HGTV Coop Design

[ExpiredMayo]

Has anyone seen or built this design? Im looking to build a coop for next year for my first time with chickens. I want it easy to clean, harvest eggs, and get to any part of it if I need too.

https://www.hgtv.com/content/dam/documents/Gardens/chicken-coop-plans.pdf

Ive priced out the parts for it at Lowes and it looks to be close to $500 to build

I do want it to be pretty clean looking though becuase I can have a high standard and it will be in a fenced in backyard where it will be seen alot from guests.

 

[jthornton]

Hmm where do I start... no overhangs, no ventilation, hard to get inside to clean, nest boxes too high, roost too low. On the plus side the man door is a good size and they did use hardware cloth!

Look for shed plans and turn that into a coop or read the Modern Fresh Air Poultry House book for ideas.

 

[IamRainey]

I had this one built for my backyard. Similar to your HGTV plans but better designed. The rough plans -- with lots of in process pix -- are free. For $10 you can get detailed ones.

I added a bale of hay under the coop door on the back side so I could climb in to clean. I think I paid about $7 for it. I've been using it for a year and I've been very happy with it.

Here's mine:

 

[IamRainey]

If I had my druthers I'd have a walk-in too. But my coop above fills the chicken yard it's in with just enough room to pilot a small wheelbarrow around it so the space efficiency of over-the-run was a no-brainer choice for me. When the choice is smaller run or half-raised-coop I had to go for the bigger run.

I'm glad to say this rickety old 71yo can still get in and clean thanks to my hay bale step, sturdy construction/materials, a generous door (which is effectively the entire back side), and a height I can stand up in.

I'm glad to say I haven't had to retrieve an egg from under the coop!!! One day I may have to take the extended grabber from my pantry out there but, for now, the girls are happy with their nesting boxes. Whewwwww!!!

Here's to making the most of opportunities!

 

[snow5164]

2 or 3 huh? You need a much bigger coop then the first one I’m afraid . Build a shed , divid it in half , make one side the coop. Wait and see how long it is before you’re making the other side another coop , that’s what we did and it works great

 

[lifeonblueberryhill]

We used the HGTV coop plans for a little bit of our coop, but since the framing has been done, I honestly haven't picked up the plans since. We decided to make ours a 12x6, I didn't like the stacked nesting boxes so we are doing different boxes, we proved some roof overhang, and changed the layout of some of the doors.

I think the coop plans are good overall if you are a complete newbie (like me) that didn't know the slightest about framing. The diagrams were nice in my opinion. Here is our coop so far.

 

[townchicks]

That's very cute looking, but even as a relative newbie, and a non builder, I can see that it needs way more/better ventilation, and probably a bigger run too. Others may be able to add more, or make suggestions for modifying it. Check out the coop pages here, there are lots of cute but good for the chickens designs. Start by deciding how many chickens you want, figure 4 sq feet per chicken for the coop, and 10sq feet per chicken in the run. Ventilation is 1 sq foot per chicken in the coop. Make it bigger if you can, bigger is always better.

 

[cmom]

I had a couple of coops that were raised and they are not my favorite. I personally like a coop I can walk in. This may give you some ideas.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/categories/chicken-coops-runs.6/

I recently renovated my original coop. It needed help. I have been doing one coop at a time because they all need some work. I have one left to do but it's good until the weather gets cooler.

 

[Chickassan]

As an owner of a half raised coop I totally feel you! That is why the add on is walk in. The older you get the worse the raised kind are.

The main issue I had with a raised coop was they would lay eggs under it.

I was lucky enough not to have to fetch a hen from under.

Tending birds in a raised coop with rain or snow pouring down your back isn't much fun either.

I love my walk in coops.

 

[IamRainey]

One thing I had on hand that helped when eggs were carefully placed in the hardest corner to reach was a childs leaf rake.
Just a tip in case you ever have to use it.

Excellent tip! Thanks. And, as it turns out, I have just such a leaf rake!