My New Chicken Coop with Video Tour

[trancealot]

Hello all, I just got 4 new chicks about 3 weeks ago and finished building their coop. It probably took me a couple months to build, working on it a few hours here and there on the weekends and weekdays after work. Most of the materials (cedar lumber, hardware cloth, roofing) I purchased from Lowe's since its nearby, but I did use lots of leftover fence boards, nails, screws, and various other items from whatever I had in the garage. I designed and built this all myself, to fit in the space I have in my small backyard. Please let me know if you see anything that could be improved or any other ideas to make this better!


Here's a YouTube video tour of my coop:

 

[10 point]

looks great

 

[10 point]

and

from NY

 

[ll]

Welcome to BYC!

Wow your first post, and you already have your chicks growing & your coop done & a video -good job!

The coop & run is fine, they already look very happy. I love your rock edge and step at the door w/ stones around.
The only change I would make is to make the perch wider/bigger. Give them a nice flat piece to sit on.

Good luck with your chicks!

 

[teach1rusl]

Looks great!

Very secure too!
Some suggestions you may wish to consider:
* A short (maybe 2-3 inches?) lip at the pop doorway so that bedding doesn't fall out each day
* A few inches of sand in the chicken run. It's so much easier to clean than bare ground, and droppings just seem to disappear into it. Several bags of playsand would work, but it's much cheaper to buy a half ton or so of coarse sand at a gravel or mulch company if you have access to a pick-up truck.
* Lowes/Home Depot sells a really thin cable in the chain section. You might want to use something like that rather than the twine, thin rope stuff you're currently using with your pulley system. I always worry about fraying at the rubbing points.
* You might want to consider a 2x2 or 2x4 rather than the dowel you currently have for a roost. Chickens don't grip w/their feet like wild birds do, they sit/rest on the roost.

Your chicks are cutie pies, even at this scruffy stage

 

[allpeepedout]

Really nicely done and looks very secure.

It is hard to judge space on a video and apologies if I am entirely off base, but I'm having a hard time visualizing sufficient space or ventilation for 4 adult birds to be shut up inside the coop for any length of time, and it looks like they may be pooping inside your nesting area or possibly roosting on the nesting divider. I'd second the vote for a wider roost as birds mature.

 

[trancealot]

Thanks for the tips and ideas. I'll definitely add a lip to the door to prevent the bedding from falling out, they're already making a mess and spilling all the bedding out. And a wider perch to roost on yes. I'll replace the round bar with a 2x4 for them to sit on. I'll try out the sand too, sounds like it'd be much cleaner than dirt and easier to clean. Thanks again!