First Coop Build, how’d I do?

[Welllaidacres]

Long time lurker, first time poster. My wife and I have an old laying hen house on my property. Many years ago it was a commercial operation as there are over 300 nesting boxes along the north wall of the 30x60 building. I decided I wanted to raise some livestock of my own. In said building I sectioned off an 8x10 area for a chicken pen/coop. Right now I’m raising a set of Cornish Rock broilers. They will be butchered in 5 weeks and I have a group of laying chicks coming in March. This pen will be used for laying hens but is temporarily being used for meaties. I plan to build a ramp to go in and out of one of the windows on the south side of the pen and allow the chickens access to a 15x20 covered run. I’m actually going to build two runs and restrict access to only one a year. I will place a garden in the other run and rotate back and forth each year. This will allow me to let the chickens graze on the garden leftovers, as well as scratch/till, and fertilize the next years gardens. I will place a roost on the SW side of the pen once the meaties are out. I received these Cornish crosses on Dec. 19 and just took the brooder guard out today as they were getting a tad big for my homemade octogonal plywood brooder. The nesting boxes are 32” off the ground and will have a perch installed in front after the meaties are harvested.

Please look over my setup and let me know what I need to improve upon. I tried to do a lot of research before building, but I’m sure the experienced folks here will give me tips I missed! Thank you for any help you can provide!

 

[ValerieJ]

I'm not an expert in coop building. Looks plenty big to me for 18-20 laying hens. Make sure the roosting bars are higher than the nesting boxes. Great coop!

 

[Welllaidacres]

Cool!
Is there a 'ceiling' on the coop area?
If the building is not predator proof, that chicken wire on the coop walls is iffy.

What's with those windows hinged at bottom....is that in the coop are or outside of it.

Curious about ramp to window into run, looking forward to seeing more.

Thanks for your reply!

There is a ceiling to the coop. It is the hay mound floor above.

The windows are all starline brand. They were manufactured in Illinois and I think almost every barn around here had them installed at somepoint. They are 22x29 and pivot (no hinges) from the bottom and can be "locked" in with built in spring pins at different angles for increased or decreased ventilation. Pulling the pins inward and lifting out from the angled area, allows easy window replacement. These windows run the entire length of the South side of this old hen house. There are 4 windows inside the coop/pen.

I will replace one of the windows with a piece of 3/4 plywood and build a pop door into the plywood frame. At this point, I do not think I will add an automatic opener as I've read a few horror stories of chickens being trapped/guillotined. I will likely set up a pulley system with some paracord that I can just raise and lower the pop door morning and night. I will use hardware cloth on the run however. I was thinking harware cloth for the "walls" of the run. and chicken wire to cover the "roof" and to bury as an apron. Do you think that will be acceptable?

The barn is predator proof. All windows and doors shut tight. I went so far as to cover the openings on the roof cupola's with hardware cloth too.

 

[aart]

I was thinking harware cloth for the "walls" of the run. and chicken wire to cover the "roof" and to bury as an apron. Do you think that will be acceptable?

Do the roof of run same as walls...many can climb.
Cover the open windows with HC too.

Oh, and..take a look at my rope operated pop door with auto lock on my coop page.

 

[Rooapalooza]

Looks great! Chicken wire is okay for the apron, everything else should be hardware cloth.

 

[aart]

Thank you so much! Will I need to use hardware cloth for the apron too? or is burying chicken wire enough for that?

Depends on what you have trying to dig in.
I'd use something stouter that chicken wire, it will last longer.
If you have weasels or rats, use 1/2" HC or 14ga 1/2" x 1" cage wire.....and bury it a foot or so or they may get in under the apron.

 

[aart]

Cool!
Is there a 'ceiling' on the coop area?
If the building is not predator proof, that chicken wire on the coop walls is iffy.

What's with those windows hinged at bottom....is that in the coop are or outside of it.

Curious about ramp to window into run, looking forward to seeing more.

 

[Welllaidacres]

That's a good question. We are building a "Fort Knox" coop and run this coming spring to go inside our current "sort-of-protected", really semi free range, run. When we do, the plan is to leave the coop door to the run open 24/7 so they can go in and out at will. My thought was, if the run is predator safe, then why do they have to be locked in the coop.

Those are kind of my thoughts too. However, I am newbie, so my expertise is limited.

I still want a pop door though. That way I can either lock them in or out if I need to do maintenance or clean.

 

[aart]

I saw your rope and auto locking mechanism. Very neat design! I'm quite impressed. What made you decide to have a lock? Did you have issues with it coming open? I figured with a covered run I shouldnt have to worry about raccoons or the like having access to it to open it and wasnt going to use a latch.

My run is not totally predator proof so I wanted a lock on it, didn't want to have to walk into the coop to lock it.....then I saw a vid with that type lock and just had to tinker one together.

 

[Folly's place]

It's good to have a predator proof coop and run, so that when your flock is locked in, they won't go nuts and start hurting each other.
Right now my birds are 'on lockdown' for three weeks, because we have a hawk who's killed two bantams within a week here. The first was a nice bantam pullet, and the second was a very nice 'escape artist' bantam rooster. That one I saw, and this hawk will hopefully hunt elsewhere if no chickens appear anytime soon.
Snow! Chickens are not thrilled about the white stuff, and won't want to be out in it.
Other predator visitations happen too, and the larger area helps a lot.
Mary