Just had to share pics of my new coop and run - I based the design pretty directly from one in the coop design section - it is 8 x 12 ft, with windows on all sides to allow for good ventilation - we're in upstate SC - we built the coop under a big oak tree for lots of shade in the summer, but it will get sun in the winter. The floor is vinyl flooring over plywood. I plan on using the deep litter method, so I nailed boards around the floor to hold in the shavings, plus I nailed a 2 x 6 to separate the roosting area from the rest of the coop - I had read about droppings pits and poop boards - the idea of scraping a poop board was distasteful, so I figured the area under the roosts would be a great place for deep litter. So far it's working great - no smell - they sure do poop a lot!!. I lined the roost area with the white-coated board from Lowes for cheapo bath enclosures - figured it would be easier to keep clean. I have since added a third roost - even with the windows, since everyone was roosting in the window sills. I do wish I had painted all the bare wood before letting the girls out - it would have been cleaner. The entire run is enclosed and covered, with an apron of fencing buried out from the fence, and a line of electric wire around the lower part - hopefully varmints will be kept out. And last, but hardly least, my grandson Jake trying out the door the day we cut it, to let the girls out.
