Feedback wanted

[imeister]

I decided to create a coop plan that combines a bunch of great ideas I've seen strewn across the web, This is what I came up with. I plan to start building next spring, so whatever feedback I get can be incorporated.

All I ask is that everyone stick to constructive/civil commentary. After all, this IS the internet...

 

[SNJchickens]

Very nice plan. I'm not sure how helpful my comments will be but here goes -

I started with a "reach in" run and found it difficult to clean well. My new coop allows me to walk into the run standing up. BIG difference over time. I will admit that I am older and not as flexible as I once was.

Be sure you can reach from the door you plan to clean the coop from ALL the way across under the roosts. We added a door that opens right behind the roosts (see my coop write up) which is convenient for daily pick out. Even with a slide out tray there will be a mess or two or three at the far end.

I love the garden area. At the end of my run I grow a patch of okra. It helps shade the run in summer and the crop is a great addition to the summer (people) diet. Across the back I grow runner beans for shade.

I lock my girls into the coop at night safely away from predators even if the local coyote would breach the run. I don't see that you have a door to close off your ramp opening. Cold winter winds might be rough on the girls in the wintertime unless you provide some storm/wind/draught protection.

One more comment on the in-the-floor ramp opening: you will need a 3" or higher barrier all the way around the opening to keep the bedding inside the coop.

You might want to separate the waterer and feeder a bit more to prevent cross pollution.

I hope these comments are helpful. Feel perfectly free to comment or ignore.

 

[TalkALittle]

You need to subtract the area of the ramp opening from your square footage.

 

[donrae]

I think it's a good start. The run is nice sized, which I like. If you're keeping large fowl birds, I would not plan on more than 5 max in that coop. Bantams you could do 8, but large fowl birds will be too crowded.

I like that you have a good amount of ventilation. Fresh air is so important to an animals's health.

With only 4 birds, you don't need 4 nesting boxes. You could probably do okay with one, but two would be plenty.

I like the idea of slide-out trays under the roosts. Those could be a good time saver.

You'll have to be careful about your roost height. The coop is only 3ish feet tall, correct? I'd put the roosts about halfway up, to allow plenty of space above the roosts. They also need space to take off and land. That doesn't leave a whole lot of space under the roosts for the birds to utilize that floor space, especially since you have the solid tray instead of just two roosts.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm not great at reading plans, so if I read them wrong, forgive me. I see you are planning on the top of the run to lifts up, how big is that and how heavy would that be with the framework and hardware cloth combined?
Coop provides 20 sq ft of space. Now this can be argued, but with cold climates, consider room for your chickens when its windy, cold, icy etc. Mine like to pile into the coop, even though the run has a roof. A generous coop space allowing them to have room to stay out of each others face&space will help with grumpy winter blues.

 

[aart]

Welcome to BYC!

Nice work with the software....can be a great planning tool, I spent a good 6 months modeling/drafting my coop in CADD before building.
Always better to make, and fix, design errors on screen or paper than in wood and metal.

The sliding poop tray thing looks good, as does the feed access.
Ventilation is pretty good, tho not protected from the weather. larger roof overhangs would help with that.

but.....

Too much roost and nest for coop capacity...I wouldn't put more than 3 birds in there, so 1 roost and 1 nest would suffice.
Not a fan of bottom 'pop doors', they reduce floor space in coop and create bedding issues as TalkALittle pointed out.

If you're serious about keeping more than just a few birds long term, you're going to want a bigger coop and run.
You should be able to easily reach to the extents of entire coop and run in case of a incapacitated bird, retrieving mislaid eggs, cleaning, etc.
Although I am older and unlimber, being able to go into the coop and run and close the door to tend to birds anytime of the night or day is invaluable.

I have less generous things to say, but will refrain in a rare moment of diplomacy.

It look like you've garnered most of your ideas from retail coop manufacturers, they get a lot of things wrong.
Do more browsing here on BYC, look at lots of coops and read a lot more to see what works....and what doesn't.
First year of chicken keeping has a huge learning curve, you can overcome some of it with careful research.

 

[imeister]

Thank everyone for your feedback. It's all helpful in the planning phase!

A door for the floor opening is simple enough, as is the lip around to prevent litter loss. I can also add some height to allow more takeoff and landing space. My intention for the vents is to make removable covers for winter months.

Right now, the planter and coop are side by side. I think I'll reorient them so they're more rectangles than squares, with the coop along the while back. That would make it shallower for cleaning reach concerns, and create more roost space. I'll post the rework Monday sometime.

Thanks again!

 

[TalkALittle]

I can't see the dimensions very well. It looks like the run is wider than tall. I'm thinking your going to have to potentially have to buy hardware cloth to fit the larger dimension and cut it down to fit the smaller one resulting in waste. Or you might buy 2 rolls of different dimensions and end up with lots left over (waste). Or add some wood to the framing of the run such that you can attach multiple pieces of the narrower hardware cloth in the opposite direction so you only have to buy one roll in one width and you have less waste.

 

[Folly's place]

I will add to what aart discussed here. The drawings are lovely, but the coop just isn't the best design. It will hold three standard birds at the most in comfort, and will be difficult to clean and manage in so many ways. A shed type walk-in building is a much better choice! Modify a garden shed or build a Woods coop instead, and then six to eight birds will be possible and a lot easier to manage. Mary

 

[Hholly]

A hoop coop would also be a good option. You could stand up inside it, and expand it fairly easily.