New Chicken coop

[Alex S]

Hey everyone! I'm thinking of building a new, and nicer chicken coop this spring and was wondering if anybody had some good plans for a 10 chicken coop that you can walk into. Would that be considered a medium or large chicken coop?



Thanks!
(It also snowed today and my Orpingtons did NOT like the snow. Now its 20 degrees and I had to put a heat plate under the waterer)

 

[cavemanrich]

Go here on our website, (BYC) and view hundreds of coop pix. Then decide what would fit your backyard space.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/categories/chicken-coops.12/

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[aart]

Would that be considered a medium or large chicken coop?

I'd go at least 8' x 8' for 10 birds, could be considered medium or large.
Go for large(12-18") roof overhangs with open soffits and top hinged windows for max ventilation with little to no rain/snow infiltration.

 

[DickMidnight]

make it full height so you can walk in easily for cleaning

a few top hinged windows that can be opened in the summer to provide additional warm weather ventilation

plenty of permanent roof line ventilation

if you want 10 birds, make it large enough for 15 at least.

other than that, it’s hard to make recommendations because we don’t know what you like or how the coop will fit on your property.

 

[3KillerBs]

Just as a reminder, more for people looking at this thread later than for an experienced chicken-keeper:

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

8 hens

• 32 square feet in the coop. 4'x8' is approaching the limits for a non-walk-in coop even with the access door in the middle. 6'x6' should be walk-in because even the tallest chicken-keeper won't be able to reach the far wall.
• 8 feet of roost
• 80 square feet in the run. 8'x10' is a nice looking number but, remembering the common dimensions of lumber, a roomier 8'x12' is actually easier to build. 6'x14' looks good on paper but would require a lot of weird cuts.
• 8 square feet of ventilation.
• 2-3 nest boxes.

12 hens

• 48 square feet in the coop. 6'x8' is more practical than 4'x12' since a long, skinny coop like that would be difficult to work inside.
• 12 feet of roost
• 120 square feet in the run. 10'x12' or 8'x15' -- 8'x16' means fewer odd cuts than either of those. 6'x20' is possible, especially if your run is an open-topped, fenced area instead of fully-enclosed with a solid and/or wire roof but risks social problems because subordinate hens need to be able to pass the dominant hens at a respectful distance.
• 12 square feet of ventilation.
• 3 nest boxes.

@aart's recommendation of 8x8 is good because that allows some extra room to use for storage, as a brooder, as a sick bay/integration/broody-breaker area, etc.

I've been collecting links to good coops of different kinds:

Medium Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-barn-red-and-white-coop-complete-build-photos.75458/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop.74322/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/egg-song-music-factory.74019/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/perkolators-modern-chicken-estate-2019.75345/

Large Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/alaskan-woods-coop.75752/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop.76267/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/post-and-beam-styled-coop-run.76181/reviews
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/le-palais-de-poulet-the-chicken-palace.67196/
https://countryliving.blog/2021/06/15/my-coop/

Open Air Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-positive-local-action-coop.72804/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/california-living.68130/

Shed Conversions

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-mulligan.74743/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-coop-page.65912/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-scoop-on-a-rubbermaid-big-max-coop.76444/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/toy-shed-conversion.64879/

 

[Alex S]

make it full height so you can walk in easily for cleaning

a few top hinged windows that can be opened in the summer to provide additional warm weather ventilation

plenty of permanent roof line ventilation

if you want 10 birds, make it large enough for 15 at least.

other than that, it’s hard to make recommendations because we don’t know what you like or how the coop will fit on your property.

I was thinking of a walk-in shed conversion. I would do 8x8 but that seems really big and expensive plus If I give each bird 4 sqft of space inside the coop, that's 16 chickens! way too many. I was thinking of building one like this: https://www.thehappychickencoop.com...018/02/Coop-Plan-3-The-Happy-Chicken-Coop.pdf
(Link is safe)
The only thing is, it requires 2x3s which I didn't even know was a thing until I saw it on the material list.
It also doesn't come with any ventilation besides those 2 windows, which is not enough, plus the windows would be shit in the winter.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I was thinking of a walk-in shed conversion. I would do 8x8 but that seems really big and expensive plus If I give each bird 4 sqft of space inside the coop, that's 16 chickens! way too many. I was thinking of building one like this: https://www.thehappychickencoop.com...018/02/Coop-Plan-3-The-Happy-Chicken-Coop.pdf
(Link is safe)
The only thing is, it requires 2x3s which I didn't even know was a thing until I saw it on the material list.
It also doesn't come with any ventilation besides those 2 windows, which is not enough, plus the windows would be shit in the winter.

Anything that starts as a shed starts expensive, and gets more expensive when you fix it. Most sheds don't have large roof overhangs. Most sheds don't have substantial under-eave ventilation - because they don't have significant eaves to ventilate. Most sheds have single hung windows (if they have windows at all) located at a level likely to put drafts on your birds - making them worse than useless in winter. Most sheds are minimally framed, meaning any changes you make will likely require a trip to the hardware store so you can add framing.

And I'm not familiar with that area of Washington, but if you get long periods of inclement weather (i.e. heavy, persistent snow fall) your birds may end up stuck in that coop for long periods - meaning having more than the recommended minimum space is wise. Make sure you can open the door in those conditions, too. That, or you are building a house and associated covered run...

Easier to find a use for "extra" space (like brooding chicks or storing feed) in an oversized hen house than to add onto the house at a later date. Cheaper, too.

 

[DickMidnight]

I would do 8x8 but that seems really big and expensive

8x8 won’t be any more expensive than the roughly 5x8 that you linked in your post.

since lumber comes in 8ft lengths, you’ll be buying 8ft boards and cutting them to length to make your 64” wide coop.

8x8 would require much less cutting and leave you with much less off-cut waste when you’re all done

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Biggest problem with 8x8 is the roof. Buy 12' sheet metal roofing (I recommend the 5v pattern) since budget is a concern, and rip it into 6' lengths (CAREFULLY - eye protection, ear protection, gloves!) - then frame a traditional gable roof - that will give you the big overhangs you will want, and a roof angle that will help shed falling water (in whatever form). The ridge piece to cover at the top should be available in a 10' length, so plan on 5 2' x 12' sheet metal roofing panels and an approximate 1' overhang all around.

 

[Alex S]

Anything that starts as a shed starts expensive, and gets more expensive when you fix it. Most sheds don't have large roof overhangs. Most sheds don't have substantial under-eave ventilation - because they don't have significant eaves to ventilate. Most sheds have single hung windows (if they have windows at all) located at a level likely to put drafts on your birds - making them worse than useless in winter. Most sheds are minimally framed, meaning any changes you make will likely require a trip to the hardware store so you can add framing.

And I'm not familiar with that area of Washington, but if you get long periods of inclement weather (i.e. heavy, persistent snow fall) your birds may end up stuck in that coop for long periods - meaning having more than the recommended minimum space is wise. Make sure you can open the door in those conditions, too. That, or you are building a house and associated covered run...

Easier to find a use for "extra" space (like brooding chicks or storing feed) in an oversized hen house than to add onto the house at a later date. Cheaper, too.

Well, Washington is having a cold snap, so I hope it doesn't get this cold next year. Not persistent snow. We get 1 to 3 snowfalls a year but usually melts the next morning. I wouldn't need storage space, because the coop is placed near the cellar.

How would this work out?
file:///C:/Users/alexs/AppData/Local/Temp/Temp1_large-chicken-coop-plans-73081569.zip/large-chicken-coop-plans/garden-shed-plans-8x8.pdf