Coop Suggestions

[saysfaa]

It's great that you've got your own coop planning thread going but have you spent any time looking at the extensive "coops," section on BYC yet? Look at the small and medium coops, it's everything you need to get ideas...

It is. I agree with looking there. I looked at every single one there multiple times in the years I dreamed and planned before moving here, where I can actually have some chickens. The caution, though, is many of them are based on prefabs or on plans based on prefabs or, basically, carpenter's ideas of what chicken coops should need rather than what chickens really need to do well. I found it more fun than helpful, except for a few of them.

I found a lot better help in threads where people get into discussions about why they chose what they did more than just what they did. Those are more time consuming to find and to read and often have the disadvantage of not giving details of what people did.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

The caution, though, is many of them are based on prefabs or on plans based on prefabs or, basically, carpenter's ideas of what chicken coops should need rather than what chickens really need to do well.

Wow that's interesting and good to know. Time's have really changed. If you look at coops from the early 2000's they were not prefab look a likes, much more creative. Everything from space ships to volkswagon bugs turned coop. But you make a good point, the cookie cutter stuff is taking over. Hope you put some of your own flare into yours! Good luck!!!

 

[3KillerBs]

The caution, though, is many of them are based on prefabs or on plans based on prefabs or, basically, carpenter's ideas of what chicken coops should need rather than what chickens really need to do well. I found it more fun than helpful, except for a few of them.

Yes, that's something to beware of.

That's how I came up with my Rules of Thumb:

• f it looks like a dollhouse it's only suitable for toy chickens.
• If it's measured in inches instead of feet it's too small.
• If your walk-in closet is larger than the coop-run combo you're thinking of buying think carefully about whether you have an utterly awesome closet or are looking at a seriously undersized chicken coop.
• If it has more nestboxes than the number of chickens it can legitimately hold the designer knew nothing about chickens' actual needs and it probably has other design flaws too.

 

[saysfaa]

Wow that's interesting and good to know. Time's have really changed. If you look at coops from the early 2000's they were not prefab look a likes, much more creative. Everything from space ships to volkswagon bugs turned coop. But you make a good point, the cookie cutter stuff is taking over. Hope you put some of your own flare into yours! Good luck!!!

I think the change is from so many people searching the internet for ideas and information. Which led to creative results back in the 90's because that is where the most traffic went. It shifted to leading more to advertiser influenced results. It used to be, you could shift the key words and get different results. Now, you get funneled much more effectively. In all areas, not just chicken coops.

 

[3KillerBs]

It used to be, you could shift the key words and get different results.

*nods*

And use Boolean logic to exclude unwanted items and force inclusion of exactly what you want to know.

 

[Egger4me]

Recycled skids and old wood fence only paid for wire and screws. Recycled windows and old swing set frame.

 

[DickMidnight]

If your walk-in closet is larger than the coop-run combo you're thinking of buying think carefully about whether you have an utterly awesome closet or are looking at a seriously undersized chicken coop.

i remember this one from when you first posted it a while back and it still makes me laugh because i guess i know where my priorities are haha

 

[Raptor Chicken]

I agree with you folks about the commonality of coops and plans that are out there and the reason why they are.

Just look at this ONE link of many that I've perused over the last couple days. Its laughable the "recommended" amount of chickens for each coop based on the size. Not to mention the other inadequacies.

https://www.chickensandmore.com/chicken-coop-plans/

Anyhow I spent a few hours today drawing up my plans. Still have a couple things to figure out but I'm hoping to bring home materials this Friday and start building this weekend, weather permitting.