Interior layout

[M&LO]

Sorry for what is probably a bunch of stupid questions but I've been looking on this website for some pictures
of what the interior layout of a chicken coop should look like & I can't find them. I know the answers are probably
in here somewhere but I'll admit that I'm not what anyone would call a computer genius. My wife & I only want 3
hens so we're figuring a 4' wide X 4' deep X 4' high coop is good going by the 4 square feet per hen advice that
I've read here. What I've kind of settled on in my mind is that the coop will also be 2 foot up off of the ground so
really it'll be 6 feet high. We've never built a chicken coop before and would greatly appreciate some pictures
of what goes where inside the coop. Where do the roosts go in relation to the nesting boxes? How high
up should I place the roosts? I'm planning on a wire floor (is that OK?) with a tray underneath that slides
out to clean the poop. How high should the nesting boxes be? I'm planning on the guilllotine windows that
I see here in photos and also running a light to the coop. Since we live in Georgia, it seems that ventilation
is a big concern with the heat we have to I'm also planning on a temperature-tripped ventilation fan on top
of the coop. Any photos of the inside of chicken coops about the size I've mentioned above would be greatly
appreciated. One last thing...what is the thinking on using treated lumber for building a coop? Thank y'all in advance.

 

[Tdub4chiks]

I'm no expert, but I believe you can set it up anyway that is convenient for you and your girls as long as they have a roost, nestbox, feeder, waterer, bedding and lots of ventilation. The roosts should be higher than the nestboxes so they don't sleep in them.

Here's a pic of the inside of my Krapper Koupe.

My coop is 4 x 4 x 6 so I can stand in it to make maintenance easier. The bench is the nest boxes, a poop board under their roost to collect the nightly poo.

Good luck with yours.

 

[Judy]

One space saver is to put the roost over the next box (you only need 1) to save floor space.

Coops that small are very hard to cool in the south (and very hard to ventilate in the north or in winter.) In Georgia you really don't need a closed box type arrangement; a three sided building allows them to cool off better in hot weather and is warm enough in winter, really. They are very tolerant of Geogria's cold but have trouble with the heat, need lots of air flow and shade. Substituting hardware cloth for some of the walls helps them a lot. If you plan on having a predator proof run, it's much simpler to build a 3 sided shelter that is one piece with the run. Some hot weather coops:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=163417

 

[Melinda35]

If you want to save space and let them roost above the nest boxes (as mentioned above) I highly recommend a poop tray. Mine have two roosts but still get on the nest boxes and make a huge mess. I will be making modifications to it soon. Below is a picture of the inside of mine before it was finished. I, too, have only three sides covered and the roof. I am in Texas so this works just fine for me. Mine do free range all day so are only locked up at night. My husband made mine out of side boards from cotton trailers. It is portable but only by a large tractor and a lot of patience.

Also remember that chickens are addicting and you might want to add on to your coop.

 

[M&LO]

OK...thank y'all very much!!!
I have an interior design in mind now....
What about a complete wire floor with a poop tray underneath? Is it OK for the whole floor to be wire?
Also, thoughts on using treated lumber?

 

[Schroeder]

You are lucky (like I) you found this site before starting construction. You are at the same point in your thinking as I was 2 years ago. You can search just about any of the topics you bring up : treated lumber, wire floors, pop door, etc. You'll read over and over again to build as big as possible. Take heed. Mine is 6x6x6 and I now have started a second one that is 12 x 20. If you have the space, I would highly recommend going at least so large that you can stand up in it. It makes maintenance much easier IMO.

 

[Cetawin]

If you are talking about standard sized birds, I would not go with wire floorng. Their weight on the wire can cause problems with their feet...Also remember that you need about 4 sq ft per bird of floor space if they are not going to free range and such or have access to a run. So, take that into consideration when looking at size because nests and such take away from you floor space if they are ground level.

 

[70monte]

Mine is 8x4x6 and here is how the inside is set up. I have two pvc pipe feeders that you can't see in the picture but they are next to the people door on the left and next to them are two small hanging feeders with oyster shells and grit.

Wayne

 

[golddustmommy]

Mine is 8x4x6 and here is how the inside is set up. I have two pvc pipe feeders that you can't see in the picture but they are next to the people door on the left and next to them are two small hanging feeders with oyster shells and grit.

Wayne

This is almost exactly how I want to set up ours that is the same dimensions! What's funnier is that my husband's name is Wayne! LOL