Finally getting my dream of a shed coop! Hints, tips or tricks?

[AhyokaAcres]

We were originally Double E Farms, after my heart horse Pawlee that I lost a few years back. I decided that it was too common, but I still wanted a name that would honor her. Ahyoka means "the bringer of happiness", which was a perfect representation of her

It took so long for me to come up with something that I liked that wasn't already a commonly heard name. I went through everything from local landmarks to really "out there" names haha

 

[AmyLou1782]

That's about where I'm at now! We really love Hawaii, especially Kauai which has a very rich farming culture, believe it or not! Lots of cattle, horses, and chickens there! I've even gone looking for Hawaiian words to use in the name and I like some of them but they would be difficult for people to say if they hadn't heard them before. I'm still looking at those options though because the language is just beautiful. I like that idea of coming up with a name honoring a special animal. That's such a great idea. So what are you ideas so far for your building?? I feel like I am so behind on the plans and we're starting this weekend!

 

[ll]

floor cover: To be near your deck, I would say (and this is what I did) sprinkle down a thick layer of DE. Over that lay thick plastic sheeting. Over that install a subfloor. Cover with linoleum -or- you can prime it with exterior primer and then paint it with a couple layers of exterior porch paint.

roost design: Keep your closest roost 18" from the wall and you won't have to scrub poop off the walls - they can't reach if 18" or more.
I have a large bin under mine with sand catching their nightly droppings and I use an extendable long handled cat litter scoop a couple times a week to clean the bin.

I have photos on my page of both of these. Good luck

 

[Leahs Mom]

Here's a link to a forum site where I posted about my hen house. Maybe some of the ideas will belp! It is in 2 parts on this page: http://chickensintheroad.com/forum/the-old-barn/photos-of-your-coop-or-hen-house/page-3/#p100673 by Leah's Mom (I think post 47 & 48). Click on the individual photos for larger size!

I also started with a garden shed that we picked up from a road construction project for a very good price!

Here is a preview:


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[AmyLou1782]

Wow Leahs Mom, what a great setup! I'm jealous! We started on the outside run this weekend. We are finishing the framing up!

 

[andycowboy]

Thank you both! We officially paid today, so all of this is going down in my "coop journal"!

I never thought about the tongue and groove. that's smart!

thank you for such a detailed response, flockwatcher. I'll definitely take a look at that link. The ventilation was the thing I was most worried about getting right. I definitely wouldn't want to get them sick or overheated. I was considering a small desk fan on the ceiling as well to circulate air on those horrible humid days.

I built my henhouse - 4' x 8' - with a slanted roof as mentioned above. The rear of the house has a 4" space the entire length of the coop (8'), covered with chicken wire. The 4' sides (8' high) are half plywood across the bottom, and half chicken wire across the top, then the front of the house had an opening 5' x 8' that will become the opening to the run that's being attached this coming week. The solid back and sides seem to protect the birds, and I've stood in there frequently - there is plenty of air flow and, therefore, ventilation:



The picture is, of course, just prior to completion, adding straw, adding natural cedar branch roosts, etc. That's now done, and the girls are living in it. Will be adding a run starting in the opening in front of the nesting box cabinet (used book shelves from CL), and will be closed halfway up on the right side to add protection from predators, and will be open on the end and left side - the bottom half will be hardware cloth to help deter snakes, and the top half chicken wire.

Hope this helps! Have a great day, and God bless!