Coop Ideas Please

[CubbieFan88]

Hello, BYC!

So our flock of 9 will be turning into a flock of 18 come April 2018 (we have 9 new chicks coming in the mail then). Since I did not realize just how addictive chickens are...we built our coop for 10 chickens specifically. Soooooo we need to build a whole new coop for 20 chickens (no more I tell myself). Sooooo I am looking for coop ideas for inside and outside. My husband keeps saying "draw it up and I'll make it". So before I want to draw I would like to hear/see what works for you and what doesn't, which colors you chose, type of building materials, roosting pole ideas, nesting boxes, the works. We have all standard size hens, except one random bantam hen. Thank you for your help!

 

[Blooie]

Try a hoop coop or regular shed coop with a hoop run. We LOVE ours....withstands heavy winds (like a gust of 91 miles an hour this past January), snow loads, easy to walk in, cheap and simple to build. You can see mine by clicking on "My Coop" under my charmingly gorgeous avatar photo.

 

[lazy gardener]

Pics of your existing set up? I agree with Blooie that a hoop coop might be just what you need. They are super affordable. One of the plusses of a hoop coop is that it is built right on the soil. Perfect set up for deep litter management. Build a hoop coop, do DL, and you'll never have to "clean that coop".

 

[CubbieFan88]

Try a hoop coop or regular shed coop with a hoop run. We LOVE ours....withstands heavy winds (like a gust of 91 miles an hour this past January), snow loads, easy to walk in, cheap and simple to build. You can see mine by clicking on "My Coop" under my charmingly gorgeous avatar photo.

Thanks! I checked it out. I like that. I love your red with the wood!

 

[CubbieFan88]

Hello!!
I will be no help on ideas for a new coop...sorry. But I just wanted to know, is it possible to build off of your current coop? Or do you really prefer it/find it easier/more convenient/or the only option to build a whole new one?

Well, we have a our current one on stilts & we had played with the idea of just closing in the bottom and making almost bunk bed style coop extension, but we'd really like this one to be walk-in and with the flock basically doubling any addition or extension would either be too tight or even with what we would spend/do on that extension it is a case of we might as well just do a new one. Plus we have to relocate our present coop as well and since my husband informed he is NOT the Hulk he cannot simply hoist it up to move it (like apparently my mind had thought would happen). So we figured the best bet would be since we have to disassemble it anyway might as well just salvage parts and start anew.

 

[Blooie]

Thanks! I checked it out. I like that. I love your red with the wood!

Thanks. We had to rehome all of our chickens this past August. Not one penny that we put into that hoop run and coop was wasted. Right now there is plastic over the hoop, just as we did for winter, but instead of chickens inside Ken is storing the riding mower, the ATV, and other big stuff in there. The coop is now the winter resting place of the garden equipment. This summer the hoop will become a greenhouse. Win win!

 

[blackdog043]

I built an 8 x 12 lean to shed, it's great to be able walk inside. For ventilation, I have 4 24 x 24 windows, the front and back sofits are open and the pop door. A poop board is good to have, it keeps the coop a lot cleaner. Just scoop the poop every day, with twenty it shouldn't be to bad, I currently have 11 chickens but will be getting a few more come spring. Here's some pics of my set up.