Coop design- see any problems?

[Upper Penn Love]

Here is the coop design i made last year. I dont have chickens but just moved to an acre lot and can have some. This idea was thought up when i lived in the city with a large back yard, while i admit that when i first moved i had bigger and better ideas, ive since then decided to start small and expand if i feel the need, so i still like my original building plans.

I cant remember how many chickens i planned to keep in this area so if someone wants to throw out some numbers that would be great. The fenced in area is 12'x12' the coop is 5'L x 5.5'W the coop is 2 ft off the ground and 3'H in front and 12" in back. The nest boxes are about 12"L/H/W and go to the ceiling (no gap). I have roosting perches, originally there were supposed to be 5 but i think i will cut out the highest 2 and hang feeder/waterer in the front of the coop.

In the picture i have 4 seperate nest boxes, in pictures ive seen on here though, some people would use the same space without the dividers, this would save on building materials slightly as well as provide a couple more inches. Would that work? I would still use a lip to seperate the nexting area from the coop floor. id also switch to one long drop down door at the back.

Here we get long snowy winters, the covering for the pen was simply a lawn and garden shade cloth, however i seriously doubt that would hold up through snow... not really sure what to do about that, perhaps cheap chicken wire? Also do chickens stay in the coop during winter? this winter snow got close to 3 ft deep in our open backyard. While i plan to have more chickens in the summer, only a few layers will stay with us through the winter, 2-3 hens and a rooster.

We have hawks, owls, and pair of bald eagles in the air, a close pack of coyotes, a wolf sighting, and all manner of smaller woodland creatures in close proximity. My house is surrounded by a cornfield on one side, another acre of wild field before endless woods in the back and a few acres of wild field to my other side. House is about 40ft from the road and the other side is a cleared lot with some empty trailers on it. Other then that everything is woodland in my area, im actually one of the few houses in the area not to have my yard surrounded with woods.

Created designs myself using the free Google SketchUp

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Looks pretty good. 10 LF max, more if bantams. That's if they're only in there to sleep. Keeping in mind that crowded conditions get dirty fast, cuts down on fresh air and stresses birds.

I would make the front a little higher so you can get the roost a little higher and still give the birds head room so they don't hit their heads when they jump up there.
Make sure you have good access for a thorough cleaning.

I would also put a big window across the front above the pop door. Chickens need excellent ventilation or they'll have respiratory issues. Shoot for 1 sq. ft. of opening per bird.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

Looks good! The only suggestion I'd make is to angle your shade tarp to one side to allow for water to run off. Otherwise it will puddle in the middle and rupture your tarp. Don't ask me how I know.

The trick is to angle the tarp in such a manner that the water run off doesn't flood your run.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Good point. I just thought of a couple more. I see your in Michigan. You'll need something solid for the pen roof or snow will collapse it. And don't ask me how I know either. Even wire will collect wet snow and collapse it. I have one pen 7' wide with a galvanized roof supported every 2 ft. by 1/2 inch emt (thinwall conduit). When it snows I have to add support posts in the middle.

It would be a good idea to pen the area under the coop and let the hens go under there in the summer. Beneath my coops is the coolest place in summer and driest year round.

Starting small is a good idea and rather than enlarging when chicken math takes over build more small houses scattered on the property. That way you can quarantine new, ill or injured birds. That also allows for breeding various breeds rather than them all running together. It also reduces the concentration of feces.

I usually have 40 to 100 birds counting chicks but never more than 12 together thanks to 9 scattered housing units.

 

[Upper Penn Love]

Ok, glad to know that about wire/tarp idea, i probably would have tried it, ill look into something else, i like the idea of building something more permanent and protective anyway to keep the snow out of the pen with little to no shoveling if possible, that way ill have shade in the summer too.

I also agree on opening up under the coop, wasted space otherwise.

And im glad you said something about cleaning, thats one of those details that popped in my head and was shuffled away for later and i would have forgotten. I was thinking of creating a door out of almost one entire side.

What do you guys think of the fence (the one in the picture was just an example in the program i used. I was thinking of some cheap but sturdy wire fencing. Something like 16 gauge welded wire galvanized stuff. I still have to take a look at the local market on that stuff. In my picture i have it at 3ft and then higher at the coop to discourage anyone from trying to perch on it. Ive heard chickens can easily clear 3 ft but how often will that occur if they arent over crowded? I dont mind escaped chickens, i mostly worry about the amount of predators in the area or id let them free roam but if im not home for six hours id hate to find all my chickens have flown the coop and possibly have some missing...

 

[Upper Penn Love]

Would there be a downfall to using some kind of clear/plexiglass roofing? I was thinking it might help keep the coop warmer in winter replace with metal/tin roof in summer? This might sound silly but i also wondered in this brain of mine about those strips of flexible plastic i used to see in grocery stores in the doorways to their cooler backrooms, i assume they were meant to keep the tempurature in but allow people to walk through easily. Would that theroretically work in the coop doorway? id definatly have a lockable door for night but again im thinking to keep in heat in the winter, removable for summer? Not sure how chickens would feel about walking through it though lol

 

[cubbysan]

Does the roof lift up? You are going to need a way to get into the coop to clean it.

Because of your predator situation, the top of your pen should be something strong like hardwire cloth. Chicken wire is only used to keep chickens in, not predators out. I learned the hard way.

I would also recommend fencing in around the bottom of the coop to give them some outside shelter.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Would there be a downfall to using some kind of clear/plexiglass roofing? I was thinking it might help keep the coop warmer in winter replace with metal/tin roof in summer? This might sound silly but i also wondered in this brain of mine about those strips of flexible plastic i used to see in grocery stores in the doorways to their cooler backrooms, i assume they were meant to keep the tempurature in but allow people to walk through easily. Would that theroretically work in the coop doorway? id definatly have a lockable door for night but again im thinking to keep in heat in the winter, removable for summer?

Don't worry about cold. Worry about heat and bad air. Many people suggest placing the coop in the sun with openings to the south for winter heat and light. They say that because they don't like the cold.
Think about it. An unheated coop at 4 AM on January 10 will be the same temp as the outdoors, a sunny day at 4PM on August 10 a coop in the sun will be 20 degrees hotter than ambient air.
A sunny coop with south windows is a bad idea. Place it in the shade and put windows on the East to take advantage of morning sun and away from prevailing winds.
For light the chickens will be outside when light is coming from the south so it doesn't help.

 

[4 the Birds]

The 12x12 run area should be fully enclosed with mesh to keep predators out. You will not be happy at all with a tarp cover. Regardless of the slope, it will sag and form heavy water and snow pockets. You can cut slits in the tarp for drainage but then you have water flowing in the run and making a mess. A wood run cover will offer shade and be best. You will need to make a walk-in door into the run. The coop will need a large access door for cleaning. The roost bars appear to be in front of the nest boxes. The chickens will be walking through poo all the time. The coop will need vent openings that are covered with mesh and closeable storm flaps. Looks like a great piece of land to have a coop! Hope this helps!

 

[acemario]

I like the overall idea, but here are a few of my suggestions:

I would definitely fence in under the coop and allow the hens to enter down there. That could also be a place to hang food and water to keep it out of the rain/snow.
Depending on how many chickens you get, you may be able to eliminate some of the nest boxes. This would add additional square footage to your coop.
On your image, it looks like the fence only goes up a few feet. I would recommend fencing in the entire run! Especially where you have various predators.
Think about lowering the steep angle on your roof, allowing for a larger wall on the back side. You could then raise your nesting boxes off the ground, and make more room for taller roosts.