Coop Building Reference Table....(suggestion area only)

[flopshot]

i would like to see this as only containing proven design and building concepts containing only drawings applicable to subjects such as rafter cutting, framing, run layout, window and door openings etc. if there's a section covering things like waterers and feeders only photos should be submitted as drawings are often vague or confusing and imply only an idea not a proven concept. i'd also love to see a section on mistakes and disasters, failure analysis and woulda - coulda - shouldas. let's get those mistakes out on the table before the fact to prevent them from happening again. the cause of coop fires and predator entries are a couple that come to mind. material selection, fastening systems and tools might be some others.

 

[River Lizard]

Great ideas! And yes, I was hoping to focus on just standard building practices (not so much custom taste) since this project is based on the foundation of building coops and runs. Custom work will most likely not to included in the main outline but could be a separate listing altogether for readers to get ideas from.

Yes, proven items are what we're wanting, photos and drawings both would be a benefit as well as a write-up "how to". If someone doesn't feel like they want to write something up and post it here, please PM me and give a general write-up on the item and we'll get it wrote up before posting it.

I have about 2 months to help with this project before I have to get back to my catfishing club and my local duties as the rep for the Virginia group. Right now it's slow because the spawn is on, but by August the fishing will pick back up and I'll have to get more active with the club again.

Please think about items and submit your input for this project...if you don't have any items to share info with us but I a concern/need for some info, please post what you'd like to see on this list (example: how to cut stringers for stair steps) and I'll see if I or someone else on here can provide the needed information.

Thanks everyone, let's see if we can knock this out in the next month or so.

 

[kathyinmo]

WOW... this is the BEST idea ever! Kathy

 

[annek]

I don't know if this is what you are looking for. We seem to see a lot of questions on the predator proofing area. I would like to have a section in there on where to use hardware cloth, where you can use chicken wire etc. How to put the wire along the bottom of the fence to form an apron.

The first thing I ever built by myself was a closet in a bedroom. I had a wonderful diagram and step by step directions in a woodworking magazine. That little write up years ago gave me enough basics to build just about anything except roofs and stairs. It showed wall, corner, door opening instructions. That would give most of the basics for building a coop. I can look for the original article if it would help others. Unfortunately, I don't throw anything away!

 

[River Lizard]

Quote:
I'm going to attempt to do a drawing and also contact a few BYC members to ask permission to use their photos with regards to hardware cloth and predator proofing.

Also the article sounds just what we are looking for with regards to building. I know GopherBoy had something on how to build stair step stringers and I'll probably contact him or his wife for use of that information.

I don't want to sound like I'm repeating myself but the goal of this project is the basic tools for the construction of coops and runs. All custom work/design will not be included in this first outline. One stop knowledge and reduction of the same question asked over and over again, which will allow for more detailed questions to be asked.
I've seen alot of the coops and runs that have been built by fellow BYC members so I know there's a ton of information locked up in the people who built those nice coops and runs; it's just getting that information from them and installing it on a BYC webpage as a reference guide for new and old members.

Please feel free to post up any recommendations you might have to any of the items listed at the first post. Links, articles, photos, write ups, they all would be great. If you don't want to post them up please feel free to PM me directly with them. If you want to keep you name with-held, that's fine I can make sure to uphold your wishes but we need input and plenty of it.

Let's discuss the first item: Coop Size vs Chickens. What's everyone's option of this? 4 sq. ft. per chicken?

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Quote:
That's an easy one!

For the coop (indoor portion): 3-4 sq. feet per chicken is ideal, 2 is minimum.
For the run (outdoor space): 4-5 sq. feet per chicken is recommended.
Roosting space: about 1 linear foot per bird
Nesting Boxes: One nesting box for every 2-4 hens

 

[redhawkou812]

That pretty well covers it. How about nesting box size? I see a number of questions on that.

 

[redhawkou812]

Great idea! I'd really like to jump in on this one. From what I've seen there are a lot of good people that want to do it right. We all talk about using recycled materials etc, but if we build it & then have to build it again & again, have we saved any materials, or our time? It would be great to help people build it right the first time. How about doing something on materials, with maybe a list from members on their favorite hunting grounds for used &/or recycled?

On the size vs chicken, could we also help with designing for storage needs? Gotta have it.

 

[SpunkyTheMonkey]

Quote:
That's an easy one!

For the coop (indoor portion): 3-4 sq. feet per chicken is ideal, 2 is minimum.
For the run (outdoor space): 4-5 sq. feet per chicken is recommended.
Roosting space: about 1 linear foot per bird
Nesting Boxes: One nesting box for every 2-4 hens

you should have 3 sets of numbers imo, for:

1) birds who free-range
2) birds who have coop & run
3) birds who are confined to coop most or all of the time

also for nest boxes, isn't it sensible to always have at least 2 in case you get birds on the same laying cycle?

one last thing...there are a bunch of measurements and sizes here i found useful when building our coop...size of doors, ramps, spacing of ramp rungs, roost heights, distances from walls etc etc.

 

[River Lizard]

I'll work on writing up the information and make sure I include both coop bound chickens, Coop and run chickens and Free range chicken ratios. Thanks for the input everyone.

Let's work on the next one:

b. Coop Site Survey: When picking a spot, what are some of the things you should think about?

What's some of the key important items to think about when determining where to place your coop at?