Designing Chicken Coop for 8-10 Hens

[wab11287]

That is an elevated 8x8 coop, plenty big enough to give you room in there to do things. How high off the ground is it? Can you get under there to work on the feeder or waterer without crawling in chicken poop? Can you use a rake or something to retrieve and egg or a chicken that does not want to be retrieved? Consider your access under there.

One big advantage of the elevated coop is that the chickens will spend a lot of time under there dust bathing in the shade. And they should be able to get under there in the winter if there is snow on the ground. But chickens hate a strong cold wind more than snow. You might consider a windbreak to keep snow from blowing under there and give them shelter from blowing wind. I'm not sure I'd elevate the coop though, access under an 8x8 is pretty limited. I'd think you'd have enough room to feed and water inside that big coop.

An 8x8 needs to be a walk-in so you can access all of it. How tall is that, can you comfortably walk in? You show a half-door. Not sure what is going on.

I like the nests with the front opening. How high are they? Can you daughter see in them? Will you be going inside to collect eggs when it is raining? At least water will not be pouring over the door or going into the run.

In addition to roosts, show ventilation. As a minimum leave the area just under the overhang open (covered with hardware cloth for predators). A small gable vent with louvers up high on at least one of the ends will help a lot in the summer to let hot air rise and escape. If you go with a single sloped roof instead of a gable construction will be simpler and water will run off one side only. And you will have an opening under the overhang at the highest point which is great for ventilation.

I'm not sure that clean out tray will be functional. In an 8x8 it will be heavy, will you be able to pull it out? How will you reach the middle to remove bedding and poop once you pull it out? If it is just under the roosts maybe so you are using it as a sort of droppings board maybe. It could take some challenging fabrication to get it to work. Maybe I'm looking at it wrong but I'd consider a full-sized human door that opens outward at floor level with a removable barrier to keep bedding from falling out of an elevated coop so you can rake that stuff into a wheelbarrow when you clean it out. That would be a lot simpler fabrication and I think more functional.

The pop door needs to be high enough off the floor so bedding does not fall out or block it, especially when the chickens scratch in the bedding.

I don't know how you are planning on building that run, whether it will be covered or not. It looks like you are considering framing it with 2x4's or something similar. 8' high is good, you can walk under there. I don't think you'll have any issues with space with 10 hens, especially with the area under the coop available. With a lot of building materials coming in standard 8' lengths you might consider extending it another 4' but the extra wire could cost a bit. This is not going to be a cheap build anyway. If you put a solid roof on the run I'd slope it some so water runs off, I hate a flat roof. They leak or water stands up there and rots or rusts them. And consider snow and ice load so build it strong.

There is personal preference in a lot of what I wrote, others will have different opinions. This is meant more to give you things to think about instead of trying to tell you how to build it.

Good luck.

The coop is elevated. It will be around 3 1/2 feet off the ground. I will make sure it will be tall enough that my wheelbarrow is right below the level of the clean out so I can easily clean the coop when I need to.

The door to walk into the run is a full sized door. The run is 8 feet tall so you will easily be able to stand inside. For under the raised coop it will only be about 3 feet of room so to get under I will have to be on the ground. I wont have to do this often though because the feeder systems will be gravity fed and refilled from outside the coop. For cleaning under I can use a rake and if needed to get stray eggs from under for any reason I will just make sure to clean the ground first then grab them.

Making a wind break for them is a good idea. I might make one or two of the walls solid instead of hardware cloth. I will have to keep that in mind when I make more detailed plans.

To clean the coop you think I will need to get inside and do so instead of just cleaning out the floor?

The nesting boxes will about 4 feet from the ground. My daughter is around 4 1/2 feet tall currently so she would be able to see right into them and if needed I can build a simple step stool for her. She grows like a weed so I wouldn't be surprised if shes 5 feet tall very soon! The roof for the coop and nesting boxes will have an overhang. In the designs I posted I didn't show that but I already planned to do so. If it is raining for the entire day or when we collect eggs We can either go inside or use an umbrella to get them.

Like the roof overhang, I plan to have plenty of ventilation. The windows will all be able to open when needed for air flow and when its warm enough outside. Below the roof will have vents always open with hardware cloth. I will make sure to double check how much ventilation I need as I get more details done.

I answered the clean out tray question in the previous post. The floor will be covered in vinyl material for easy cleaning as well. Might try to play around with the idea of just making the door instead of 2 different size doors for cleaning out. I think that does make more sense after you say that.

My original idea is to cover about half of the roof of the run with tinted corrugated roofing and the rest with hardware cloth. That will give them about 14 feet, including under the coop, of cover and rest open.

I plan to keep it at 12 feet run and use the left over sizes in other areas. (framing windows, nesting boxes, etc.) I will also add an angle to the roof to make sure it will run off water and snow.

I like to hear from multiple people and views on ideas. This is all new to me still and will be my first coop/chickens. I want to be as prepared as possible so all advice and constructive criticism is welcomed.

 

[Ridgerunner]

To clean the coop you think I will need to get inside and do so instead of just cleaning out the floor?

I answered the clean out tray question in the previous post. The floor will be covered in vinyl material for easy cleaning as well. Might try to play around with the idea of just making the door instead of 2 different size doors for cleaning out. I think that does make more sense after you say that.

I think you need to be able to enter an 8x8 coop if you wish and have enough height to work in there. You never know what maintenance or modifications you may need to do. The easiest way to catch chickens to inspect, treat, or most other things is to take them of of the roosts at night when it is dark. Easy access to any place in the coop is pretty important. I made that mistake with my 4x8 elevated grow out coop, I cannot easily get to the roosts.

Some of us really get fanatical about cleaning. Some like me are a lot more relaxed about it. Do you plan on having any bedding on top of that vinyl floor? That may affect what is involved in cleaning it. Maybe lay two sheets of 4x8 plywood and see how hard it might be to rake it out standing outside. It might be a lot easier to rake or sweep it if you stand in it.

Chickens poop a lot when they are on the roosts. Often you have to clean out under the roosts while the rest of the coop is fine. A lot of us have droppings boards. There are all kinds of different ways to do that: flat boards that can be scraped, trays that can be scooped, bins that can be carried out and emptied. You may see a need to do Something like that in the future. You would need access to scrape, scoop, or carry. Cleaning does not always just mean raking or sweeping the floor.

My coop is an 8x12 sitting on the ground and has a dirt floor with wood shavings on top. I use droppings boards under the roosts. In weather with low humidity and a small number of birds I may scrape the droppings board every 6 weeks or so. In humid weather and a lot of birds I may scrape it weekly. Some people scoop or rake daily, we are all different. I keep my coop floor really dry. I remove the bedding once every three or four years by shoveling it into a wheelbarrow through the door. Many people may clean theirs out one or twice a year. Some people clean them out weekly. We are all different in how we manage this. There might be some trial and error involved in determining what works best for you. You will need to remain flexible. I assure you, as much as you plan you will wind up tweaking things.

I don't know what kind of door/clean-out would be best for you. I can see a door with a removable threshold as convenient. I could see a clean-out not at the door but at floor level so your threshold at the door can be permanent to keep any bedding in. Not sure how a drop-down wall the width of the coop would work. That sounds like more complicated construction, it might get heavy to raise and lower, and does it make it easier for a chicken to escape when cleaning?

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

I will have the water inside the coop during winter so that wont be an issue.

How is the inside of your coop going to stay above freezing?

 

[wab11287]

I think you need to be able to enter an 8x8 coop if you wish and have enough height to work in there. You never know what maintenance or modifications you may need to do. The easiest way to catch chickens to inspect, treat, or most other things is to take them of of the roosts at night when it is dark. Easy access to any place in the coop is pretty important. I made that mistake with my 4x8 elevated grow out coop, I cannot easily get to the roosts.

Some of us really get fanatical about cleaning. Some like me are a lot more relaxed about it. Do you plan on having any bedding on top of that vinyl floor? That may affect what is involved in cleaning it. Maybe lay two sheets of 4x8 plywood and see how hard it might be to rake it out standing outside. It might be a lot easier to rake or sweep it if you stand in it.

Chickens poop a lot when they are on the roosts. Often you have to clean out under the roosts while the rest of the coop is fine. A lot of us have droppings boards. There are all kinds of different ways to do that: flat boards that can be scraped, trays that can be scooped, bins that can be carried out and emptied. You may see a need to do Something like that in the future. You would need access to scrape, scoop, or carry. Cleaning does not always just mean raking or sweeping the floor.

My coop is an 8x12 sitting on the ground and has a dirt floor with wood shavings on top. I use droppings boards under the roosts. In weather with low humidity and a small number of birds I may scrape the droppings board every 6 weeks or so. In humid weather and a lot of birds I may scrape it weekly. Some people scoop or rake daily, we are all different. I keep my coop floor really dry. I remove the bedding once every three or four years by shoveling it into a wheelbarrow through the door. Many people may clean theirs out one or twice a year. Some people clean them out weekly. We are all different in how we manage this. There might be some trial and error involved in determining what works best for you. You will need to remain flexible. I assure you, as much as you plan you will wind up tweaking things.

I don't know what kind of door/clean-out would be best for you. I can see a door with a removable threshold as convenient. I could see a clean-out not at the door but at floor level so your threshold at the door can be permanent to keep any bedding in. Not sure how a drop-down wall the width of the coop would work. That sounds like more complicated construction, it might get heavy to raise and lower, and does it make it easier for a chicken to escape when cleaning?

The plan is to make the coop an 8x8x6 size. I will have 2 equal height roosts for the chickens towards the center of the coop. The vinyl floor will have pine chips on it as padding and for easy cleaning. I will probably start out with checking it weekly then going from there to see how often I will have to do a clean out.

Thinking more into cleaning out the coop I might even just build 1 large swing door with regular door hinges that I can just remove the pin and pull the entire door off for cleaning.

How is the inside of your coop going to stay above freezing?

The coop itself wont be above freezing. I will have a water heater in a 5 gallon bucket that will be inside the coop for the winter so the water stays above freezing point. If the weather gets cold enough I will have a heat lamp inside of the coop as well but we normally wont get that cold of winters.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The plan is to make the coop an 8x8x6 size. I will have 2 equal height roosts for the chickens towards the center of the coop. .

Will the roosts interfere with your ability to walk around in there? That's why it's kind of traditional to put them along a wall. Typical minimum recommended spacing is 12" off the wall and 12" horizontal separation.

 

[wab11287]

Will the roosts interfere with your ability to walk around in there? That's why it's kind of traditional to put them along a wall. Typical minimum recommended spacing is 12" off the wall and 12" horizontal separation.

It may. This was based off the idea I would not go inside to clean. I will have to test out some different layouts and see what's going to be best.

 

[wab11287]

I have made a 3d model of the coop design. More details and also everything is to ratio now. Sizes are measured exact to what I plan to make. I did move a few things to different locations though. Changed the one side to a full size door to be able to get into and clean the coop when needed. Also moved the nesting box to the end. Changed the roof to a simple slanted style and added air vents at the top.

 

[aart]

Hahaha.... I tried to rotate the model!!
Show the dimensions?
I'd keep the area where the ventilation holes are wide open, under low end too.
More windows....and big vent/window on coop wall under run roof.
Inside views?

 

[wab11287]

Hahaha.... I tried to rotate the model!!
Show the dimensions?
I'd keep the area where the ventilation holes are wide open, under low end too.
More windows....and big vent/window on coop wall under run roof.
Inside views?

I am not sure how to display the dimensions but the coop is 8x8 and the run is 12x8.

I was thinking about adding another window to the back of the coop that is just a solid wall and might end up making the other windows larger.

I am currently working on the inside view and will post that once its done.

The vent holes right below the roof will always be open year round. Allow for heat to escape and also fresh air to circulate.

 

[aart]

I am not sure how to display the dimensions but the coop is 8x8 and the run is 12x8.

Not sure either, tho have seen it on other SU models.

The vent holes right below the roof will always be open year round. Allow for heat to escape and also fresh air to circulate.

Right.... but lose the lumber the holes are in and you'll have 3 times as much open air space.