If you had it to do over again, what would you change about your coop/run?

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I would have listened to everyone that said to make sure you have your coop ready BEFORE you get your chicks. I got 8 in February with no coop. We spent 6+ weeks in the cold winter rain building one. It turned out really nice, but a month later I felt it was too small although it adhered to chicken math so we just doubled the size. This go around it was 80 degrees in full sun, but only took 2 weeks. Super happy with it now.
 
@Cryss Here you go. These are from day of delivery before the chicks were in the coop:

C98CDBE2-6200-4274-BB0D-A4D857ABB414.jpeg


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The floor is a 12” high ‘pan’ covered in Blackjack 57 and a second pop door is framed out on the left front.
4B8EA704-0347-4648-A62E-702A3C7E5F71.jpeg


Nest box installed and hanging feeder/Waterer.
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Medda
 
aart said:
How tall is it?

The only thing I would change is to have a covered run for winter.
Well, and more space to have multiple pens inside and runs outside,
instead of the just the 2 I have.
Click to expand...
I continue to "hound" my husband to build a cover on our run. He does so much around our 10 acres and can build almost anything. He built our run and the yard using reclaimed material. How can I convince him that the 20 x 10 run needs to have a roof? Right now we just have netting over the top to ward off predators.
 
Flockandfowl46 said:
My co-op is 14x28x8 and its perfect for what we use it for we separated it in half and brood our babies until free range size on one side and adult ducks and chickens on other. We also have chicken door and 35x35 run for use if necessary even though we free range from Sun up till sundown thankfully chicken and duck math hasn't gotten the best of us till now so now we are building additional runs with sheds for the breeding season only each run is 7x35 for 3 to 4 birds each so depending on your chicken math definitely go bigger:thumbsup View attachment 1444884 View attachment 1444890 View attachment 1444892 View attachment 1444897
Click to expand...
From the start, we allowed our hens to free range. They were fine for almost 3 years. Unfortunately a hawk beheaded two of our girls in broad daylight and dropped their bodies nearby in the woods. We now keep them in the "Fort Knox" run which connects to a 1000 sq foot fenced yard in the day. The yard has coverage from big trees and low bushes for the girls to hide under. How do you cope with airborne predators?
 
Medda said:
I'm really happy with my 10'x16' Woods Coop. The things I would do over:

View attachment 1446425
  • Run a Water and Electric line to the coop immediately. Currently my coop is about 50 yards from my house and I haven't run water or electric yet. Will definitely need that before winter. Carrying 5 gal waterers 50 yards is no fun....
  • My run is 40' x 48'. I would have broken that into 2 separate runs - one off of each front side of the coop - instead of the one large run. I have aviary netting over the top of the run but it's a pain on a run that size.
View attachment 1446424

And my flock of 14. Ended up with one boy but he's pretty docile so far so he's staying:

View attachment 1446426
Click to expand...
OMG! May I move in with them? Awesome!
 
We started with a coop that was already on property. An open air style, tin pole shed...
I don't really care for it, but the Chookies Love Love it, my husband says it's 'good enough' for (gasp) "chickens".
Needless to say I've built one window and as soon as there's no burn ban I'll start a second window ( cutting through strengthened tin siding throws too many Sparks!).
The Chookies are so appreciative of the window as it lets a breeze blow through the coop from the run.
I want to put a canopy over part of the run, maybe four or five foot out, so the Chookies have breeze and shade. The Run is wire enclosed, 20X13, but no shadey spots until evening when it's already cool.
Since we're in hurricane region I want to build drop down doors for front of coop to protect from side ways rains and worse, but not sure exactly how to do it yet. Its a 6 foot tall, 13 foot wide opening with center support pole at 6.5 foot.
There's plenty of roost room in back of coop window high. I recently added wire a broody to run so they can sit in or on it when they want to be leftalone, as well as a couple of hoola hoop swings which they adore.
My biggest problem is a patch of Wasatch that over grows the west side. I prun it back, but Wasatch grows like wildfire.
We had it all but killed off this winter, but it's back with a vengeance!
I put hay bales in back of coop in winter for warmth, and it gets pulled out by summer.
I don't care for the floor being dirt, but the Chookies like it...so I'm out numbered there. I've tried pallets on the floor but the Chooks hated it, so now there are two pallets in the run leaning up against posts at different angles and the Chooks play on them all morning and roost for naps in afternoon on them.
I put a solar lantern at the center entrance pole to coop and the go to it as night falls so I no longer have to call them up to the coop every evening.
They're happy happy, but I would love to fix it up and "doll house" it as my husband calls what I do. Lol
Chooks are 4-5 weeks from laying, so I'm building nesting boxes.
I'm currently making curtains for the nesting boxes and hubby just shakes his head.
 
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