INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[HouseKat]

I need some advice on placement of my new chicken coop...

So we're getting a yard barn, like this one:



It has an air vent in the peak at each end. It will be sitting on a concrete pad where a garage used to be. The old garage was 22.5' x 17' and some of the concrete block walls are still standing. I'm trying to figure out where on the concrete pad we should place the yard barn and facing which direction.

How have you placed your chicken coops and what did you take into consideration?

 

[kabhyper1]

8 and 10 week baby updates!!!!! I love my silkies.

The 10 week olds..
Bell

Chance

The 8 week olds...
Gracie

The two whites need names.

Henley

Sheldon Cooper

? Needs a name.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I need some advice on placement of my new chicken coop...

So we're getting a yard barn, like this one:



It has an air vent in the peak at each end. It will be sitting on a concrete pad where a garage used to be. The old garage was 22.5' x 17' and some of the concrete block walls are still standing. I'm trying to figure out where on the concrete pad we should place the yard barn and facing which direction.

How have you placed your chicken coops and what did you take into consideration?

Are there windows along the side? are you going to make the doors have plexi glass to let in light? What is the plan for nesting boxes and the chicken door?

Where or how close is the garage pad to your house?

If the garage pad is far enough away from your house I would make the side without the nesting boxes and with the most windows face south. If there are no windows I would have the front doors face south and install plexiglass or another way to let light in.
I would put the shed in the center or a little off center of the pad to allow the chickens to find the shade as the shade moves around during the day, if the pad is going to be their run.

Another thing to consider is the path to the coop door, you want an easy path in the mud or snow.

 

[PeacefulWalls]

The ducks certainly enjoyed the snow today. As soon as I let them out, they waddled out on top of their snow hill and started in on their snow baths!


After dust bathing in the snow it was time to hang out and enjoy the winter day.




The doggies love to play in the snow. Plus they can stop whenever they want to have a bite of snow to eat. So funny to watch the 2 of them chase each other around, pause for a snow snack and then start running around again!


The alpacas hung outside for awhile. Carmello danced around for a bit when he first realized there was snow on the ground (he's the one on the right). A bit later while I was still outside I discovered Carmello deciding he wanted to swim in their water trough. We have a floating water heater in it which has been working great at keeping that water unfrozen. When I found Carmello he was standing in the water trough with water running down the front of his neck. He didn't want to get out of the water! I don't know if he had tried to lay down in there or what, silly boy. I got them back in the barn for awhile after that for a hay snack.

 

[HouseKat]

The garage pad is 50-60' from our back porch. Here is another one that I'm looking at that does have windows:

 

[PeacefulWalls]

8 and 10 week baby updates!!!!! I love my silkies.

The 10 week olds..
Bell

Chance

The 8 week olds...
Gracie

The two whites need names.

Henley

Sheldon Cooper

? Needs a name.

Cute little fluffies! There was something about the last white chick that reminded me of Minnie Pearl from the old TV show Hee Haw. I have no idea why or where that random thought came from. I haven't seen a episode of that show in eons, but nevertheless it popped into mind! Am I crazy or what?!

 

[kabhyper1]

Cute little fluffies! There was something about the last white chick that reminded me of Minnie Pearl from the old TV show Hee Haw. I have no idea why or where that random thought came from. I haven't seen a episode of that show in eons, but nevertheless it popped into mind! Am I crazy or what?!

Lol I need to hang a price tag off of her crest. Renae and Steve came and got their 4 babies last weekend. They brought a spit mask for Norah so when we do shots, she is in for a surprise. lol

 

[Leahs Mom]

The garage pad is 50-60' from our back porch. Here is another one that I'm looking at that does have windows:

Mine looks almost exactly like that style but has only 1 window. Wish there were 2. I like this one much better than the original you posted due to the windows also.





We added some interior frame walls so we had a place to walk in.



And the kiddos got their Christmas lights up early this year.

 

[bradselig]

I also converted a shed into my main coop. My shed was 10x16. Only had a skylight. I blocked off the back 10ft to have a 10x10 section for the chickens and front 6 ft for storage. I did buy some storm window to add to the coop. I highly recommend adding windows not only for light but for summer. I have to block off the skylight in summer due to it letting in a lot of heat, but it's great for spring, fall, and winter. Here is the coop when I first started converting it.

Getting a new paint job.

Looking in

Windows

The main doors are facing the east. Windows on north side but I have to watch for rain coming. The chicken door faces the south. I did add a covered "porch" on it that opens to the east as strong winds would just come barreling through the coop. I used basic storm windows at first and have to take the glass in and out from the outside. That's ok on the north side but the south side has the prun covered with netting. So I can't use that type of window on the south side. So I got double or triple track storm windows that were on clearance at work so I can open and close from inside. Just haven't installed them yet....

 

[SallyinIndiana]

The garage pad is 50-60' from our back porch. Here is another one that I'm looking at that does have windows:

I prefer this model too as the inside is more adaptable. You can copy Leah's Mom's layout and have 2 sections inside plus a walkway. I would put exterior nesting boxes on one short side. I might put the chicken door under a window or on the side with the boxes. Just think about the ramp or stairs placement. I would have the doors and windows face south to get lots of light and air when the doors are open during the summer.
60 ft is not too bad of a walk. I would place the coop somewhat in the center. This allows for some shade in the summer, and still leaves much of the garage pad visible to you from inside the house for chicken watching.