First coop (still in construction)

[kkatorr]

Just thought I’d let you take a look at what I’m doing with my coop. Honestly hope there’s not a whole lot of critical design changing ideas, because I’ve already spent a lot of time and I’m not sure I can change anything at this point. At the moment I have 13 bantams. Probably will weed that down some since I have four roosters and will probably not keep them all.

 

[Swbertrand1]

Looks great!

My only suggestion, based on watching my bf build ours, is to make your construction reversible to some degree. In other words, screws versus nails, limited construction adhesives, etc so you can disassemble some key areas later if you need to re-work, adjust, or modify things in the future.

He's "remodeled" ours in the following ways:

a) added automation to the doors with timers,
b) divide the coop into working halfs for separate housing of adults versus juveniles,
c) reduced the size of storage to add another chicken entrance/exit (part of dividing the coop),
d) added an exhaust fan on thermostat to cool the coop on hot days,
e) added a nest box and added sliding dividers to alternate which coop sides have access to the bulk of the nest boxes,
f) added roost bars and moved some others

Though the coop seemed perfect on day 1, for the first two years we had it, there were little tweaks that we/he saw it needed and was easily able to make the changes with some time and creativity.

 

[Boise-girls]

Amen to limiting glue. That's a frustration in reworking my prefab - bits that are glued on are impossible to move/remove without causing damage!

 

[Swbertrand1]

Amen to limiting glue. That's a frustration in reworking my prefab - bits that are glued on are impossible to move/remove without causing damage!

Yep.

 

[Boise-girls]

P.S. - your chicks are so cute!

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

Looks like you're off to a good start.

Make sure that you have designed in plenty of ventilation -- the usual guideline is to have at least 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation per adult, standard-sized hen. This ventilation is best located at the top of the coop, above the birds' heads when they are sitting on their roosts.

Generous roof overhangs are your best friend when it comes to ventilation.

Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters when designing chicken housing.

 

[Sally PB]

Amen on the screws vs. nails or glue. In my run, just about everything is put together with zip ties. They aren't reusable, of course, but I can easily add a piece of fencing to make a separate pen for the littles, or change the orientation of the tarp on the roof.

 

[Swbertrand1]

Amen on the screws vs. nails or glue. In my run, just about everything is put together with zip ties. They aren't reusable, of course, but I can easily add a piece of fencing to make a separate pen for the littles, or change the orientation of the tarp on the roof.

Yep, you gotta be able to make changes on the fly sometimes. If you're all glued together, the job is gonna be 10x as difficult... :-(

 

[kkatorr]

Yeah there is very little glue in there… Mostly screws. And we live in West Texas. I’m a little bit worried that they’re going to get too hot but I’ve got quite a bit of ventilation built in. I was mainly going to get silkies when I ordered my chickens but on a whim I ordered the game bantams. And I am in love with them. They are so inquisitive and fearless. I’ve had to shoo the little rooster off of my tablesaw more than once while I was trying to cut stuff.

 

[Boise-girls]

Yeah there is very little glue in there… Mostly screws. And we live in West Texas. I’m a little bit worried that they’re going to get too hot but I’ve got quite a bit of ventilation built in. I was mainly going to get silkies when I ordered my chickens but on a whim I ordered the game bantams. And I am in love with them. They are so inquisitive and fearless. I’ve had to shoo the little rooster off of my tablesaw more than once while I was trying to cut stuff.

I love Sebrights for the same reason. So much personality!