New coop build.

[sd1993]

I'm a ranch manager for a beautiful property in the Sierra Foothills and the owners want chickens. I've had chickens all my life and all my previous coops I've built were on a strict budget or were done from free materials. It's nice having a little larger budget to work with. Most the dimensional lumber had to be bought. We had some plywood laying around and the metal roofing was found on the property also.

It's 10'x12' and there will be a separation down the middle. So basically two coops in one that are exactly identical. Reason being is we want broiler chickens and laying hens. Also you never know if you'll want some other fowl in the future, like turkeys.

The high side will be hardware cloth.

I built everything so it's as easy as possible to maintain. I designed it based on what I didn't like about previous coops I've built or used. Concrete floors for easy clean up, full doors to get in and out of, tall ceilings so you can move around, egg collection doors, automatic waterers, and automatic chicken doors. Also there will be lighting on the inside and outside on switches mostly for humans to be able to see when needed (not really for egg production), and even cameras so we can view what's going on at any time.

There will be two separate chicken doors that will be automated. We plan to let the hens out daily, it's a 160 acre ranch. Plenty of predators around so I'll have to keep my eyes out. If things start to be a problem in the day I may have to limit when the hens are out to the hours I'm working (40+ hours a week).

Electricity and plumbing will come later.

I'll try to update as I make progress. I started the project basically on June 28th. Should be done by August 1st. Chicks arriving in the mail July 30th or 31st (will be in brooder in garage for a while).

Am I forgetting anything?

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC!

Sounds like you're right on top of everything. I designed my previous home's kitchen the same way -- based on all the things I didn't like about kitchens in a dozen cheap rental places and the things I did like in the better ones.

 

[aart]

Take the blocking out between rafters on both high and low sides of roof.
Add fascia and HC under rafter ends for good weather protected ventilation all year around.
More pics here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-coop-page.65912/

Nests are bit high, should be lower than roosts...and I like roosts to be easy for me to reach birds for exams at night.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coop-stack-up-how-high-stuff-works-well.73427/
Perches are kind of close to nests, 8" out works great here.
Top of nests is not slanted steeply enough to deter roosting.

Sierra Foothills

California...North, South, Central?

Welcome Back to BYC! @sd1993
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[sd1993]

Good insight thank you. I’ll pop some of the blocking out and put some hardware cloth up instead. Should be plenty of ventilation because the entire north (tall) side and 1/3 of the east and west sides will be hardware cloth. The doors will have small hardware cloth windows too.

We are in the Central Sierra foothills. Very hot microclimate even though it’s at about 2600 feet in elevation. The air comes up from the valley in the night and it actually warms up sometime around 11 pm - 1 am and doesn’t cool off. I live 7 miles away but in the creek bottom and it’s consistently 20 degrees cooler at night at my home. Lows on the weather station at the ranch last night was 85 degrees, high of 105 today. It was the hottest day of the year though so far. Winters really aren’t that cold. Lowest recorded on the weather station in recent time was 29 degrees, with a south prevailing wind (hence the protected side of coop facing south). It is the top of a ridge so it does get some wind but plenty of trees acting as wind breaks.

 

[sd1993]

Just a little update with some photos. As of today I'm almost done, just a few last minute things, the paint and hardware cloth which will be going on next week.

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

You have great talent there! So nice!!!
Looking forward to seeing it compete with chicks!

 

[sd1993]

You have great talent there! So nice!!!
Looking forward to seeing it compete with chicks!

First couple days in August is the chick delivery. 20 cornish x meat birds to start and some various breeds of egg layers and others that are more for fun. We have some BLRW, barred rocks (standard and bantams), Polish variety pack, blue eggers, and buff brahmas for the first delivery. I'm thinking this coop will be good for 12-15 or so standards sized hens since they will be free ranging all day. I ordered some extras in case I get some rooster accidents or if I have to cull some for whatever reason.

I'm going to try and let the meat birds free range too but if that doesn't work out I have a portable run for the meat birds that measures 8'x10' so I can move them around to pick at things and I can attach it to the side of the coop for some added space.

 

[addctd2plnts]

I wish I could get you to build me a Wood's Open Air Poultry Coop! That design would have worked out well for you too.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

following

 

[sd1993]

I wish I could get you to build me a Wood's Open Air Poultry Coop! That design would have worked out well for you too.

Haha, I looked a lot of coops, many of them were nice; some seemed overly complicated so I just deciding to design this one from scratch. Took a single 103 degree day and I sat inside the air conditioned office and designed it to the 1/16th of an inch. Every cut was written in the plan so all I had to do was start cutting and fastening. I had very little waste. However, lumber prices the way they are it's going to take a lot of eggs and chicken thighs to pay this coop off. Heck, I'll never have a chicken coop this fancy for myself, I don't think I'd ever be able to afford it.