I submit my framing and design to you for approval...

[Raptor Chicken]

I can't say anything that hasn't already been said.

Your sketch up skills are impressive. You don't need 2x6's for anything but the rafters, and Stormcrow has pointed out a section which will be a PITA to put siding on unless you make changes.

You also don't "need" that much pitch on the roof. Mine only drops from 8' to 7' over a 6' span. As mentioned 2' OC's are fine, you don't have to go 16" OC.

I'm actually in the middle of a coop build myself and initially was thinking about a raised coop but the wife and I wanted something that was super easily accessible. We're still along way from finished but here's how she sits until this weekend when we go back to work on it.

 

[762]

I would make the coop itself taller, and the door as well.

Unless you are shorter than most people, a 4 foot tall opening and a ceiling that starts at 5 feet is going to be very awkward. Any amount of bedding on the floor will make it feel shorter yet.

Since the footprint is 12 feet by 12 feet, you will have to get inside it at cleaning time, unless you have tools with exta-long handles (which would be awkward), and maybe even then.

Depending on where you put the roost, you may be able to open the coop and grab chickens at night without going inside. Depending on where you put the feed and water, you might not have to go inside to tend those either. But I can practically guarantee that at some point there will be a few eggs in an awkward corner, because chickens just do that. And if you need to catch chickens in the daytime, you will probably have to climb inside for that too.

I have thought about the height...the reason for it is that I am trying to use a single piece of 4x8' siding to fill vertical space whilst keeping a 3/12 pitch. Trying to waste as little as possible. Another poster is saying I don't need 3/12...if that's the case, I suppose I could raise the rear another foot. I am 6'1" and it would not be until 4' in from the entrance that the rafter clearance would be enough so I could stand up. I would plan on just parting the red sea of litter with a hard rake at the door every time I have to enter. But I'm not keeping feed or water in the coop itself, and we will be doing deep litter method with hemp bedding, so regular cleanout won't be a thing. But yes, I fully planned to have to get inside for a full cleanout, and to retrieve eggs as needed. Hopefully my hens will behave themselves and lay in the boxes

 

[762]

I have an 8x12 coop, raised 3' off the ground (I have ducks) and even though I can walk into it (trust me, its odd, I have a "U shaped" raised floor, with a full height door at the "open end" of the U), it is still inconvenient to get the back corners, or to crawl under when the ducks lay in an inconvenient place. If the undernath drops to 2' on one end, that's quite low. Nor would I want to stoop in a raised 12x12 for any period of time.

Your sketch up work is excellent, and you HAVE overbuilt. Additionally, you've assumed straight 4x4s. Not at my lumber yard, haven't been any for years. Suggest you google "California Corners". That's built like a people house. 24" oC is fine for walls in a coop unless there are extreme wind loads you are attempting to engineer for?

As drafted, you may find panelling this section to prove challenging, as well, depending on total height, and your choice of siding.


View attachment 3290533

Well, I know lumber can be twisted, warped, etc. I don't know how to do that in Sketchup tho But seriously, how do you plan for that? I mean stuff is stick built all the time that's way more complicated that this.

I'm not sure how siding that would be so bad...slap a piece of trim to the side just below the floor to rest the siding on, clamp it in place, trace out the cuts, take it off, cut it, nail it on. What am I missing?

Aren't I using california corners here (except for the riser)? Three-stud corners. Anyway, I wondered about 24 OC...are you sure that is sufficient? I really haven't come across shed plans, etc that use anything wider than 16 OC. I want it to be well-built and to last. And as far as full-length studs go, there really aren't that many, and there are large openings on the sides and back to support. Maybe all the 16 OC cripple studs are a little much? I live in the central part of Virginia, and we do get hurricane leftovers every year. Usually nothing terrible but every few years...yeah, we get blown around pretty good.

Regarding the height underneath...the lowest will be a little over 2'. I did want to make it part of their run and where food and water is kept, and also a tub of chicken supplies. Getting under there at 2' will definitely be a PITA, but I have kids for that. For now tho! I suppose I could just allow only the higher half of it to be used by the chickens.

Do you know what the distance between purlins should be?

 

[NatJ]

I have thought about the height...the reason for it is that I am trying to use a single piece of 4x8' siding to fill vertical space whilst keeping a 3/12 pitch. Trying to waste as little as possible.

I've had coops that were too short, and ones that were tall enough to work in easily. For me, it makes an enormous difference. It's not just my head, but also the handle of my rake or shovel at cleaning time. The chickens probably don't care, but I strongly suspect you will. But it's your coop, so ultimately your decision.

I am 6'1"

With that height, plus intending to use deep litter, I would aim for 8 feet on the low side, which also tends to make efficient use of materials. (So no increase in waste, although it does increase the total amount of materials used. Or adjust to 7 or 9 feet, depending on how it fits with the roof slant.)

I would plan on just parting the red sea of litter with a hard rake at the door every time I have to enter. But I'm not keeping feed or water in the coop itself, and we will be doing deep litter method with hemp bedding, so regular cleanout won't be a thing.

Do you have any experience with chickens and litter? I don't think "parting the litter with a rake" is going to be very feasible.

I agree that deep litter needs less frequent cleaning, but when you do clean it, there is a large amount of material to move. It's a big job anyway, but working bent over makes it much worse.

 

[Acre4Me]

Nice plans. We built a coop that is intended for temporary “flocks” like meat chickens or turkeys, and can be used for storage of garden items in winter, or to separate out a breeding group. It can be divided in half (so two doors) or used as one. It is 5’ tall in back, and taller in front. It is nearly all wire, but we use clear panels for wind/water deflection on portions of it. It is over engineered.

We also have an elevated main coop, which is great. It is about 2.5’ elevated, providing awesome shade in the hot months.

 

[762]

I've had coops that were too short, and ones that were tall enough to work in easily. For me, it makes an enormous difference. It's not just my head, but also the handle of my rake or shovel at cleaning time. The chickens probably don't care, but I strongly suspect you will. But it's your coop, so ultimately your decision.


With that height, plus intending to use deep litter, I would aim for 8 feet on the low side, which also tends to make efficient use of materials. (So no increase in waste, although it does increase the total amount of materials used. Or adjust to 7 or 9 feet, depending on how it fits with the roof slant.)


Do you have any experience with chickens and litter? I don't think "parting the litter with a rake" is going to be very feasible.

I agree that deep litter needs less frequent cleaning, but when you do clean it, there is a large amount of material to move. It's a big job anyway, but working bent over makes it much worse.

We have 29 that won't stop growing, despite my repeated requests. They are in a 4x8' brooder now, and we let them out as much as possible. Been working on these plans for awhile and need to get to it. Anyway, I don't know what other bedding material is like, but hemp is super easy to move around with a hard rake. We plan on building up about 6" of bedding.

If I make it 6' on the low side and increase the size of the door to 5', that will make efficient use of 2x4x12s, whilst making it much easier to enter. Once I'm a couple feet in the doorway, I will easily be able to stand up. Anything I have to do in the "short corners" I can crouch a little if needed...no biggie. Rakes can reach easily from where I can comfortably stand. Plus I have kids and a wife who are all much shorter than I am.

Increasing the overall room size to 6' forces me to shorten the front elevation quite a bit in order to be able to use a single sheet of siding to reach the top, which I am fine with in all ways except for what it does to the roof pitch. It becomes a little less than 2/12, and I just don't think it's enough. If we get a decent snow (rare, but happens)--or heavy winds with lots of branches falling...I think it's just too shallow. If I raise it back up to 3/12, or even 4/12 (I think...have to double check), it will only cost me an additional $80 for two more pieces of siding. I will have to shorten roof overhang a bit...need enough leftovers from 16' sheets to cover the egg hutches.

<2/12 pitch (by the way, all this crap is a PITA to change in Sketchup...but easier than in real life...looking forward to 3D-printed framing:

 

[perkolator]

Nice design.
I don't think it's overbuilt in general but I'd likely switch to the 2x4s instead of 2x6s just to stick with one size of lumber. You could go wider spaced supports, but a couple more sticks of lumber isn't going to be that much of a difference.
I like my raised floor, because I placed my dry feed storage cabinet there - but I would definitely make the floor height only as high as needed - basically same as whatever wheelbarrow/cart you have for cleanout time. Your kids and wife will likely appreciate a few inches lower height when it comes to getting into the nest boxes for eggs; I'd consider putting those on the uphill side since you mentioned a slope.

What are the plans for a fancy, matching run? Or are you free-ranging?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I agree wholeheartedly with your choices to keep the 3/12 pitch and to maximize use of off the shelf lumber. and I apologize for not seeing the CA Corners, I thought you had continued the 4x4s all the way up.

I use 2x6s 2' OC for roof framing on 12' spans w/o concern, my purlins are usually made from 5/4 x6 "deck boards" (cheaper than 1x4s in my area) spaced anywhere from 21" to 24" OC (depending on the rest of the roof design). But I have no snow loads to concern myself with, and plan to walk on them solely for repairs.

 

[lifein1840]

A general option: it looks really big to be that high off the ground. Is there a reason for that? (ie flood prone) It looks big enough to be walk-in ... but I don't see a door for walking in, plus it gets low for standing inside it.

How many chickens are you planning on? I'll all about off the ground coops for small ones, but as big as that is, you may want to consider dropping the floor some and adding a door for easy access inside of it.

wow!!! fancy plans!! If there is no reason to make it that high, 18" would be tall enough for the chickens to go under (I guess that's your plan?). If it's shorter like that, just a couple of steps would put you in the coop easy! There is a great coop that looks like yours on a youtube channel called "i'm still workin". This lady is amazing and has some great details on the two videos that explain her coop. Good luck!!

 

[Apollo89521]

I'm sorry I'm confused. People on this tread seem to be criticizing 2 things. #1 they are critical of the fact the coop is raised off the ground. 90% of all the coops I've looked at on the internet are raised. #2 They are critical of the fact that a grown human cannot stand up in the coop that is designed for 15" tall birds. Again 90% of the coops I see on the internet are less than 5 feet tall on the inside.

If I have to crawl around on my hands and knees every once and a while to retrieve an egg or sick bird then so be it.

As far as the raised coop, my birds are confined to a run only because of excess predators so that small space under the coop is a bonus for the ladies to hang out and get away from the hot sun.

These are just my opinions, please don't attack.

762 I love your plans keep building exactly as you have drawn in your plans I look forward to seeing the completed project.