First Coop Ever

[weazel922]

I've never built a coop before and this will be my first time owning chickens, so here we go.

I have two quick questions for the coop I plan to build next weekend, but here's my background.

I'm building my coop inside a 6'x12' dog kennel. I'm lining the sides with wire mesh to make the holes smaller from the fence. It's also fenced across the top and bottom. I plan to build the coop off the ground to allow that extra ground area for the hens outside.

So first question is 18" up enough? Or should I go 2'. I was thinking 18" off the ground to allow more room in side the coop. But I want to make sure that there is enough clearance outside that they will use that space under the coop for outdoor shelter.

Secondly, does it matter if the feed/water is inside the coop or not? I was also thinking about putting the feed/water under the coop. I figured I could hang it there and that would prevent a lot of pest getting it. Or do they prefer to have the food inside the coop. My only concern there is that it takes up space, and I want to make sure the hens have plenty of room inside the coop. I'm thinking the coop with be 6'x4', so if I have 6 hens, that's 4 sqft/hen inside.

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l l <-------coop 6'Wx4'Dx4'T
l l
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l l
l l <----area under coop for outside shelter 18" tall enough?
l l
l l

Thanks!

 

[gsim]

I have flock of currently, 21 hens. I feed inside of coop and water outside only. However I can walk into my coop, so that has to be a consideration. You might consider adding the coop onto the end, and yes, do elevate it 18" and cover that space with hardware cloth mesh. This will give you access to 3 sides of your coop for cleaning, mtc, etc. You have a tiny run, and I would not put more than 3 chooks in it. Just a thing with me I guess. Different strokes........

Oh, Be sure to add 24" tall roll of hardware cloth mesh to base of run to keep out weasels. They are chicken vampires and will kill everything in the coop just to drink the blood of one chook. I used chicken wire around the base of mine mainly to keep my chooks from sticking their heads thru to eat grass. Coons will sneak up on them and snatch their heads off. So weasels can get into my run, but not my coop, as it is locked down all night long. And I do have a fence charger on 24-7.

See 'My BYC Page' for ideas.

Gerry

 

[CopperCT]

18" high should be fine for regular sized large fowl. On feeding and watering inside or outside, it probably depends on where you live. I also have a walk in coop so the answer may be different for a non-walk in. I also live in a cold climate so I keep food and water inside with a water heater to keep it from freezing. That would be much more difficult outside. In addition the coop is built so that it keeps out predators which means (at least so far) it also keeps out rodents and pests that might get into the feed. Although the food and water do take up extra space it is simply just easier to manage having it inside in my set up but I have read about many fellow BYCers who keep it outside for more space and also to keep the coop cleaner and drier. It depends on what you think would work best for you. Best of luck with your coop build. I hope it's as fun for you as it was for me.

 

[farmer_lew]

18" should be ok, as a minimum, off the ground. As for food and water inside or out, I have food and water inside the coop mainly so they can eat and drink in the morning because they get up before me. Ours free range all day, so their diet is mainly of bugs, worms, etc, and we have 3 waterers in the yard for them to drink from.

The feeder inside the coop is hanging from the roof of the coop to minimize detritus getting into it. The waterer, though, is constantly full of stuff.

An idea for the design of your coop...make one entire wall able to open like a door, to make it easier for you to access the inside to clean it. It will make your life easier.

As for predators, try to think like them. Ask yourself, if I were a racoon (or weasel, hawk, etc) how could I get in for a chicken dinner? When you find a way in, fix it.

Good luck and post pics of your progress!