New chicken owner building a coop

[Happycamper07]

I was wondering what's the best and easiest plan for building your own coop. Starting with 6 chickens and getting more later on maybe. It's very muddy and rainy where I live.

 

[DobieLover]

Start with a pre-existing either used or new shed and go from there.
I would put a solid roof on the attached run and divert all rain away from the entire setup.

 

[Happycamper07]

Start with a pre-existing either used or new shed and go from there.
I would put a solid roof on the attached run and divert all rain away from the entire setup.

Thank you!

 

[mowin]

I was wondering what's the best and easiest plan for building your own coop. Starting with 6 chickens and getting more later on maybe. It's very muddy and rainy where I live.

Where in general do you live. It will help us help you. Coops can vary greatly by climate.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters, especially when it comes to housing, so if you put your location into your profile we can give better-targeted advice.

Here's some general info:

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.

6 hens

• 24 square feet in the coop. 4'x6' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber. If you can't walk into it, put the access door in the middle of the long side to make sure you can reach all areas of the coop because a stubborn chicken WILL press itself into/lay an egg in the back corner where you can't reach.
• 6 feet of roost
• 60 square feet in the run. 6'x10' or 8'x8'.
• 6 square feet of ventilation.
• 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice

These numbers are usually thought of as minimums and assume that the hens will be able to access their run all day every day. If you live in a snowy climate where the run will often be unavailable then you'll want a much larger coop to prevent chicken cabin fever.

In a wet climate, especially if it's a WARM wet climate, you're going to want to maximize ventilation but to also make sure that rain isn't going to get into the vents.

Repecka Illustrates Coop Ventilation

I can link some good coop examples of different types after I know what sort of climate you have.

 

[Krugerrand]

Start with a pre-existing either used or new shed and go from there.
I would put a solid roof on the attached run and divert all rain away from the entire setup.

Also, avoid low spots in your yard where water will pool.

 

[Shadrach]

Start with how you intend to keep your chickens; free range, ranging in a yard most of the day, fully confined to a coop and run (?)
Next consideration is the climate you live in. A hot climate needs a different style of coop to say a very cold climate where the chickens may be confined to the coop for weeks on end.
Then think about the local predators you have. There's not much point in building, or buying a lightweight fancy coop if you get bears visiting.

For 6 chickens something portable can save one an awful lot of problems, particularly if you intend to free range them or have them out most of day.

Large ground built coops have some wonderfull advantages for humans; they also have wonderfull advantages for rodents, snakes and anything that might try to dig into the coop over a few nights.

Being able to move a coop to new ground is a massive advantage if you have the space.

More chickens? One very good option is another coop. Having a spare coop is a must for the serious chicken keeper if they don't have a very large coop that can be partitioned; sick chicken isolation, broodies, introductions etc.

I've read of people spending thousands on some very impressive looking coops.
The chickens don't care what it looks like.

While building may give great satisfaction it isn't often the best way foreward for the new chicken keeper. Depending on your circumstances a recycled plastic coop may prove to be a better investment. Should you decide at some point that chicken keeping isn't for you and it happens a lot, a plastic portable coop will allow you to recoup some of your costs, not to mention being far easier to keep properly clean and parasite free.
https://nestera.co.uk/products/chicken-coop?variant=42287659909376

 

[Egghead_Jr]

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.

These are not actual minimums and only considered guidelines here on BYC.

There are different ways to ventilate a coop. An example of passive venting would be if you opened one window compared to also opening a window opposite on the other side of a room that provides a cross wind. Passive requires an enormous amount of area to exchange coop air. Good convection venting requires miniscule openings by comparison.

Large coops do provide for future expansion, easier integration, and ability to lock birds in a coop for entire winters. It is not a requirement to manage your birds that way. I don't find it needed as my birds are never locked in except at night. Half the above area per bird for coop space is ample. I'm often less than 2 sqft even. I only raise large fowl.

 

[David61]

Drainage, shade, sun, north wind...
Predators, maintance access, nest box access, your idea of what you want see everytime you look at it.
I research and gathered salvaged building materials for a year before starting.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I was wondering what's the best and easiest plan for building your own coop. Starting with 6 chickens and getting more later on maybe. It's very muddy and rainy where I live.

I'm in your area and agree with Dobie, modify and enhance an existing structure is a great way to go about a good coop. I modified a doghouse for my first flock of 6. A small shed would be great. Don't waste money on pre-fab Amazon or other unless you find a great sale and want one for the parts only. They are not even remotely sufficient for 6 full sized chickens no matter what promise they make. I bought one for a baby brooder inside my coop which has grown and transformed over the years from a dog house to a large coop. Wood chips are your best material for combatting rain/mud and roofing is a must as opposed to open air. ENJOY, good luck!!