Guidance for a portable chicken coop to house 6 chickens

[FirstTimeFlock]

So I have been doing a lot of reading & searching online for tips & plans to build a portable chicken coop to house the 6 chickens we will be getting in April. (They will be 4 weeks old when we get them. I have ordered 2 Easter Eggers, 2 Silver Laced Wyandottes & 2 Speckled Sussexes.)

What I have found is that I will need a minimum of 24 square feet for the coop & at least 60 square feet for the run. I would like to have 3 nesting boxes, but how far they should be off of the ground seems to vary depending on who you listen to - one source says 10-20" while another source says 24". I also plan to include a 5' long roost. (Is that big enough?) Other notes of things to include our consider are:
Include:
Ventilation
Shade
Dust baths box (2' X 2' X 16") (plastic bin?)
Poop boards
Lighting
Grain feeder (big enough to hold enough feed for the flock for one day)
Waterer
Feed pans (for supplements)
Grit
Calcium (1lb oyster shells/ 100lb of feed once chickens start laying)

1 quart of water /day/ 4 chickens
1/4-1/3 lb feed /day/ chicken (organic mix /non GMO commercial pre-mix)

My questions are these: Did I miss anything? Is there anything else I should consider that will make my life easier in the long run? (ie: Tips on things to include in coop plans to make cleaning the coop easier) Can anyone point me to a good resource for plans? I have found thousands of plans, but am overwhelmed by the number of choices (& find it difficult to refine my search to only include portable coops that house at least 6 chickens).

TIA for your help!

 

[Teila]

Hello again FirstTimeFlock

I greeted you on your initial member introduction.

Just wanted to let you know that this post is also in the New Member Introductions and you will probably get more helpful responses if you post it on this Forum: https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/9/coop-run-design-construction-maintenance

Good luck with the build and the flock when they arrive.

 

[FirstTimeFlock]

Thank you! I had some issues posting as I am using my Android & had to search "How to post" to discover I needed to change to desktop settings in order to post. Definitely still getting the hang of things. Thanks!

 

[christwodog]

I have 6 chickens in a tractor coop that we built ourselves, it's 12 feet long, 6.5 feet high, 5 feet wide - we do let our chickens free range quite a bit whenever someone is home from work. But they do fine in there for extended periods of time. Our tractor is heavy to move because we put a metal roof on it, but it is moveable. I highly recommend the pvc feeder tubes, inexpensive to make and they keep lots of food clean and dry. I have 2 tube feeders (hubs made them in about 15 min), and I check them once a week, usually just topping them off. We have the 5 gallon water dispenser with the horizontal nipple dispensers. I clean it out once a week, but could go longer if necessary. Water stays clean regardless how much they poop on the lid, which they will! For their dust bath in the coop, I got a kitty litter pan from the grocery store, it works well and cheap enough to replace when it gets gross.
All 6 chickens fit on a 5 foot roost, they all like to cram together anyway. I have 2 nest boxes which seems fine, because they like to lay their eggs where the others lay theirs. I recommend getting the boxes that you can block off until they are ready to start laying, so they don't get into the habit of sleeping in the nest boxes. I'm still learning as I go, this site has so much info to take in! Good luck, Erin

 

[redsoxs]

Hello again FirstTimeFlock

I greeted you on your initial member introduction.

Just wanted to let you know that this post is also in the New Member Introductions and you will probably get more helpful responses if you post it on this Forum: https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/9/coop-run-design-construction-maintenance

Good luck with the build and the flock when they arrive.

X2 on the above but no worries...it takes awhile to get the hang of things on BYC - I've been a member for years and I'm learning new things all the time!

 

[FirstTimeFlock]

Thank you! Some great advice! I had already been considering the pvc feeders, but didn't consider closing off the nesting boxes! Kitty litter pan is another great tip that I think I will use! Again, thanks!

 

[Cynthia12]

 

[drumstick diva]

Thank you for joining us at Backyard chickens

 

[N F C]

It looks to me like you've already done a lot of homework so I'll just say hello!

 

[CuzChickens]

Hello there, and welcome to the flock! Thanks for joining us at BYC, please pull up a chair and make yourself at home! I hope you enjoy yourself here as much as I have!

~Cuz