Making a coop for 2 perchers and one disabled chicken who can’t perch!

[Lazygaze]

Hello! I need to make a coop for my three 11wk old teenage chickens, two of whom are healthy ‘normal’ perching chickens and one who has a twisted tibia, limps badly and cannot perch. I’m new to making a coop but luckily my partner is a theatre carpenter so a) has all the tools and skills I could ever need and b) is totally out of work for the foreseeable future so is at my beck and call!

Has anyone built a coop for a combination of able bodied and non able bodied chickens? I’d love a design I co e modify, or some advice! I want her to feel integrated but not get pooped on, or be sitting in fumes. She can flutter-hop up a few inches but it’s hard for her. She has a wide turning circle!

Any advice- even stuff that’s REALLY OBVIOUS to you would be great. Things you’d assume I’d know- that kind of thing! Things that will make my life easier? I’m in a small London garden and space is limited. I think an estate agent would call it ‘compact, cosy and bijou’!

Thank you!! It’s 1am here now so I’m gonna try to sleep but I have my fingers crossed for some advice I can read with my breakfast in 8hrs from now!



Ps photo includes my one cockerel who is moving in with my auntie this week!

 

[azygous]

You will need to build the coop low enough to the ground that a ramp will not be too steep for the disabled one. I have had my share of disabled chickens over the years, and it seems second nature now to accommodate their needs.

You will need a nest box for the hens to lay eggs, and the nest can also double as a bed for the disabled bird. I have a nest box I built on the floor as a broody nest so the baby chicks could get in and out easily. At present, this floor nest is being used as a bed by a crippled pullet recovering from a mystery paralyzing illness. It doubles as an egg laying nest during the day.

Other than access and sleeping accommodations, everything else should be the same as for the able-bodied chickens. When it comes to feed and water, just make those low enough for your special-needs chicken to access.

 

[NatJ]

Any advice- even stuff that’s REALLY OBVIOUS to you would be great. Things you’d assume I’d know- that kind of thing!

Make it extra-big.

People often save space by having raised nestboxes, and perches that are raised, and various other things that leave the floor clear.

But because your disabled bird will not be able to fly up, it's probably best to have ground-level nests. She might need an extra-large nest, or one with no lip at the entrance, depending on how mobile she is.

For perching at night, you might put the perch (for the ones that do perch) quite low, so the disabled one is able to be "with" them rather than alone on the floor. How low? Maybe so low the chickens cannot walk underneath it (which might help keep her from sleeping directly underneath.)

She might even like to sleep in a box (like a nestbox) or on a flat shelf at one end of their perch. Of course, wherever she sleeps will need frequent cleaning, because she won't be able to perch above the droppings.

But accommodations like that require more floor space than usual in the coop.

Also, depending on the weather, she might need to spend more time inside than a normal chicken.

If the usual guideline is 4 square feet per bird, and there are 3 birds, I might calculate something like this:
4x3 = 12 square feet
+ 2 square feet of nestboxes (2 boxes, 1 square foot each)
+ 6 square feet for a roosting area (perch near floor, 3 feet long, with a foot of space on each side that will get extra-dirty because of how much they poop as they sleep)
+ 2 square feet for feeders/waterers

That makes 22 square feet, so I might start with 24 or 25 square feet (4x6 or 5x5 feet), or even bigger if possible.

I'm not saying you need to do it exactly that way, just giving an example of how things take extra space if they all have to be available at floor level because the one bird cannot fly and has trouble walking.

Another point to consider: the other birds might bully her later, even if they do not now. So you might want to build something that can be one coop or two coops, with a wire mesh divider so they can still socialize if they have to be separated for her safety.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I have a special needs bird that can no longer roost, so she simply sleeps on the floor - she'd rather sleep in a nest box but we don't allow that so she is manually moved at night to a safe non-nest spot. Poop boards would be a great way to provide a sheltered cubby for your bird to sit under and not get pooped on (which can be an issue with mine, since she'll shuffle around at night, and we don't have poop boards).

At least one nest at ground level is a must if she ever lays. Having the coop fairly low to the ground would be beneficial too, though might not fit in with your building plans - I don't use ramps but I have 2 concrete blocks as steps up to the pop door, and that's low enough that my one bird can kinda hop-hop to get inside as needed. However your bird may do better with a ramp, it's hard to say. If you do need ramps, keep the angle low and the ramp wide, with plenty of traction or cleats for footing.

Otherwise, mine doesn't have an issue using a normal gravity feeder, nipple waterer, etc. So most of that stuff can be standard as long as she can eat/drink without issue.

 

[Lazygaze]

Thank you soo much everybody! Lots of info to read over my cup of tea! I really appreciate your advice and I’ll read again and reply separately this morning. Thanks again

 

[Lazygaze]

I have a special needs bird that can no longer roost, so she simply sleeps on the floor - she'd rather sleep in a nest box but we don't allow that so she is manually moved at night to a safe non-nest spot. Poop boards would be a great way to provide a sheltered cubby for your bird to sit under and not get pooped on (which can be an issue with mine, since she'll shuffle around at night, and we don't have poop boards).

At least one nest at ground level is a must if she ever lays. Having the coop fairly low to the ground would be beneficial too, though might not fit in with your building plans - I don't use ramps but I have 2 concrete blocks as steps up to the pop door, and that's low enough that my one bird can kinda hop-hop to get inside as needed. However your bird may do better with a ramp, it's hard to say. If you do need ramps, keep the angle low and the ramp wide, with plenty of traction or cleats for footing.

Otherwise, mine doesn't have an issue using a normal gravity feeder, nipple waterer, etc. So most of that stuff can be standard as long as she can eat/drink without issue.

Thanks for your reply! May I ask why she is not allowed in a nest box- is that in case she goes broody? This is all new to me so I have no idea why! Thanks

 

[Jenilynchickmom]

What about a “handrail” on one side of the ramp so she could lean to the side if she had to?

 

[aart]

May I ask why she is not allowed in a nest box- is that in case she goes broody? This is all new to me so I have no idea why!

Poop.

 

[rosemarythyme]

May I ask why she is not allowed in a nest box- is that in case she goes broody? This is all new to me so I have no idea why! Thanks

Because...

Poop.

Yup. As she's disabled she doesn't lay, really doesn't do much of anything except eat, sit and poop, so the nest box is the last place I want her dropping her giant poops.

 

[MROO]

Hello! I need to make a coop for my three 11wk old teenage chickens, two of whom are healthy ‘normal’ perching chickens and one who has a twisted tibia, limps badly and cannot perch. I’m new to making a coop but luckily my partner is a theatre carpenter so a) has all the tools and skills I could ever need and b) is totally out of work for the foreseeable future so is at my beck and call!

Has anyone built a coop for a combination of able bodied and non able bodied chickens? I’d love a design I co e modify, or some advice! I want her to feel integrated but not get pooped on, or be sitting in fumes. She can flutter-hop up a few inches but it’s hard for her. She has a wide turning circle!

Any advice- even stuff that’s REALLY OBVIOUS to you would be great. Things you’d assume I’d know- that kind of thing! Things that will make my life easier? I’m in a small London garden and space is limited. I think an estate agent would call it ‘compact, cosy and bijou’!

Thank you!! It’s 1am here now so I’m gonna try to sleep but I have my fingers crossed for some advice I can read with my breakfast in 8hrs from now!



Ps photo includes my one cockerel who is moving in with my auntie this week!