Help on my new coop

[Sabz]

Hi guys!

Alright, I am ready to start building (well, designing) my first coop. I would like your insights on a few things if possible!

I loved the "Hinkel Haus" made of recycled pallets from Sally Sunshine (here) so my design will be very similar to this one.

I live in Quebec, so it gets cold and I will insulate the coop. I know it would be more practical to have the nesting boxes outside the coop, for ease of access, but that means I would need to insulate that part as well, and if you look at the design from Sally, it sits on a 4 by 8 plywood, so if I add outside nest boxes, they will either be hanging in the air, or I will need to have an extended floor...

So, I thought of putting my nesting boxes indoors. I will make the roof a little higher so it's 5" high at the tallest (I am 5"6) so I think it will be relatively confortable for me.

Also, I was reading on the heat versus the coops and I like the part about partitionning the coop, so the chicks can go in a smaller area and keep more of their heat, or go in the taller area if they are too warm.

Would it be a good idea to have the nesting boxes near the roof of the coop and below, a space for the chicken? This way, when they are underneath the nesting boxes, their own heat will heat the smaller area and stay warmer. Their heat will also heat the bottom of the nesting boxes, making it (I assume) more comfy for the mamas up there.

I made a (very) sketchy plan to explain what I mean. I will attach the nesting boxes high enough so they cannot go poop on top of the boxes.. it would look like this:



And my second question.. knowing that the chicken will be outside less often in the winter and spend more time indoors, how many chicks can it hold? As I said, the floor is 8X4 and the roof is 4 to 5 feet high. Nesting boxes take some of the space away..

I was thinking 4 or 5 chicks. Is it too much?

Thanks a lot for your help.. can't wait to have my own chickens, I am SURE I will have a prefered one that I will bring in my house from time to time lol. I remember a rooster I had when I was a teen, it could sit on us when we watched a movie and would like to be pet all along He was so nice!

 

[write2caroline]

Pallet coop made from recycled pallets, I purchased plans from my pet chicken. We even recycled the nails. We put them up because of the rain water we get and because I don't like to stoop when cleaning. The red coop was built with out plans. We had some bigger dunnage pallets from the port (dunnage is wood used to secure shipments on a ship) They just toss it. Anyway, I wanted a bigger coop and the wood was free. The green part was the nest box it was added later. We use oops paint from lowes or Home Depot because it is very inexpensive and okay the red was kind of an ugly red but it cost us $1 and it was originally very expensive porch paint so I knew it would be durable.

There are so many different coops. I would consider how you want to get the chickens in and out and about cleaning. I like the whole side to open up because I am basically lazy and I don't want to make it difficult to clean. I also recommend painting the floor or using vinyl flooring because it makes cleaning very easy.
Caroline

 

[Sabz]

Hi Caroline, thanks for the insight. I love your coops, the red doesn't bother me hehe.

I plan to build only one coop for now. So.. I thought about lifting a side pannel to clean but how do you keep the chicks indoors? I don't have the money to build the outside run just yet..

Or maybe I should hold and wait to get the exterior run built before I adopt my chicks I will think about that..

How many do you house per unit? They seem the same size as what I want to do!

 

[yogifink]

If you’re going to be keeping them inside during the colder months, the more space the better. Small spaces plus too many chickens is a recipe for a high stress environment. 10sqft is recommended per bird if they will be contained in that area all day/night. You can still do an enclosed run during the winter months; you'll just need to protect it from harsh winds and moisture.

If you intend on walking into the coop, why not make it tall enough to stand up in? Think about being inside the coop and moving around feeding and watering units, cleaning out and mixing floor material, entering and exiting each day to gather eggs. For longevity and ease of use, make it comfortable to you as well as the chickens. I don't think anyone on this site will say they regret making their coop a bit bigger to make it easier on themselves to clean and move about in.

The nesting boxes need to be lower than the roosts, but need to be off of the ground. I would be concerned with building in small spaces that are difficult to get to to clean out, and you'll probably find they will also lay in an area like that if they feel safe. I would also be cognizant of smaller areas as moisture will accumulate easier in a poorly ventilated enclosure.

Remember, you largest concern should be based around proper ventilation rather than temperature.