Help us make an easy 4x8 plywood Coop

[Nic&Chickies]

My boyfriend needs simple plans so we can build a larger coop than the 2 we now have. Many of the coops in the Coop Design section of BYC itself, look like they were done by people who are in the construction field. We need very simple plans, so we can go to a hardware store and buy 5 or 6 sheets of 4x8 plywood, plus some 2x3s or 2x4s for studs, and then build a new combined coop for our 7 hens and 7 chicks/pullets. (Yes, for both--we will continue to separate them for a time, at least 'til this new coop is done). [I have been waiting well over a month for "my" book to come from Inter-library-loan; I guess not enough libraries in my area carry it, or too many of us need Coop plans] ! If you can include pictures, sketches, even crayon scrawls

they would likely help!
I've gotten great advice here before about lots of other stuff,

so I thank you in advance

 

[maggiegigs]

That is not big enough for all those chickens. They need more space. I would do an 8x8 at the very least to avoid issues.

 

[Carols Clucks]

I did mine so it can be split down the middle (two end doors, two pop doors and two sides to the nest boxes)

We are in So Cal so the ends are open. But it is a 4x8 floor, 2 4x8 sides (one with the nest box) and a 4x8 in half for the ends.

Most of the wood you see is new or close to it, but we saved by using some old for the inside.

 

[NonnasBabies]

It's reallt not hard to just make a box!!

This is a 4 x 4 one I made for a nursery coop. I made a box out of 2x4's and then covered it with 3/4 " plywood. We used landscape timbers for the legs, and 2x2's for the roost!!

Good luck!

ETA: We're going to add a nest box on the side and take a some of the roost out when we decide to use is for a breeding coop.

 

[gbeauvin]

I, too would be interested in such a design. In fact, I just sat down and started sketching, and opened up the BYC forum to see if it could yield any insight

.

-GB (who is only planning for 6 chickens, but would prefer to give them more than the recommended minimums)

 

[JohnBob]

If you're planning on housing 14 birds together you're going to need something bigger than a 4 x 8 coop. At 4 sq ft per bird you need a minimum of 54 sq ft. A 8 x 8 is 64 sq ft so IMO that's where you need to start. You can view the Virginia Cooperative Extension Center site for publications. Scroll down to Animal Agriculture and click on Poultry. I know there are at least three different sizes on there. Not sure where you're from but most state schools will have plans for poultry coops or barns. I know I've seen plans on the University of TN Ag Dept web site as well. To keep it as simple as possible just remember plywood comes in 4 x 8 sheets so you can figure multiples of that...
8 x 8, 8 x 12, 8 x 16, 12 x 16, etc. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[Nic&Chickies]

Thanks so far, but I guess I need to clarify. We want to build simply, using 4'x8' sheets of plywood, without a lot of excess framing, decorative scrollwork, or whatever. Simple. Easy. We have a small circular saw, power drill, and hand tools.

Maggie: I know 4x8 is not big enough for coop dimensions. That's just the basic plywood size. And JohnBob, I know that 7x14=56. My chicken math is okay, it's the higher math I forgot--how to make a formula into a Building Plan. I wish I could take pictures, and get some on here. We already have one coop for "The Girls" with approximate measurements of 52 inches across the front, a 42" side, and 44" high. (I went out in the rain to check!) And the attached run is almost 8 feet long by 40 inches wide, with a 6'x3' people door, the rest maybe 4 ft high. And as for "the Babies", they are in a 39x26x30 inch coop, with a 2ft by 4ft by 28" high run (all raised 2 feet off the ground) --kind of like Barred Babies' Nursery Coop.
What I need to do is figure out how to shmoosh the two I have into one better, maybe bigger coop, for both groups. I like your idea, Carols Clucks, of split down the middle, so they can get used to each other thru a mesh divider.

Anyone have any further ideas, suggestions?

 

[AtholCoop]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=16357-small-coop-tutorial

Easily stretched to 4x8.

In fact did that very thing with this build:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=456032&p=1

Hope that helps.