Regardless of the design, it may be good to talk to your dad about your long-term plan for chickens. You have four, but would there ever be a chance for you to get more? How long have you had them? After two laying seasons, their production generally drops off quite a lot. Are you going to keep them as pets once they’re done laying? Are you going to keep the old ones and get new laying chickens? Are you going to butcher them and get 4 new ones?
If you think you might have ducks, you can always partition the shed and it can be a split coop. Or, it can be a shared coop and you can partition off half of it or more for storage(feed, garden supplies, etc.).
Also, where do you live? What’s the climate like? In colder/wetter climates, more space than what you “need” comes in handy when inclement weather is happening. Not quite as important to build a weather protected outdoor area, as they’ll have sufficient space inside.
I’m my experience, Men(husbands, dads, etc)who are generally not the “lead” on the chicken ownership journey don’t usually care about “dream” coop setups. They usually want the practicality over the aesthetic. Ask your dad questions about his/your long term plan for birds. Are they pets? Are they for some type of production? Both? Are they a long term lifestyle investment for you, or just something he thinks might be fine for a few years and then stop? If they are a long term decision, having more than what you need gives these animals a better quality of life… regardless of their purpose.
If you think you might have ducks, you can always partition the shed and it can be a split coop. Or, it can be a shared coop and you can partition off half of it or more for storage(feed, garden supplies, etc.).
Also, where do you live? What’s the climate like? In colder/wetter climates, more space than what you “need” comes in handy when inclement weather is happening. Not quite as important to build a weather protected outdoor area, as they’ll have sufficient space inside.
I’m my experience, Men(husbands, dads, etc)who are generally not the “lead” on the chicken ownership journey don’t usually care about “dream” coop setups. They usually want the practicality over the aesthetic. Ask your dad questions about his/your long term plan for birds. Are they pets? Are they for some type of production? Both? Are they a long term lifestyle investment for you, or just something he thinks might be fine for a few years and then stop? If they are a long term decision, having more than what you need gives these animals a better quality of life… regardless of their purpose.
