Coop design wish list

[danceswithronin]

I am in the process of designing a custom chicken house (8' x 8') that will be fenced in with wrought iron fencing (already present around the current prefab coop, but is being expanded for more run space) and the fenced run/coop will also have a large aviary enclosure framed out around the entire thing.

So my question is, if you were designing a coop, what kind of "wish list" features would you like it to have? I am probably having electricity run to it because it's very close to my existing in-ground pool pump station, so I'm thinking about setting up a separate little pen inside the chicken house that can act as a brooder (with brooder lamp outlet available) or isolation pen in case of illness, depending on necessity.

I also thought about possibly putting a quail hutch in it somewhere if there is room, or maybe building a dovecote into the roof somehow. I'd like to install natural branches for roosting, and possibly an incubator somewhere (that is, if I do end up getting electricity run, which I probably will - in for a penny, in for a pound). I'd also like some cutesy stuff like maybe a little chandelier and some decorative curtains in front of the nest boxes, and some planters to hang on the windows out front.

What would you include in a custom coop if you had the chance to include anything? If you've built your own coop before, what would you do differently? I may also install some planters inside the coop itself to put small herbs and stuff in that can be replaced as the chickens tear them up.

 

[Sueby]

I'm new to all of this, but my big one was I wanted nesting boxes accessible from the outside. I wanted good roosts, easy access for me to water & feed in the snow & easy cleaning since I have a bad back (everything needed to be the right height). My coop has all of that, but if I were to build from scratch I would want to be able to walk inside & make it BIG!

 

[Ridgerunner]

You can get different opinions on most things, for example I made some of my nests with access from outside and then never used it. When I added nests I did not include that feature. I find it more convenient to just walk inside. But some people really like their outside access. Your 8' x 8' is big enough that you have that option. One of my main points is to make it convenient to you. Your chickens will be better off if you actually enjoy being out there. And be flexible. You'll probably be back out there changing things, I sure did a lot.

In Alabama you might get away with it if you wait late enough in the season but I would be reluctant to put the incubator out there. Incubators typically do not maintain temperature if it gets too cool, most say 70 degrees minimum. I don't know how hot you get, if it gets above 100 F you could have issues. Incubators do not include AC to cool down. Also, chickens make a lot of dust. That dust can mess up motors in turners or heaters. You might be able to get away with it but it's not ideal.

You've covered one of my big ones. I put a brooder in the coop that has a wire bottom, 1/2" hardware cloth. A warning about that. Some wire mesh has sharp nibs on it from the manufacturing process but they should all be on one side. Carefully rub your hand on it to check for these sharp nibs. If your mesh has them, put them down to keep from chewing up your chickens feet.

I'll include a photo of mine. This is not only a brooder but can be used to isolate a chicken or to break a broody hen if it is not otherwise in use. When I use it as a brooder I put something on the wire to help hold in heat in the area under my heat lamps. If you use a heat plate for warmth that's probably not necessary but if you use a heating pad it probably would be a good idea. I use a black plastic tray that goes in the bottom of dogs crates.

I use the top of my brooder as a droppings board. Where it doesn't reach I put bins on the floor to catch poop so it makes cleaning really easy.

Since you mentioned brooders and incubators, I assume you will be integrating chicks. You can kind of see my brooder off to the right in this photo to get a perspective. I had younger chickens try to sleep in the nests as they generally won't sleep on the main roosts with the adults until they mature enough to force their way into the pecking order. Otherwise they tend to get beaten up by the adults. So I put a juvenile roost lower than the main roosts and horizontally separated yet higher than the nests to give them a safe place to go that is not my nests. It made a big difference.

I use the tops of these nests as a droppings board. That juvenile roost is an example of later additions, one of those changes I mentioned. It would have been easier to clean if it were a flat surface. You probably notice I'm not too worried about keeping it really clean. I get the feeling you will be so try to make it easy for you.

You cannot see it here but I made the two lower nests so I could lock a hen in them. That has come in handy several times for different things. That gives you a lot of flexibility in being able to manage things that come up.

I also built in the ability to isolate a hen between the bottom nests or isolate that central area with one of the bottom nests. I use it but really not that much, probably not for three or four years. It's pretty inconvenient. That's an example if why you need to make it convenient for you. Otherwise you won't use it.

My coop is the closed off end of a shed. When I ran electricity to it I installed a breaker box so I could run separate circuits to the lights and the outlets. That keeps you from tripping breakers as some heating or power tools can draw a lot of power. And use outdoor fittings, not the ones you would use in a controlled environment. The outdoor ones are much safer. I recommend lights since you plan on electricity, it really makes a difference at night.

Good luck with it.

 

[blackdog043]

I built my coop for me to be comfortable in and not make it a chore to care for the chickens. It also needed to be well ventilated, for the chickens. It's a walk in 8 x 12 with a poop board, nest boxes inside raised 18 inches off the floor, so they don't take up floor space. I didn't want to collect eggs standing in the rain either. I can also get a better look at the chickens if needed while their roosting at night, for anything needing attention. My coop brooder goes under my poop board, when I have new chicks.

 

[Ebony Rose]

I wouldn't put quail in with my chickens; some minor illnesses that chickens get can be deadly for quail.