Is this yours? Or, how many chickens would fit?

[rancher hicks]

You certainly could look at some "tractor" designs and modify one of those. I recently scored a wooden shipping crate. Maybe you can find one there?

 

[chickenwhisperer123]

Quote:
That sounds great!! and if they can free range, then they will do even better.

Good Luck!!
Jason

 

[bad_coffee]

So here's the first draft.

3x4, front edge is 32" tall, legs are 16"

The door with the nesting box will just open for cleaning. The other door will be the everyday one.

Still researching roofing.

B

 

[cthrash1]

Make sure you attach the hinges really well to a good spot on the nestbox door... The screws will weaken in the wood over time from the weight of the box.

 

[bad_coffee]

Quote:
I figured that might be a problem over time. I might make that door removable for cleaning, or maybe just solid. We'll see when I get it built. Thanks for the heads-up.

B

 

[bad_coffee]

Here's a pic of the backyard from above. The coop will go on the right.


Here's a side shot. The yellow line is the footprint, both the coop and the run.
The boards are for height reference. The tall one on the left is going to be the height of the coop up on legs (48"), the shorter on the right is the height of the run(36")


Now I'm working on cut sheets for the ply and the 2x lumber. I still have to design a vented roof.

B

 

[gsim]

Quote:
Wow! Manhattan chooks! Maybe a coop which is a duplicate of Empire State bldg with an ornery roo on top like King-Kong.

Seriously, you need to have no less than 30 sq ft. outside space. it must be tall enough to walk into for cleaning. Coarse sand will do for a base. One section under the coop should be fine sand, peat moss, and dirt for their dust bath area. Feed indoors, water outdoors. Indoor space must be 3x4 min and nest box would need to be outside of that, in a bumpout. Since predators are no problem, your case is one in which chicken wire only is viable as a fencing. Be sure to have a minimum of 1 sq ft to 2 sq ft ventilation at the very top of the coop, exclusive of windows. Do not omit this feature. Many builders do not have enough ventilation, including the famous and handsome Amish coops I have seen.

 

[bad_coffee]

Quote:
Empire state coop... Hmmmmm. Now you have me thinking. . . I could do that. However, there wouldn't be that much room for gardening on the top of a pointy building. I might paint the side to look like a skyline though. . .

There is no reason what-so-ever I need to build the coop big enough to walk in. I'm over 6' tall and I'll be able to reach the back of the coop while standing outside. I don't have acres and acres of space. I have 16x28' of yard/patio. We need to have room for a table, bench, chairs, bbq/smoker, and of course, the Tiki Bar! With everything that will be out there, the coop should not be the focus of the yard. The coop needs to stay small both for us and so we don't tick off the neighbors. When we live in a big enough space, I'll build a bigger coop. For now, efficient use of space is the key.

I don't think the 2' extra square foot will torture the birds. Most days they'll be out free-ranging in our backyard. If I do make the run bigger, it will be on cement. Not that I mind, but I'd rather no have to hose it down everyday.

I don't own this apartment. The coop will move every week to both spread the wealth of the free nitrogen, and to not kill the grass in one spot. I don't want to lay down sod when I leave. If I kill the grass, they'll take the cash out of my security deposit. I'd rather have a nice lush green spot as my own, than a section of the yard all muddy and full of chicken poop. All this means I've got to have a portable dust bath. I'm thinking cat litter box with sand, peat, and some DE. It should be fine as long as I move it every few days .

Thanks for the "feed in/water out" Makes sense to me, and will keep the bedding dry, while keeping the rats out of the food. Speaking of rats, I don't know what kind of pests we'll end up with here. We moved in in November, so I'm not sure what summer will bring. I'm going with hardware cloth just to be safe. In the grand scheme of things it's only a bit more expensive than chicken wire. Plus, it adds more to the 'bling' factor of the coop in the city. (Again, looking good enough not to anger the neighbors.) I'll be putting HW cloth on the bottom of the run and coop as well, tractor style. Nothing's getting to my birds!

Cheers,
B

 

[4CiTyCHicHENs]

check out my topic... i was thinking 3x7 for 3 hens....

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=304641