Input on this Coop plan

[we3ernes]

My nesting boxes (2 over 2) are in the same spot as yours, but stick into my storage area so that they don’t take up coop space. It also makes a nice shelf for keeping stuff on.

I don't know why it didn't occur to me to do TWO community nest boxes bunk bed style, but I should definitely look into that!

One thing I wish I did have, and will definitely have in my next coop, would be a people door from the coop to the run.

I'm definitely going to add one, so many folks have recommended one!

I did the interior wall with 2x4 welded wire instead of chicken wire, but only because I had it on hand from building the run. Chicken wire will be fine inside the coop. I also didn’t go all the way up with it, only as high as the door is. I’ve never had a chicken fly over it.

I guess I'll have to see how "flighty" my birds are, I've heard of many that roost in the rafters!

Good luck with the new coop!

 

[we3ernes]

I don't use mine much either, but it sure is nice when I need it.
Just this morning had visitors, they could open top door and drop some treats.

See, that was I was thinking Aart, I'm pretty sure that my mother in law would love to visit the chickens and give them treats, but I'm also sure it's going to take a bit of time to break down her inhibitions with animals. Having a half door in between seems like the ideal solution.

 

[we3ernes]

I forgot to add my 2 cents on Blackjack 57. I used it on my floor, and wish I had used it on my poop board. It’s covered with shavings in the coop, so not really noticeable that it’s black, and it holds up great. Their white product probably won’t stay white for long, even on your side. Coops get dirty & dusty.

Thanks for the recommendation PetesChicks, I'll price it out.

 

[we3ernes]

If the company contacts you back I'm pretty sure they'll tell you that neither one is intended for chicken coop flooring.

Compare the data sheets for both types of liquid roofing and decide for yourself if they're similar enough to take the chance. I compared several products from different brands (seeing if I could find something in a smaller bucket!) but they're not all the same thing in different colors, so I went with the #57 as recommended on here.

Also keep in mind with the floor, you'll never see the black. You'll have bedding over it and everything around chickens ends up "gray" no matter what the original color was. While I extended the Black Jack up the wall about a foot you can probably use paint for that part. Doesn't have the same level of waterproofing but at least it's not black?

I'm thinking this is why I haven't heard back from them - no one wishes to confirm or deny!

 

[Ridgerunner]

My real preference would be to have the brooder on the run wall so I could fence off portion of the run so I could isolate that for chicks or a chicken in isolation but I can't come up with a workable layout and incorporate your PVC feeders.

I can add a very small run (4'x8') on the opposite side if needed for the chicks. I guess I figured they would go out into the run as they were ready?

You are right, they will go into the run as they are ready. That's the way mine do it. My thought of having the isolation run in the main run is for interaction behind a fence, for the chicks or if you ever want to integrate others in the future. Some people like to isolate a broody hen to hatch or even raise the chicks for a while away from the flock. Having that isolation run in the main run and connected to the "brooder" gives you a lot of flexibility.

 

[Kat2141]

Very nice plans! I'm not in Texas so don't know for sure, but with a metal roof, will it be hot on the roosts? We used to have a large steel horse trailer that we sectioned off a camping area in and in certain weather conditions, it would "rain" inside... the condensation would be so bad. We put insulation board against the roof, between the braces, ran 1x2" boards across the braces and put cheap paneling up and no more rain and it helped keep it a bit cooler. (even the steel roof on our house porch will have that condensation sometimes)

The other thing I saw is that you mentioned having up to 16 chickens in there. My "coop" is a 10x10' horse stall, so basically the same size and I had 15 in it for a little while... it seemed pretty crowded, even tho I have boards at all different levels for them - a regular jungle gym. Most of them are pretty big birds. Now there are 9 (others went to new homes) in it and it seems fine.

Another hint... since it sounds like your coop won't be too far from the house... check out wireless cameras... it can be relaxing watching "chick tv". LOL (I had a chuckle when I caught one of my young hens trying to crow! Esp when she had never been around a roo')

 

[aart]

Thoughts on run for brooder area.
I have a separate run off my brooding area and I really like it for several reasons.
Gives the chicks more space.
Teaches them to navigate a ramp and go in and out of the coop....
...before they have to do so while also navigating the adult birds after integration.
Gives more space to the whole flock once I take down brooder partition wall.

Looking at your plan, you could flip the whole scenario, having the brooder on the side where the run will be. The pop door would be under the roost board.

Oh, and, also wanted to suggest you make your roosts/boards in 2 separate units, mounting the roosts the the boards. Worked very well for me when I had to remove the whole shootinmatch to repair the longer board...and when I had to remove the shorter board to repair poop door rope. I didn't really plan the two separate units to begin with, but added the shorter one later and it has worked out well. I like to make stuff easy to remove.

Oh, andand, door to run. My run access door(also a dutch door) is not out of the coop, just wouldn't work, but it's close to door into coop and has worked out just fine.

Sorry, rambling this morning.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thoughts on run for brooder area.
I have a separate run off my brooding area and I really like it for several reasons.
Gives the chicks more space.
Teaches them to navigate a ramp and go in and out of the coop....
...before they have to do so while also navigating the adult birds after integration.
Gives more space to the whole flock once I take down brooder partition wall.

Looking at your plan, you could flip the whole scenario, having the brooder on the side where the run will be. The pop door would be under the roost board.

Oh, and, also wanted to suggest you make your roosts/boards in 2 separate units, mounting the roosts the the boards. Worked very well for me when I had to remove the whole shootinmatch to repair the longer board...and when I had to remove the shorter board to repair poop door rope. I didn't really plan the two separate units to begin with, but added the shorter one later and it has worked out well. I like to make stuff easy to remove.

Oh, andand, door to run. My run access door(also a dutch door) is not out of the coop, just wouldn't work, but it's close to door into coop and has worked out just fine.

Sorry, rambling this morning.

I assume you are talking about the plan in the first post. I struggled with that. Where do you put the PVC feeders? You can't put them over the brooder as they are inside the chick run and not available to the adults. You could put them inside the main coop but then you have to go through the dutch door with the feed.

You can get used to anything and you are right, there are many different ways to do things. You can't always have everything. The OP's plan to be able to put a wheelbarrow under that clean-out door probably means that the corner is the best place and the roost prohibits making that a people door.

About the worst of my many mistakes was when I put my grow-out coop at the far end of the run from the main coop without providing good access to that grow-out coop from the run. All I had was an elevated tunnel so the chickens could go through. Like yours it wasn't that bad at first, I just had to go out of the main run gate. But when I installed my electric netting on that side of the main run (the only option) it changed from a 30 foot walk to over a 170 foot walk to feed and water. That showed me how important easy access is. My real mistake in that was putting the grow-out coop outside the main run. If I had put it inside the main run I'd have had excellent access. Hindsight is beautiful.

Just trying to explain my thought process.

 

[Kat2141]

Oh, and, also wanted to suggest you make your roosts/boards in 2 separate units, mounting the roosts the the boards.

I agree on the 2 separate units. It makes it so much easier to clean. In mine, the roost on one wall is removable and on the other one it is not... I like the removable one better and may alter the other one when we have warmer weather. It is just short pieces of 2x4, set so they are the 4" high, with a longer 1x4 going across them, then I can just lift it off and clean as needed. (I'm a fan of using as much scrap lumber as I can) Being short, it is handier if I can bring things down a bit and not have to use a stool to reach everything.

 

[aart]

I assume you are talking about the plan in the first post. I struggled with that. Where do you put the PVC feeders? You can't put them over the brooder as they are inside the chick run and not available to the adults. You could put them inside the main coop but then you have to go through the dutch door with the feed.

Yes, you flip the brooder and PVC too...putting the brooder on run side is the main objective of the flip for chick access to a run adjacent to main run(I believe run has to go where pop door is shown), so nests and roost boards would need to flip too.