My Design -- looking for advice before I build!

[Titus2Woman]

Ok, so I checked with the city and I can have chickens but no roosters. I think I found a builder who is willing to donate leftover items from his builds to me to get the wood I need to build my coop! YEA!!! Now I started the design phase. I have this old garden area that we don't use anymore and it will be the perfect area for a coop. So I am designing the coop to fit there. They will be right on the outskirts of our cement patio for us to enjoy them while we are out there.

So, I am posting my design ideas now before I build so I can get input before I build something I am going to hate...

Thanks!

 

[Ole rooster]

Trying to figure out your sketch the one thing I would try to do is enlarge the run about 4 times what you have. You just can't have to much run area.

 

[NovaAman]

you need 60 sq ft of run for 6 hens... only 24 sq ft of coop floor space... smaller coop bigger run...

 

[Titus2Woman]

Well, hmmm.... this area we want to put it only has that much space available to us... I will have to look at other places in the yard...

And I do not want to make the coop smaller for two reasons... in case I want to add more chickens and because I want them to have a nice place to stay when the snow hits... is that wrong?

 

[riverchicks]

I don't see any dimensions on your drawings. What size were you thinking? If the run is under the coop as well as built out further you probably have enough square footage per bird. 60 square feet may sound like a lot but really, think 8x8 or 10x6 (that's not a huge area, especially if it is under your coop too). I think you should make it large enough for the maximum number of hens you are allowed in your neighborhood, what you can afford and what you have space for. We got 16 chicks in July and already I wish I had a couple other breeds. Chicken obsession! A good rule to follow is the 10 square feet of space per bird in the run, and 4 square feet of space per bird in the coop. Don't worry about making it too big! The birds will enjoy the extra space.

 

[oldchickenlady]

No, build bigger than you need because you will want more! I would suggest not putting it real close to the house if you can avoid it due to any smell. Of course that will be influenced by how often you clean your pen. I put grass clippings in my run (20x12). The chickens like to scratch in it then the next time we mow, I rake it all out and put in fresh. I compost what I rake out of the pen and off the poop board. You will want a poop board! Mine free range a lot also, will yours be getting out any or be in their run all the time? If they will not be out any then your run needs to be 10 sq. feet per bird. If they are crowded they can start having issues like pecking each other, etc.

 

[Titus2Woman]

Sorry I did not put dimensions because I just told my husband it is 6 inches a block.

So, the coop is 4x8 and there is an additional 4x4 part added on. I am trying to find a purpose for this garden we do not use:

so my current design has 32 sq ft for the coop and 48 sq ft for the run

 

[Titus2Woman]

So I talked to my husband about the feedback and I am going to look into this other location what we have and I am going to redraw things and I will post them when I get them done... I have to teach the kids so I need to resist the temptation to skip school and draw up plans...

But the jist of what I am going to do is leave the coop as it is and then instead of an L shaped run I am going to add the other 4x4 piece in making the run 64 sq ft total...

 

[Ole rooster]

How large is you yard and what are your plans for the poop collected? That does have to be desposed of someway. I think I would take up some of those pavers you have for a patio and use that area.
Cleaning the coop and run every morning would be a great project for the children to learn responsibility and caring for animals. I know HS'ers that use their farm and animals as a learning tool. Works great for them.

 

[Titus2Woman]

I am going to move it farther from the house at this point... I am worried about the neighbor who's house you can see in the picture as well... so I am going to put it in the back by my shed... I will move my garden over a bit and try that location. My back yard is 75x~100 so I can move it back some...

Ok serious question here, do we need to scoop the run every day? I thought that was a weekly chore? I don't want to not practice good husbandry and I do wnat to know entirely what I am getting into. I plan to use sand (even though sand is my arch-nemesis -- ask my kids they will tell you!) but I can't figure out what kind of sand I am supposed to use... my local landscape supply has too many choices!

I plan to ask my husband and kids to get me a barrel composer for Christmas so that I can compost the waste from the coop and use it in my square foot garden. I hope I answered everything...

I am looking to build something along these lines... http://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog...op-w-Run-Building-Plans-12-chickens-p921.aspx