I want to build a new coop and have some questions

[Cloverr39]

Alright, so talked with my dad and he said I should create a plan or sketch or something of my new coop because he wants to start working on it this winter. My previous coop is pretty small and overall has some issues.

1. Space per chicken

I tried looking this up. The only information I found was 1m² per chicken. The issue is the rule applies to big farms with over 300 chickens and is mean for standard sized chickens. I keep bantams. I have no plans to have any standards in the near future. I want to separate the coop into 2 parts and devide the run into 2 parts so I could keep my breeds separate. I'll keep about 10 bantams on each side. So really it's like 2 seperate coops for 10 chickens but connected by a wire wall in the middle. Please if you comment anything about space keep the measurements in m² or cm².

2. Ventilation

I want a coop that'll keep my chickens comfortable in both 30°C summers and -10°C winters. From my understanding you should have the ventilation by the roof. I usually have my coop door open all day to allow to walk in and out at will.

3. Laying boxes

Currently I have 4 laying boxes. They were made out of wooden potato boxes divided in half. They're a bit bulky and take up some space in the coop. In the new coop would it be a better idea to make laying boxes on the outside of the coop with a liftable lid for easier egg collecting? How many laying boxes would about 10 hens need? I have 8 hens currently and only 1 or 2 of the laying boxes get used.

3. Coop door and cleaning

I have a big enough door that I can walk inside my current coop. For bedding I use a mixture of straw and wood shavings. Now for the winter I also did a layer of sand at the bottom. I want to make the door big enough to be able to comfortably clean the coop. I'd also want easy access to the inside if I ever need to catch my chickens for any reason or take them off the perches.

That's about all I can think of currently. I'll let you know the space that I have to work with for both coop and run later when I measure it. I want at least half of the space to be the run, since that's where my chickens spend most of their day. It would also be great if you had any suggestions for layout of the coop and run. I'm going to make it along a wall.

 

[Cloverr39]

Here's what my current coop looks like. Don't mind the dirtyness, these pictures were taken at different times and often before cleaning day. It works fine for my 9 bantams for now. Not amazing though.

 

[saysfaa]

1.
Allowing [edit to correct math - just check 3killerb's below]. More of it as coop and less as run works also. Less as coop and more as run can work in some situations.

More space has many, many, many benefits. Less space sometimes works.

With bantams, a little less space is more likely to work than with larger chickens. There are still many, many, many advantages to more space.

I have a wire wall from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. It works very well. I put a sliding screen door in it.

Oh, I accidentally hit post before I am done. I'll edit to add the rest.

2.
Yes, ventilation is very important. In your climate, a Woods open air (or fresh air) style would work very well.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/woods-style-house-in-the-winter.445004/#post-5566206

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/8-x-12-woods-coop-design-plan.1221551/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/roosts-and-dropping-board-sizes.1313009/#post-21402483

Are a few of the many threads on this design.

These are in feet and inches... the design works with metric too - 8 feet by 12 feet is about 2.5 by 3 meters.
It is the proportions that matter and there is some margin in them. Dr. Woods designed this coop before standardized sizes of lumber were common so most people adjusted the dimensions to allow full lengths of lumber and full sheets of plywood to be used.

2. Continued
Some people like exterior nest boxes. Dropping the side wall down works better than lifting the roof up. It is much easier to avoid leaks in the drop down style. I like going in for the eggs.

3.
You might consider raising the door and popdoor enough that the top of the bedding is below the bottom of the door to keep the bedding in better. It does mean lifting the bedding out when you clean the coop. I would still do it again. If you wanted, you could make the section of wall under the door movable. Pins or slots would work to hold the section in place

 

[Cloverr39]

Allowing a little more than 1 square meter for the coop and 3 square meters per for the run per chicken is about the least space that usually works well. More of it as coop and less as run works also. Less as coop and more as run can work in some situations.

More space has many, many, many benefits. Less space sometimes works.

With bantams, a little less space is more likely to work than with larger chickens. There are still many, many, many advantages to more space.

I have a wire wall from floor to ceiling and wall to wall. It works very well. I put a sliding screen door in it.

Oh, I accidentally hit post before I am done. I'll edit to add the rest.

Thank you. I understand that the more space the better, but I live in the city and only have so much space in my backyard. The 20 chickens would be the absolute max that I could possibly have, but realistically I'll probably have under 15. On top of not having too much space to work with my parents also don't want half the yard to turn into a farm. So I'm trying to work with what I've got.

 

[saysfaa]

This thread gets into the proportions of the Woods design.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/woods-colony-house-portable.1104954/

The short version is
The depth is about 1.6 times the width.
The height at the monitor is about equal to the width of the coop.
The height at the front and back walls is about half the width of the coop.

It works even if the chickens are always on only one side of the coop (as in there is a wire fence down the middle).

 

[saysfaa]

Thank you. I understand that the more space the better, but I live in the city and only have so much space in my backyard. The 20 chickens would be the absolute max that I could possibly have, but realistically I'll probably have under 15. On top of not having too much space to work with my parents also don't want half the yard to turn into a farm. So I'm trying to work with what I've got.

I understand. I have to work with some similar things.

The smaller spaces can sometimes work. Usually it takes either more management or more willingness to reduce numbers or replace birds that are not compatible (either with each other or with the set up.) I ended up taking my favorite hen to live at my friends' coop. Spice is much happier now. And so are the other four without her.

 

[3KillerBs]

1. The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

It's often said that a bantam takes half the space that standard-sized bird does. But since these numbers are suggested minimums, it's better to keep fewer birds in larger quarters even if the "rules" say that you have room.

2. Here is my article on ventilation: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

3.

would it be a better idea to make laying boxes on the outside of the coop with a liftable lid for easier egg collecting? How many laying boxes would about 10 hens need? I have 8 hens currently and only 1 or 2 of the laying boxes get used.

1 box for every 4 birds, though it doesn't hurt to have extras if you get broodies taking up space.

A lift lid often leaks. Take a look at the boxes on my small coop here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/ They have a drop-down lid.

4. IMO, any coop that's large enough that you can't reach in and touch every wall (the coop above being about the maximum for that), should be walk-in if at all possible.

 

[saysfaa]

1. The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),

Hm. I better check my math.

 

[Cloverr39]

It works even if the chickens are always on only one side of the coop (as in there is a wire fence down the middle).

Then wouldn't the design have to be slightly changed? Like a walk-in door on both sides not just one for cleaning. And then only one side would have roosts?

So, if I understand correctly the front and top roof windows with the wire in them stay open always? Even in heavy raining or snow storms?

 

[3KillerBs]

So, if I understand correctly the front and top roof windows with the wire in them stay open always? Even in heavy raining or snow storms?

For a Woods Coop the front windows are always open -- the coop should be oriented so that side faces away from the prevailing winds. The clerestory windows are closed in winter.

Summer airflow:

Winter airflow: