I've been doing some tweaking on my coop design and came up with a few questions that I would like some advice on.
We have decided to build a large coop, 12' x 16' (188 sq ft according to a home design program) because it seems that "the chicken bug" bites as hard as "the show dog bug" , lol, and we really don't want to have to build a second coop as our flock grows. We plan on eventually have around 30 birds.
On to the questions.
We've designed the coop so that there is a roosting area on both of the 16' sides, 1 side will be the full 16' long and the other will be 11' long.
Both are planned on having a 3' 8" wide poop pan 2' off the floor with the first roost 1' above and 8" to the inside of the pan. The second roost is 1' behind and 1' above the first with the 3rd roost the same distance from the second.
Will this be enough space between roosting bars? Should the poop pan be higher or lower? Is a 3' 8" pan wide enough or should I make it a little wider?
My other questions are about placement of brooder boxes. Can I section off an area under one of the roosts to put a couple of brooder boxes? How big should the boxes be?
Thanks in advance!!!
We have decided to build a large coop, 12' x 16' (188 sq ft according to a home design program) because it seems that "the chicken bug" bites as hard as "the show dog bug" , lol, and we really don't want to have to build a second coop as our flock grows. We plan on eventually have around 30 birds.
On to the questions.
We've designed the coop so that there is a roosting area on both of the 16' sides, 1 side will be the full 16' long and the other will be 11' long.
Both are planned on having a 3' 8" wide poop pan 2' off the floor with the first roost 1' above and 8" to the inside of the pan. The second roost is 1' behind and 1' above the first with the 3rd roost the same distance from the second.
Will this be enough space between roosting bars? Should the poop pan be higher or lower? Is a 3' 8" pan wide enough or should I make it a little wider?
My other questions are about placement of brooder boxes. Can I section off an area under one of the roosts to put a couple of brooder boxes? How big should the boxes be?
Thanks in advance!!!