Frustrated trying to figure out this coop design. HELP!

[fiddlebanshee]

How about a pvc pipe feeder that goes through the left wall with the window and upwards so that you can fill it from the outside and it can still be under the roost inside. I'm thinking outside the box here a bit and I've never done this so I don't know if it would work but I saw some designs for systems like this. Search on PVC pipe feeders. I think one of the crucial things was to get the angle in the elbow less than 90 degrees so that the feed flows freely.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[citychickx6]

I have my nest boxes under the long window in my coop. I added a second roost close to the door and there is a window near it. They ALL moved to the roost by the door. They LOVE looking out the windows. I have a large overhang on my roof and it has rained and blown hard. No rain got in the coop. ( Kind of surprised me actually )

 

[gale65]

After much discussion we decided that it would be easiest to go with a different feeder. We'll make one from a 5 gallon bucket and a feeder pan so it should hold 25 lbs or so. Right now I'm putting a 1 gallon bucketful in about every 3 or 4 days so 5 gallon should hold a few days worth. Then we can hang it or put it under the poop board. So our new design (subject to change, of course)

thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Please keep them coming. I tend to over-analyze everything and this is no different.

but I want to do it right (ie the way I want it and as convenient as possible) the first time.

 

[AugeredIn]

Do you have specific number of chickens you are aiming for? Your signature indicates 12 birds. One thing you might want to consider is standard material sizes. For instance, a 6x8 floor plan will save on materials. It would for instance require two sheets of plywood for the floor as opposed to the 5x10 which would require 3 sheets and more waste or a weird use of scraps.

 

[gale65]

The reason we're going with 5 x 10 is because of the space available. We're planning to use 3 sheets for the floor so there's less piecing but I can use the extra pieces when I make the nest box unit.

here's a pic from the south end. The existing coop will be taken out. You can see at the far end there's a run door. We only have the area to the right of that (from this perspective). You can see that there's an existing fence on the right hand side of the run so we can't go beyond that so 5' is our limit on width. The length is the closest to the 48 sq feet we need for 12 birds. DH uses that area beyond the run to move equipment in and out of the machine shed (tractors and planters and combines and such) which you can't see in the pic but it's off to the left, and he needs most of the space for that.

 

[kcfuerst]

To save space, and make it so you don't have to lift anything heavier than a garden hose, I would mount your choice of anywhere from an eleven to fifty gallon water barrel/tank on the outside and have a gravity fed waterer on the inside with nipples, or a low flow water bowl if you want. There will be enough water to last at least a week. If you don't want to lift a lot of food, get a 22 lb feeder to hang underneath your poop board area that you can fill up once a week. I keep my feed in a small galvanized trash can with a lid and use a plastic tower CD cover to scoop up the food to fill the feeder. (See my home page for photos). I have 8 hens in a coop that is 8x8x8. With the roosting area and nest at least 30" from the floor, that is more than enough room for them in bad weather when they may want to stay indoors instead of going outside. 5x10 is pretty small if you think they must stay in during bad weather conditions.

 

[gale65]

Our current coop is 4 x 6 so 5 x 10 will look like a mansion! lol. I went through all this with the questions about size already. I was told if we have cold winters it should be at least 4 sq feet per chicken so that's what we're using. Some actually said 2-3 sq feet per bird would probably be ok if they've been raised together so I think 4 should be fine. It'll have to be, anyway. My concern with a pvc watering system would be freezing. We get pretty cold temps here in the winter.