If you could design a 10x20 coop, what would it include?

[CarolJ]

My DH and I are getting a 10' x 20' storage shed that we're going to convert into a chicken coop. A little less than half the shed will be the main coop. It'll hold my flock of about 20 - 25 (eventually) standard size hens. I want to have a brooder pen and a grow-out pen - and maybe a pen for a broody hen, too - some shelves to keep my cans of feed, etc. Rather than having the nest boxes accessible to me from outside, I want to walk in the door of the shed and get them from the back of a wall of the main coop.

Any ideas for how to configure everything? Right now it's blank 10' x 20' canvas.

 

[SteveBaz]

Anything designed for hanging on the outside like cutting holes in the shed and mount boxes. Store food just outside in bins. play stuff in a wired cloth area attached. The more room left in the shed is room to make it easy. When everything is in there you and the birds are tripping on stuff. Vent your coop. Is it insulated? Heat exhaust smell exhaust? Windows? Perches?

Here on the site they have a coop design section at the top of the page to get ideas from; https://www.backyardchickens.com/coopdesigns.html

Good luck,

 

[mtnhens4]

Search "Woods Style Coop" It has such great info and a terrific design. The guy who started the thread built an 8 by 16 coop but the same thing could be done with your 10 by 20.

 

[chickendales]

 

[lilchick]

Lofts for them to hang out equals more floor space. Throw a bale of straw up there and spread it out. My turkeys and peacocks love it. Right now I have a muscovy duck setting on a nest of eggs up there! Also put up rafters for them to roost on. Any roosts down low make sure you can tip them up out of the way when you clean. I like sawhorses for that reason and they support the heaviest birds without tipping over. So my birds fly from low roost up into loft... It is much warmer up there in Winter.

I prefer the metal nest boxes which can be attached to wall up off the floor. Hanging feeder and use 2x4,s and piece of plywood to make a platform to place waterer on.

My coops are kind of like my house in that I am always rearranging stuff! Think of the basic needs of the chickens. A place to roost, floor space to exercise, a feed source and clean water. For yourself think of the easiest way to arrange for cleaning and moving around to do your chores in there.

I have a large platform with cage on it for the occasional bird that needs separated.The cage has a wooden top on it so it doubles as roost area up there also. And underneath platform I place the waterer so it is out of the way and stays cleaner. So right there is 3 ways to use 1 space...

Instead of building pens in front for feed and extras we just put up dog kennel gated panels to access the chickens while leaving the front part open to use however we wanted. And you don't have to keep closing the main door behind you or letting the chickens run out every time..

So feed goes in barrels behind main door. And wooden shipping crate in another corner for a brooder.

 

[Felixr1998]

How did you chicken coop come out??

 

[Acre4Me]

How did you chicken coop come out??

How did you chicken coop come out??

just FYI, all these posters were last seen between 2015 - 2017, so you are not likely to get answers! You can usually see when someone was last active by clicking on their user name, and a box comes up and the “last seen” info is usually on the last line.

 

[aart]

How did you chicken coop come out??

I was curious too @Felixr1998 ...and found this thread,
shows the design, but I couldn't find anything about it being built:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-10-x-20-coop-plans.580183/page-2