Never Built Before

[Cheerio27]

When I first started with chickens I blindly believed the chicken math prefab companies sold me. Sorry chickens. I'm leaning! I have 6 chickens and would like room to expand up to 8 or 10. I have never built anything from scratch before, so I'm hunting for beginner friendly plans that are easy to follow and have adequate space. I would appreciate feedback before I start spending money. I'm looking at this plan. If I read it correctly, the coop is about 9'x5' and run is about 14.5'x5'.
1) How many chickens would you say that holds?
2) Any feedback on plans from this website?
3) Do you have a favorite chicken coop plan you recommend to someone who has barely touched a saw before? (I have friends who will be helping me learn.)

Thank you for any help!

https://easycoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/FreePlans/20x9-Chicken-Coop-Plans-Free.pdf

 

[DobieLover]

The size of the run is determining the number of birds that unit can house. I wouldn't put more than seven in there.

Have you ever considered converting a shed into a coop? It's the biggest bang for your buck and you get a walk-in poop. If your shed is large enough you could have a storage room in there as well.

Often times shed builders remove old sheds from customers properties before placing the new one. You could contact a shed builder and see if they have any old sheds that they would deliver to you for a minimal charge. Otherwise you can search Marketplace or Craigslist.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think you can build that, the plans should be good enough. I personally would not build it. I think the litter tray will never be used, it has 8 nests when all you need for 10 hens is 3 so excess materials and building, and every piece of lumber needs to be cut (no standard lengths anywhere and a lot of wasted materials. That right side wall frame is ridiculously complicated, access your nests from within the coop to eliminate most of that. Most people can build sheds and houses with most standard wall studs at 16", not the different spacings on those, but a few specific cases may require different spacing such as at doors. I understand there is a lot of personal preference in this but the coops and sheds I've designed and built do not look like this.

How many chickens will this coop hold? You are in New England (thanks for that info) so there will be several days in winter that run will not be available due to wind and snow unless you block wind and snow out of it. So they will be restricted to the coop section only part of your winter. You can get a lot of different opinions as to how much room chickens need. Commercial operations have shown that they can be housed in pretty tight quarters but they often have to take special steps to keep them from cannibalizing each other. It is fairly common for them to clip off a section of their upper beak so they can't take a bite out of each other, for example. We don't manage our chickens that way but prefer to give them enough room we don't have to take those special precautions.

Each chicken has its own personality so that plays into it. If they are all at the same stage of maturity and are fully integrated they can usually get along on less space than a multi-aged flock where you have to integrate some. You may be able to keep ten hens in there or seven may be too many. If you can rig up a section of the run where you can keep snow and wind out of it and give them access your capacity goes up a lot.

I really like Dobie's idea of finding a shed already built and converting it. You'll need to add nests, roosts, a pop door, ventilation, and maybe a window. Nests don't have to be that complicated, especially if you go into the coop to gather eggs. If you decide to go that route let me know and I can show you many options. Roosts do not have to be that hard, just a board or limb hung up. Pop doors or windows can be pretty simple, depending on what shed material you are dealing with and how it is put together. Again I may be able to help if I know what you are working with.

If you must build, you might look for plans for sheds at Lowe's or Home Depot. They often have shed plans and even books that show you how to do certain building things. Another place to look is your public library. Even if they are not on the shelves your librarian can probably order some books for you. I'd look for a minimum 6' x 8', larger is a little better. 6x8 is probably big enough to get 10 hens in there and give you room to move around but it may be tight in winter.

Another possibility is to buy a shed kit at Lowe's or Home Depot and convert it. They come with precut pieces. I had my 10 and 12 year old boys assemble a shed for me so they could learn how. You and your friends should be able to manage.

For the run section, all you need is a frame with wire mesh on it. You will need a door. You can make it as big as you wish. I certainly want it high enough that I can walk around in there.

With a little help you can build a coop. There are techniques to learn in how to cut and how to screw or nail things. One of your issues may be what tools you need. Maybe your friends can help. Many people with no more experience that you manage.

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

 

[DSJMHenDen]

You've already gotten what I think is great advice. Since you are planning for a walk in coop anyway, I would price out sheds for sure. I built my coop, and it took 20x longer and cost way more than I anticipated. Every screw and nail adds up when you are building something so large. Plus, your time is worth something. I will say I get a massive sense of pride when I look at what I built, but I don't know that I would do it again, haha. I needed to do a raised coop to maximize space in a certain footprint in my yard, so I designed and built mine to fit my needs that I wasn't finding in a shed. I did do things that were mentioned like making things use as much dimensional lumber as possible. Not having external nesting boxes will save you so much headache. They seem so simple, yet are such a pain in the you know what. A chop saw is your best friend if you can get your hands on one. Cutting 2x4s and angles were so much easier than the circular saw when I borrowed one. Also pilot holes for your screws, it takes more time, but if your not a pro with the power drill like myself, it will save your fingers from getting smashed. Best of luck with your coop build. If I can do it, you can too!