Coop Design Points for Chicken Health

[kathlynr8]

Hi,
I am new to chickens and want to build a coop before they arrive. I am in VT - so it will need to accommodate weather. I will have hardy chickens. And I noticed that a neighbor has a coop like the traditional one in the link below and her chickens are fine.

I have a background in sculpture so am pretty handy - am not worried about the build.

I am however worried about making it right for the needs of the chickens.

Can you all advise me what I want to look for in terms of my design for the health of the chickens? Ventilation etc.

Have looked at a few coop books and info online. Here is what I have so far.
1) Need to accommodate 4 chickens
2) want a pull out drawer to easily clean if possible. / shelf liner?
3) want a coop that I can get at easily / clean standing up (and off ground from predators)
4) need basics - nest box etc.
5) living roof on top.
6) Need a bar in air for chickens to roost on. (with shelf liner under to easily clean)
7) Attached run.

I like this design except that it is on the ground:
http://diychickencoops.com/herb_garden_coop_2

I like this design - except that I want something a bit more unique. This may be the way I go but with a flat living roof.
http://diychickencoops.com/4x4_chicken_house_2

Thanks for input.

-Kate

 

[ChattyChickens4Life]

For the first link of the design you like, you could raise it up with just some wood pieces on the ground and then place one of those thin, long, wide strips of wood. (I know, I know, I used all the technical terms! ) The only thing I would worry about in that coop is the hardware cloth flooring, lack of space, and no visible roosting poles. Maybe if you included the sq footage for the coop it would be easier for people to give advice. I see that it says 4 chickens, but usually they are giving the bare minimum. A 5 or 6 chicken coop would fare better. Also, notice it says 4 FREE RANGE chickens. This means (from my perspective) that the structure is only enough space for temporary housing (cold, rainy days, night time, storms, etc.) If I were you, I would get one a bit larger. The second coop had enough space for 4 chickens as long as you build a run. Best wishes! Let me know if you need me to elaborate.

-Chatty

 

[BantyChooks]

I see that it says 4 chickens, but usually they are giving the bare minimum. A 5 or 6 chicken coop would fare better. Also, notice it says 4 FREE RANGE chickens. This means (from my perspective) that the structure is only enough space for temporary housing (cold, rainy days, night time, storms, etc.) If I were you, I would get one a bit larger.

x2. For a VT climate and that few chickens I'd aim for 6+ feet per chicken in the coop. My birds were happiest when they had close to 10 square feet each in the coop and got to free range too. That might be tough for a coop on legs, but just give them as much as possible.

 

[kathlynr8]

Thanks! That helps to know the sq. foot per chicken!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some design points for a coop in Vermont for 4 chickens.

Why do you want chickens? What are your goals for them? Eggs, pets, bug patrol, show? I sure hope you aren’t thinking of meat or breeding them, not with just four. Think about your goals for a bit, that might help clarify a few things, I think it’s a basic starting point. And it will help you a lot on breed selection.

The main thing in all of this is to make it more convenient for you. That can determine if it is a pleasurable experience or a chore. People worry about what is good for the chickens. If it is good for you it is probably good for them. You are the most important piece of this.

In Vermont you will have really pleasant summers and some pretty cold winters with a lot of snow. Heat is more dangerous to chickens than cold due to their down coats. You may see a few hot days, but it’s not likely you will have temperatures in the upper 90’s or higher for weeks on end. In summer they need shade and good ventilation, high and low. Your summers should not be that challenging.

In winter you have two considerations as far as cold. They need to remain dry and they need protection from the wind. The moisture I’m most concerned about is from their breathing, their poop, and maybe a thawed water dish. If the moisture in the coop gets too high they become susceptible to frost bite. Good ventilation gets rid of that moisture. If you build a tight coop so there is no ventilation, they can get frost bite when it is not much below freezing. With good ventilation they can handle whatever your winter throws at them. You do not need to heat the coop. The other thing they need is to be able to get out of a direct wind. Don’t build a coop that becomes a wind tunnel. You may ask how you can manage both. There are different building techniques, but for four chickens the easiest way is probably to have all winter ventilation over their heads when they are on the roosts. Lots of ventilation is good but if it is high enough any breezes will be over their heads. If you are going for cute you might consider a design that uses a cupola. Another good method is to have roof overhang and leave the tops of the walls open for good ventilation, or do both.

Another issue is your snow. Chickens don’t like change. If they wake up to a white world they are not likely to go out in it for a few days. After a few days mine will build up the courage to go outside. It’s not the snow being cold they dislike, it’s the change. They are worse than old fogeys like me about change. Why this is so important is that if you crowd them you can have behavioral problems. If they are stuck in a tiny coop for days on end they can start to get on each other’s nerves. You don’t want that, it can get really ugly. The ways to combat that are to either make your coop bigger than the absolute minimum or put a roof on your run and block off the sides so snow doesn’t cover the run. They don’t like a strong cold wind hitting them either so you need some wind protection. Some people go out and shovel the run so the chickens will use it but that’s too much work.

The three most important things about deciding where to build a coop are location, location and location. You absolutely want to avoid a low spot where water collects and it stays wet. That leads to disease and it stinks. What you want is where water drains away from it. If you don’t have such a place, I suggest you put the base of your coop/run down and fill it with a few inches of dirt so water drains away from it. Slope all you roofs so water runs away from the coop/run, don’t put extra water in there. Maybe use berms or swales to deflect rainwater run-off.

One huge health issue that can prove fatal are predators. Even if you are in the middle of town you will have many potential things that want to eat chickens. These things can dig, jump, climb, or fly. Even in suburbia you probably have a lot more raccoons, possum, skunk, hawks, owls, fox, bobcat, or coyote than you’d ever expect. I envision a small covered run with a roof on top and an apron around the bottom.

You need to be able to access every part of your coop and run. Make your run tall enough that you can walk in it without bending over or banging your head. Have sufficient doors and such so you can open up the coop enough to get to everywhere inside. Think about how you are going to keep the chickens from getting away when you have those open. Maybe a way to lock them in the run only? If it is elevated, and I think you will probably go that way, include the bottom of the coop as part of the run, that’s good shade and maybe a dry place to hang food. But make it high enough so you can reach under there if you need to. For cleaning out bedding, being able to rake everything into a wheelbarrow can be really handy.

They are going to poop a lot. You don’t want that to build up. How are you going to dispose of that? The weekly garbage? You might want to consider composting it. Something to think about.

At the top of this page, you will probably see an “articles” tab. Open that and you will see coops. There are a lot of different coops in there, most with enough plans so you can build them. Pick one you like. The absolute minimum I’d go is 4’ x 4’. A 4x6 or even 4x8 would be better, even just for 4 hens. You won’t find people complaining about having too much room but you see disasters for not having enough. I would not go any bigger than 4x8 for a coop you cannot walk into, it’s too hard to reach everywhere inside.

Good luck with it, you will come up with something that works.

 

[jthornton]

One huge health issue that can prove fatal are predators. Even if you are in the middle of town you will have many potential things that want to eat chickens. These things can dig, jump, climb, or fly. Even in suburbia you probably have a lot more raccoons, possum, skunk, hawks, owls, fox, bobcat, or coyote than you’d ever expect. I envision a small covered run with a roof on top and an apron around the bottom.

I always like to read your replies they are always well thought out, one predator you missed is dogs, from personal experience in semi populated areas a dog is a real threat. IMOH dogs are the worst because they will kill every chicken in the run if they can get in.

JT

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Think bigger, rule of twos... Make it twice as big as you think you need, put in twice the amount of ventilation you think it needs, it will cost twice as much as you planned and take twice the time to build than you expected. Bigger is better, bigger equals happy healthy chickens.

Love the roof garden idea, double it up!

Gary

 

[lazy gardener]

First, welcome to BYC, and I'm glad you are planning your coop before you get your chickens. Things to consider:

An absolute minimum IMO is 4 s.f. in coop and 10 s.f. in run per chicken. The smaller your flock, and the smaller your set up, the MORE space you will need per bird. For example. 4 birds = 16 s.f. coop, right? Well, in theory, by the numbers, yes. 25 birds = 100 s.f. coop, right? Go back to that 16 s.f. coop. When the top lady tells an underling to get out of her space, what she is really saying is: Get out of my space, or I'm gonna rip your face off. In that hen's opinion, she OWNS all of the space in a 8' radius. So. Even if the underling does her best to comply, she is not able to conform to chicken social protocol, so she gets the snot beat out of her. Same scenario with the larger flock: Head hen tells underling to get out of her space. underling retreats to a corner of the coop, or runs behind a hay bale, and peace is restored. No blood shed b/c there was enough room for the birds to work things out.

Height of coop: A functional coop needs to be tall enough to accommodate all the needs of the chickens AND the flock owner:

No matter the climate: ventilation, and lots of it all year round is key to bird health. General recommendation is for 1 s.f. of ventilation per bird, or 10% of floor space. Your ventilation will need an inlet and an outlet. Having a low vent for intake and a ceiling height vent for outlet keeps the air moving. That circulation is required to remove the moisture (respiration and poop produce a LOT of moisture!) without creating a drafty environment. The upper level vent must be well above the birds on their roost.

Nest boxes: minimum size: 12" x 12" x 15" high. One box per 4 birds is sufficient, but you might want 2. They need to be below perch height.

The perch(es): recommendation is 12" of perch space per bird. The birds need enough space so they can get up on the perch without smacking their face on the wall. They need enough space behind the perch so their tail feathers don't touch the wall. (15") They need a minimum of 18" between perch and ceiling. And plenty of room in front of the perch so when they fly or jump down they don't do a face plant on the wall in front of them. Chickens can fly, but they are clumsy flyers! Perches need to be ABOVE the height of the nest boxes. Otherwise, you will have chickens sleeping and pooping in your nest boxes every night. Recommendation is for perches to be a minimum of 2' above the level of the bedding. If birds don't have a perch high enough, they feel vulnerable.

Bedding: It's function is to absorb moisture, protect their feet when those birds make their not so gentle landings from the perch. In order to keep the bedding from getting kicked out of the coop, the pop door should be at least 6" above the floor of the coop. If you have room for a nice deep bedding it will make your coop maintenance much easier.

Windows: Lots of natural lighting in your coop is helpful. During the winter months, your birds may not spend much time outside. If you hinge them from the top, they will not be as likely to let snow and rain into the coop.

Of course you will want a good roof overhang to keep water away from the doors and windows.

While you are attracted to the compact cuteness of the coops you are looking at, they will not stand up to the test of time in terms of functionality. IMO the minimum size you should consider would be a 4 x 8 coop footprint, with the run being a minimum of 60 s.f. Perhaps a shed roof style, with height being 4' in back, 6' in front. Soffit vents full length of front and back, and 1 - 2 windows in the front.

Garden roof: Will require a lot of maintenance to keep it growing well.

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome! LG covered it really well here, and so did RR. Build big, and a shed type structure is best. If I had my wish for a new coop, it would be a Woods coop (look it up), although my shed, with additions, has worked very well. You will appreciate a walk-in building, and a dirt floor is actually very good, as long as there's a dig-proof foundation. Deep litter, and space to store stuff, not to mention 'chicken math' makes a larger building very useful! If you also get 'cute' consider it a bonus. 'Cute' doesn't mean much in winter, or if you and your birds are miserable.
Mary

 

[Folly's place]

Electricity to the coop, and a frost-free water source, for your comfort, especially in winter. Mary