First Chicken Coop- Upcycled Materials, In Progress! Suggestions please :)

[thriftyplants]

Building my first chicken coop, using mostly recycled materials that we've salvaged from a local place that barters materials for repurposing! The coop is for 3 Sapphire Olive Egger chickens.

I haven't made a chicken coop before so friendly suggestions are appreciated ☺

Also we did not make many plans for this LOL, just sort of have an idea that we keep adding on to. It may not be pretty, but it is strong!
We are also doing this entire thing with a hand saw and 12volt drill because we are young 20-something-year-olds without access to proper tools

I started with an old reinforced swing frame, built an extremely strong box for the bottom about 3 ft high that will be for nesting and egg laying. The back of the bottom nesting box has a little drop down door on hinges (the wood that is sticking out more) for egg collection. I'm going to get some locks for it that need an opposable thumb to unlock. The top box is also about 3 ft tall and will be the roost. The roof of the roost is on hinges and can be lifted up and down for cleaning, I'm also going to get some strong locks for that as well. The roost and nest box will both have a large pan on the floor so we can clean it out easier. Working on piecing together the front of the roost to fill in the extra holes. I'm literally working with scraps of wood in most cases, as I want to make this coop as cost-free as possible, a personal challenge

Finishing up closing everything in with hardware cloth now and sorting out any gaps and holes. We are going to build a small door onto the front of the A-Frame so that I can climb in and out to clean (I'm pretty short). We will be building a ramp for the chickens to go up to the roost. We are also building a moveable chicken run that will be attached to the main run through a tunnel that can be closed off when needed. The chickens will be able to free range for an hour or so when I get home from work so I will be outside with them working on other things and keeping an eye out for predators. We are also planning to hardware cloth the entire floor of both runs to prevent anything from digging in.

Questions:
-Is the window on the back of the roost too large? We live in Florida, so I wanted them to have some air flow as it gets VERY hot in the summer and I feared it would be like a sauna in there without one. I can close it up more if so.
-Is this an OK amount of space for 3 chickens that will be free ranging for a couple of hours in the backyard every day?

 

[Mtnboomer]

I love your reuse of materials! I did the same with my coop for about 90% of it. We have friendly debates on here about spacing requirements but the genersl consensus is 4sf of coop, 10sf of run, and 1lf of roost, per bird.
I free range my birds all day from dawn til sunset. So i cheat the coop square footage a bit with no issues.
Ventilate as much as possible so long as the birds are safe from predators. You don't need to worry about winters but humidity will be a major issue.
Make sure the nesting boxes are shaded and to add a feeling of security for the birds.
What is your ground perimeter defenses for digging under? Consider aprons.
Have fun and good luck!

 

[thriftyplants]

Hi!

Thank you for your reply ♡
The run right off of the coop is about 18 sq ft and the attached moveable run is 24 sq ft. So I think that should be enough space for 3 chickens if they have time to free range in the afternoon for a few hours?

The Roost box I figured they would just go up to sleep in? It is 3x3 ft and the nest box is the same. I hope those will be ok of they are free to roam in and out of it?

For securing from digging we will be nailing in hardwire cloth, covering it with dirt and hay for both runs.

 

[Mtnboomer]

Hi!

Thank you for your reply ♡
The run right off of the coop is about 18 sq ft and the attached moveable run is 24 sq ft. So I think that should be enough space for 3 chickens if they have time to free range in the afternoon for a few hours?

The Roost box I figured they would just go up to sleep in? It is 3x3 ft and the nest box is the same. I hope those will be ok of they are free to roam in and out of it?

For securing from digging we will be nailing in hardwire cloth, covering it with dirt and hay for both runs.

I would install dividers in the nesting boxes. Approximately 12"x12" squares make my gals most happy, feel most secure = most productive.
If both runs are accessible at the same time, versus having one closed for any reason, then i think your run space is adequate.
If both sleeping and nesting boxes are the same, don't be surprised if they sleep in the nesting box or lay in the sleep box. Also using a sleep box instead of rods could lead to a sanitary issue as chickens poop when they sleep.

 

[thriftyplants]

I would install dividers in the nesting boxes. Approximately 12"x12" squares make my gals most happy, feel most secure = most productive.
If both runs are accessible at the same time, versus having one closed for any reason, then i think your run space is adequate.
If both sleeping and nesting boxes are the same, don't be surprised if they sleep in the nesting box or lay in the sleep box. Also using a sleep box instead of rods could lead to a sanitary issue as chickens poop when they sleep.

Thank you, I will add dividers to the nesting box. The Roost box is almost 3ft high at the pitch, my plan was to have a low perch rod in there for them to stand up on. I'm not sure how much head space they would need they would need, I was going to place the rod exactly a foot off of the floor, leaving about 19 inches from perch to pitch.

 

[Mtnboomer]

Thank you, I will add dividers to the nesting box. The Roost box is almost 3ft high at the pitch, my plan was to have a low perch rod in there for them to stand up on. I'm not sure how much head space they would need they would need, I was going to place the rod exactly a foot off of the floor, leaving about 19 inches from perch to pitch.

They will need height of the bird when full grown plus about 50% min to allow the "hop up" head height. That is purely an observed approximation measurement .
Consider making the rod removable for ease of cleaning.

 

[thriftyplants]

They will need height of the bird when full grown plus about 50% min to allow the "hop up" head height. That is purely an observed approximation measurement .
Consider making the rod removable for ease of cleaning.

Thanks for all of your help! I think I'm going to just deconstruct my top box and make it taller It'll be a pain but worth it for the chickies to be happy and comfortable!

 

[Mtnboomer]

Its my pleasure.
Don't want them bumping their noggins hopping in to bed.

 

[thriftyplants]

Just wanted to post some pictures of my coop updates!

The the coop is about 95% done now, just need to frame in and hardwire cloth the floor to the main run off of the roost and reinforce the roof. The chicks spend morning til sundown in there, they really seem to love it and enjoy running from room to room. They already practice sleeping in their roost! They are about 7 weeks old now ♡

The the extension to the coop is connected by a tunnel attached to the lower nesting box. I added the large doors for easy access and cleaning.

Everything is sealed in with Hardwire cloth and U-nails from top to bottom, even the floor which then has a layer of dirt and leaves on top.

All doors have a small master lock that requires a key to open.

Here are some pictures of the roost and nest box before they are completely done and closed in: