I need help with my Purina plan coop design please!

mountainlover

Songster
10 Years
Mar 20, 2013
190
16
156
My coop is 4 x 6. There is ventilation all around under the roof line and it will be closed with hardware cloth. I am trying to decide where to put the exterior nest boxes, the roost, the clean out and a poop board. My plan right now is, egg boxes on the left as you're looking at this picture. I would not have access to the back of the coop as it's setting right here. That fence is just about a 10 foot long sort of THING that stands there serving not much of a purpose but this was a good place for the coop as I can see it from my kitchen. The run will be 8 feet long and 4 wide and will start on the right side of coop and those shrubs will be moved except for one to give them something to do. They will also have access to under the coop for dust bathing. The entire run and under coop will be enclosed in hardware cloth and buried about a foot. The floor of the run will be sand except maybe under coop will stay dirt. So the pop door will be on the right. I was thinking of putting as big of a clean out door as I can on the front. Then when it's opened, I wanted to have the poop board there about halfway up, with the roost above that, and the feeder and waterer hanging below the poop board. The roost would be 2x4 layed flat so they can keep their feet warm in the winter? Then the poop board 24 inches wide, so 12 on each side of the roost, but maybe a little more on the wall side. Would be nothing on the floor of the coop as the egg boxes will be exterior mounted. I'm planning sand on the floor and sweet pdz on the poop board. The coop interior is 4 feet 5 inches high in the front and 3 feet five inches high in the back. So they would walk across the floor the entire length to get to nest boxes. Or they would jump up to roost over hanging food and water. I can also put food and water in the run, but we are in Colorado so winters are going to be cold.







So my questions are:
Do you see any problems with this scenario that I can address before it's too late?
Will it be too much of a hassle to clean with the poop board halfway up when I open my clean out door?
How much space do I need between the roof and the roost so the birds don't hit their heads (regular egg layer breeds)
How many chickens can I keep in this setup?
Would you add any windows?
If you have any better ideas, I am totally open and would love to hear them! First time with chickens. TONS of predators. THANK YOU
 
Last edited:
4 to 5 birds would do fine and as big of a run as you can make. 3 Exterior nest boxes to the left near up a few inches from the floor and a roost bar up 12" or so along the back with a few feet of head room. A pop door at the right side near the front. Large access doors at the front and a small slide window or fixed plexiglass window inserts in the access doors would be nice. Looks like a nice build!

 
Last edited:
Thank you for your reply. I was planning 6-7 birds, so does everyone think I don't have enough space for that? I'd love some more input too! Thank you!
 
Thank you for your reply. I was planning 6-7 birds, so does everyone think I don't have enough space for that? I'd love some more input too! Thank you!


Standard thinking is 4 square feet per bird, so standard thinking would be 6 birds. However, anywhere between 2-4 square feet per bird can be acceptable, depending on docility of breeds, weather, run space, etc. So, 6-12 could work, depending.

I have a 4x5.5 sq ft coop. Which is 22 sf. I have 9 birds in there who are very very happy in that space. Adding 2 Easter Eggers next week, for a total of 11 and I am not worried at all. Run is 12x 6 plus 22sf extra under coop which has a separate door in floor for their use. Essentially that door turns 22sf into 44 sf if needed.

Also a Purina type coop.

Bigger is of course better, but 4 sf is not written in stone.

Looks like a great coop!
 
I built the Purina coop this year, and my run is also on the right side of the coop with fencing so chickens can access under the coop. Not sure which version of the instructions you have but I highly suggest inverting the front wall plans - ie have the egg boxes approx. 8" off the floor of the coop and where the plans have the pop door on the front this would then become a window. I only ran the roosts 3/4 of the way across the coop and along the left wall I installed a pvc pipe feeder (filled from outside) and did not want the roosting over the feeder. I can open the back of mine for cleaning, and you do not mention what wall your egg boxes will be mounted on so cannot comment on this. I have 6 RIR and they have plenty of room in the coop, in fact 3 more would fit no problem. Just my two cents - let me know if you have any more questions
 
How you would like yours is also how I have mine currently, I took the purina plans and used them, but I liked the look of another forum members coop, I beleive it was called the "red roost inn" and immediately wanted one like it. I made the whole front open up, egg box on the left, pop door on the right, with a run on the right side...this is the only picture I have of my coop, I always tell myself during making of things im going to document it, then its done and im like "doh" but at least my wife snapped this one during construction last weekend on the run and addition of the ramp and pop door.

As far as size, i went with the 4x4 coop and I have 4 birds, they seem to be happy in there, although with the roost thats pretty much all thats in there so its still a bit roomy...So yours being 4x6 Id say youll be just fine.


 
Last edited:
Thank you thank you thank you!

AppalachianLawn, do you have a pic of yours? And I'd love to see how you did your PVC feeder too! My egg boxes will be on the left. I wanted the biggest part to be my opening to clean. Also, what size is yours?

ILikeChicken, I love your pic. I have since got 3 walls on mine but snow storm today so can't take new pics. Thank you for replying! Mine is going to be just like that except they will have access to under the coop too.

How much did you all spend? I didn't think it would cost so much!

Still would love more replies too!! The more the merrier!
 



Hope these help. I know the pic of the feeder inside the coop is dark, but it is rainy and dark this morning and I did not have a previous pic. I think I spent $500 total between the run and the coop, but be sure you check out any building recycle shops - you can often find very good deals on wood etc (I would have spent as much on gas driving to my closest shop, so I used all new material). Anything else let me know.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom