going to put a slant on your nest box roof, make it steeper than mine. I still have hens roost up there.

 

[TXchickmum]

We began our chicken journey this March. My intent was to have three standard pullets - period! My kids saw the bantam chicks and had to have some..... They purchased four. Our first two coops (one for bantams and one for standards) were very functional and practical. My husband designed them well with appropriate space, nesting boxes, and easy access to nest boxes in mind. He placed hinged doors on the ends of the coop/run to let the chickens in and out, however, didn't calculate for cleaning. We essentially had a crawl space for scooping. A month ago, I decided to get four more standard birds (since we had so enjoyed our first batch of chicks)! The hubby constructed a new coop with the entire front of the underneath run as one hinged unit that raises up and latches to the top of the coop. It is FABULOUS for cleaning! -wish we'd thought of this when building the first two. Now, we recently added a large run that connects all of the coops and are planning to undertake the final project - one 8 x 12 fabulous coop patterned after this: http://www.thefancyfarmgirl.com/heres-the-coop/. (going to combine the flock into one home, landscape around the run, and sell the other three coops!!)

 

[Sallysec]

The hubby constructed a new coop with the entire front of the underneath run as one hinged unit that raises up and latches to the top of the coop. It is FABULOUS for cleaning! -wish we'd thought of this when building the first two.

So are the side and bottom one large unit that lifts with hinges? Is it latched down or is it so heavy that you dont need to worry about predators? trying to picture it

 

[TXchickmum]

The bottom latches down as well as up and door fits very snug. All openings latch. It is very sturdy and predator proof, constructed with hardware cloth on all "open spaces" as well as the bottom.


There is a ladder that connects the top floor with the lower level run. The little underneath run is open on all four sides with sand/dirt in the bottom (on top of the buried hardware cloth). The top is open on the front and one side, and solid on two. Two nest boxes and a roosting perch are on the top level.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Can I see a picture? I am still working on this for my coop, and I love the idea of simple to clean nesting boxes, and I want to be able to move them about if need be (brooding etc).

It's been raining cat's and dog's so haven't had a chance to take one. It's a simple 14x14 box. The sides are about 5 inches tall so I can fill it with straw. The bottom is a large slat of wood that holds the straw in when I lift it. You could use hardware cloth for the bottom or just make it solid wood.

Some coops have built-in nesting boxes that are immobile. You could always use one of these boxes as a "liner" to the stationary box and then lift out all the straw at one time.

Will take a pic when/if the rain stops. We need the rain so I can't fuss!

 

[Mtn Laurel]

TWO OTHER THINGS I'D DO DIFFERENT . . .

1. Better location and shelf and/or hooks for fans. With the heat this summer we had to rig up fans. Wish we'd thought of this when we built the coop so that we could have made a specific spot for the fan that would best help with air flow and have either a shelf or hooks for placement. We had to shove them wherever they'd fit when the heat hit.
2. Radio shelf. YES, our girls have a radio on at night. They listen to mostly ESPN. The idea is that the sound of human voices might deter predators. [So far - So good. Fingers crossed!] We didn't allow for this in the beginning so the radio shelf is in a not-great spot. Next coop will have a radio shelf that is easier to access.

 

[Sallysec]

Great Idea!

with the radio...that I will def. be borrowing when we build ours.