Coop design feedback? Big enough for how many chickens?

[wrenhen]

So here is an idea I made up for a coop I will be building soon. Any feedback is appreciated and advice, tips, materials, etc!
I am also wondering how many chickens I could hold in it? I ordered 16 (since the order had a minimum) and am wondering how many I will have to rehome before they move in.

Edit:// thanks for everyones feedback! Im gonna make some new sketches to adjust. I think Im going to aim for 8 chickens and rehome the rest!

 

[Banana01]

You are going from 0 chickens to 16 without a coop built? Hope you have a place for them while you build it.

It is not the optimal size. Ideally more than 3 sqft per chicken. That design could house 10 chickens, however bigger is better. Something more like 6 sqft per chicken means you'd need more like an 8 x10 coop. So can you expand the size of the space to 8x10? You need the room foe the furniture and the chickens. Actually I rethink the calculation and if you take into account the generous height of the coop, you may be able to use the upward space towards the sq ft calculation.

But let's assume it will work, you don't want to have to rehome. You probably will want a bigger one if you built that. The nesting boxes don't need to expand. If anything you can go with less boxes, as long as they are sized well, but 5 boxes is a good number.

The design seems to be well thought out and looks maintainable for a flock.

As to the inside, maybe a removable shelf below the roost bars for a droppings board. Something you could pull out and clean off. But there is no deatail on the type of flooring. An open floor would be easy to keep clean, but maybe lots of draft.

 

[Stephanie8806]

Agree that it looks very well thought out... from the sketches you seem like a competent builder, so hopefully you can get it completed quickly!

How big is your attached run going to be? Are they going to have access to it 24/7? That could help compensate for the tight quarters of the coop. 30sqft would be sufficient for I think 10 MAX, depending on the climate where you live and outside access. BUT, it would actually probably be sufficient for your chicks up to about 8 weeks of age. So you have some time to rehome them.

I am firmly in the camp of “more space is better” when it comes to chickens. Keep in mind that space recommendations that you see online are generally MINIMUM requirements and will likely not sustain flock health for very long.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Good job on putting ventilation at the top of the coop! Getting more chicks than you need and selling the started birds after choosing the ones you like best is a good plan. I did that last year and essentially got my remaining chickens free.

The Usual Guidelines are that each adult, standard-sized hen needs:

4 square feet in the coop,
10 square feet in the run,
1 linear foot of roost,
1/4 of a nest box,
And 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost. Again, congratulations on putting generous ventilation in the right place,

Unless you're working with very tight space constraints, 5x6 is a very awkward build with a lot of waste and lumber prices are very high at the moment. If you don't want to go up to 6x8 a good size for 12 hens, how about 6x6?

That would comfortably hold up to 9 hens and you could buy 12-foot boards and cut them in half with no waste (though sheet goods that come in 4x8 sheets that would still need to be cut). How many chickens do you want to end up with?

Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters and we can give better advice if we know what weather you're likely to be dealing with.

Additionally, it's important to know that the numbers above are *guidelines*, not hard and fast *rules*. Sometimes you can get away with less and sometimes you need more. @Ridgerunner has a very useful article about that here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-much-room-do-chickens-need.66180/

 

[aart]

Any feedback is appreciated and advice, tips, materials, etc!

Nice sketches!

Go with bigger roof overhangs all around.

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @dingobaby
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[clarkbre]

You've got a good sketch up for your coop. It appears to be well thought out and very functional for the birds. A few of my thoughts:

1. I agree with others that it needs to be bigger. Following the sq ft rule for 16 birds, 64 sq ft is ideal, but you could likely get away with 3 sq ft per bird.
2. Lumber prices. Right now, they are sky high so be thoughtful in your design regarding wasted materials. For the floor, instead of a 6x5, I would try to push it out to 8x6....Even up to a 8x8. No matter what, you're buying 2 sheets of plywood for the floor, try to maximize it. The siding is the same way. I would at least keep with even numbers so you can split a sheet and utilize the whole thing.
3. Venting. Instead of drilling holes, I would cut large rectangular openings that you can close or open as needed. While the holes work, they really do not provide many sq inches of venting. A 3" diameter hole is approximately 7 sq inches. If you were to have 3 vents between each roof rafter you'd have 21 sq inchses. If you your rafters were 16" on center and you just screened the opening between the two rafters, you'd have about 50 sq inches.

Like I said, your idea and sketches are awesome. Realistically, you're 95% there on the design with some minor adjustments needed.

My family (I) am in the process of building our coop. My wife said 8 hens and that's what she got. Chicken math worked out perfect and I started with a single piece of plywood for the floor. Minimizing waste, this size (or 4x6 or 8x8) makes framing the walls and skinning them with T1-11 very efficient and fast.

Hope these suggestions help. Please keep us posted on any other thoughts or as you build!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Welcome to the forum, glad you joined.

Agree, nice sketches. Some suggestions to go along with the others comments. I definitely agree that 4', 6', and 8' dimensions are better than 5'. The cut-offs from 6' can often be used for nests or such.

I'd make the front closer to 8' high and the back no less than 6'. You need to be able to stand up in there, a 6' in the back may mean a lot of head banging, especially since the roof framing will be lower than 6'. This is the part you walk in. I don't know how many chickens you will wind up keeping but I'll guess it is enough that a walk-in coop would be very beneficial. Instead of asking how many chickens can I possibly shoehorn in here think more about how many you want and build big enough to properly house them.

I see you you have it elevated and the chickens do not have access underneath. It needs to be elevated high enough that you can clean out under there. You don't want it low enough that it makes a good place for a snake or other critter to make a home. Some people include the area under the coop as part of the run. If you do that you need access to retrieve an egg, a chicken, or whatever. That can provide a cool shady spot in hot weather or a dry place for feed if you plan on feeding outside.

Good job on placing the nests and door. Rainwater will not be running off the roof and hitting you when you use them.

I agree with Aart on overhang. Instead of drilling holes leave the top of the walls open under the overhang for ventilation and cover that with hardwire cloth to keep predators out. On the high and low ends the rafters will leave you a nice open space. On the sloping sides you may need to be a bit creative. That gives you great ventilation and the overhang keeps rainwater out. From your screen name I'd guess you are probably in Australia which can get pretty hot some places. Good ventilation could be pretty important. Ventilation is important in cold climates too.

I'm kind of stuck that you might be in a really hot climate. If so, orientation can be important. Will the coop portion provide shade in the run during the hottest part of the day? If your nests are facing the hot sun will they become ovens and cook any hen trying to lay an egg?

I have a tin roof on mine. It's not a problem even in hot weather. But my roosts are well below the tin. The roof will cool off after dark but it can be pretty hot right at sunset when they are going to bed. Another reason for a taller coop.

Your roosts need to be higher than anything else you don't want them sleeping on. That includes the nests. Most chickens like to sleep on the highest place available and they poop a lot while sleeping. You don't want that in your nests.

I don't know if you plan on locking the pop door from the coop side or run side. Make sure you have access.

I also think you have done a good job with your initial plans. Many of my comments are geared more to your comfort and convenience than at the chickens' needs. You are important in this and your chickens will benefit if you are comfortable taking care of them.

Good luck and again

 

[wrenhen]

You are going from 0 chickens to 16 without a coop built? Hope you have a place for them while you build it.

It is not the optimal size. Ideally more than 3 sqft per chicken. That design could house 10 chickens, however bigger is better. Something more like 6 sqft per chicken means you'd need more like an 8 x10 coop. So can you expand the size of the space to 8x10? You need the room foe the furniture and the chickens. Actually I rethink the calculation and if you take into account the generous height of the coop, you may be able to use the upward space towards the sq ft calculation.

But let's assume it will work, you don't want to have to rehome. You probably will want a bigger one if you built that. The nesting boxes don't need to expand. If anything you can go with less boxes, as long as they are sized well, but 5 boxes is a good number.

The design seems to be well thought out and looks maintainable for a flock.

As to the inside, maybe a removable shelf below the roost bars for a droppings board. Something you could pull out and clean off. But there is no deatail on the type of flooring. An open floor would be easy to keep clean, but maybe lots of draft.

I get your concern haha, I had them scheduled to arrive June 10th, and they will be in a brooder until theyre big enough. We're building in the next week or two. I think the poop shelf is a great idea, I hadnt thought of that. I think making the roosting bars taller would be good too.

 

[wrenhen]

Agree that it looks very well thought out... from the sketches you seem like a competent builder, so hopefully you can get it completed quickly!

How big is your attached run going to be? Are they going to have access to it 24/7? That could help compensate for the tight quarters of the coop. 30sqft would be sufficient for I think 10 MAX, depending on the climate where you live and outside access. BUT, it would actually probably be sufficient for your chicks up to about 8 weeks of age. So you have some time to rehome them.

I am firmly in the camp of “more space is better” when it comes to chickens. Keep in mind that space recommendations that you see online are generally MINIMUM requirements and will likely not sustain flock health for very long.

I was thinking the run could be 10 ft x 5 ft = l x w. They would have access to the run at all times, but then I was going to open up the entire backyard to them when I can supervise. I'm gonna lay out some string to get a visual for how big I have currently, and maybe expand if I can. Im renting so I dont want to go too big and have trouble putting it in and removing (I think we already need to get it over the gate instead of through based on the width alone?)
But I am not against rehoming enough to make them comfortable. I already knew it was too much but I wanted to get fresh babies from a hatchery I liked.

 

[wrenhen]

Welcome to BYC. Good job on putting ventilation at the top of the coop! Getting more chicks than you need and selling the started birds after choosing the ones you like best is a good plan. I did that last year and essentially got my remaining chickens free.

The Usual Guidelines are that each adult, standard-sized hen needs:

4 square feet in the coop,
10 square feet in the run,
1 linear foot of roost,
1/4 of a nest box,
And 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost. Again, congratulations on putting generous ventilation in the right place,

Unless you're working with very tight space constraints, 5x6 is a very awkward build with a lot of waste and lumber prices are very high at the moment. If you don't want to go up to 6x8 a good size for 12 hens, how about 6x6?

That would comfortably hold up to 9 hens and you could buy 12-foot boards and cut them in half with no waste (though sheet goods that come in 4x8 sheets that would still need to be cut). How many chickens do you want to end up with?

Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters and we can give better advice if we know what weather you're likely to be dealing with.

Additionally, it's important to know that the numbers above are *guidelines*, not hard and fast *rules*. Sometimes you can get away with less and sometimes you need more. @Ridgerunner has a very useful article about that here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/how-much-room-do-chickens-need.66180/

Oooh this is very helpful! I am an artist by trade and my friend is the builder so this is some info I was not aware of! I think 6x6 or 6x8 would be very do-able! I live in South Texas so.... yea haha want to give them plenty of room to stay cool. My entire backyard is shaded though so it's not the hottest place in texas but 90 in the shade... still intense.