I need some ideas on how to set up the inside of our 4x4 coop! (photos)

[tbatz11]

We're very close to being done. While we've been busy finishing the outside, the inside has been forgotten.

So here's the deal,
I have 4 chicks
Want to keep the food and water inside

Where to put the roosts?
I plan to hang the water from one of the 2x4's in the ceiling.
I wanted to make a feeder out of a 5 gallon bucket but now i'm thinking it might take up too much space, should i build one against a wall instead?

This is the cleanout side, the run will be on the opposite end.



window and 2 nesting boxes - curtains or no curtains?



top to bottom measures 55". There will be a 10x4 vent on each side of the coop, in the space between the 2x4's



This empty wall will face the house/deck. Here is where I thought I could maybe build a feeder? towards the right side


I really appreciate any ideas!!

 

[lalaland]

Hi, that's a gorgeous coop! Beautiful work!

Given that there are thousands of variations...a little hard to make too many suggestions, but here are some thoughts:
1. consider keeping your food and water outside of the coop - especially in the winter, you don't want to add moisture to the coop because that brings on frostbite.
2. From the pics, I'm not sure there is enough ventilation - both to let out excess heat in the summer and to let out excess moisture in the winter. You can read all the threads on winter and chickens, but most breeds do not need any heat in the winter ( I live in northern mn and until its -30 I don't supplement heat)
3. Roosts - you will want to be able to walk into the coop, so place the roosts so they don't block you. If I were going to redo my coop, I would do roosts that had a dropping shelf underneath them - even though I use a deep litter method, in the winter the droppings freeze and add cold and moisture, so it works a little better for me to keep the droppings cleared out. It is much easier if there is a dropping shelf/board under the roosts.
4. Don't make your roosts so high that heavy breeds could hurt themselves jumping down....if the roosts will be high (say higher than 3 or 4 feet) just provide something for them to step down/jump down on - like a hay bale, crate, etc.
5. maybe the roosts could be on the wall opposite the nests? You would have to build them so they don't block the window....so the chickens can roost away from any drafts .

Hope you get a zillion ideas so you can figure out what suits you best. Good luck with your chicks.