New coop ideas.

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CKfarm22 said:
@cavemanrich This is our coop now. It’s about 4ftx5ftx4ft. It’s a good idea to just add on to the side where the pop door is, and i was thinking that too. I’m just not sure how to because it’s plywood with pallet wood on top, unless we just cut the whole side off!
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Consider just adding on to it, and making that portion all the way to the ground.
You received many good ideas,, so combine that and see what will work for your situation.
 
cavemanrich said:
Seems I am not the only one loving this feature :thumbsup
View attachment 2818967
Also good spot to place phone, flashlight, or keys, so they don't drop out into litter.
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x2! (3?) I have a couple small shelves in the coop but they're starting to get cluttered now, as we keep stacking more stuff on it. 😅 I also love the S-hooks for hanging the egg basket, my egg basket currently eats up space on the shelf and hanging it would be fantastic!
 
MountainWoman73 said:
Pictures of my coop, with my favorite innovations highlighted. Excuse the mess. It hasn't been cleaned this month.

My coop is 8x12, raised above the ground because we built on a slope, with a one way sloped roof, separate human and chicken doors, and two windows. Because it has one wall adjacent to our house, it gets a little extra shelter in winter, and I have electric wiring.
View attachment 2818794
Favorite feature 1: In-coop storage. The chicken area is 8x8, and there is an area for me that is 4x8, separated by a hardware cloth wall and screen door. I store hay, food, etc, so it is conveniently inside the coop, but chickens can't shit on it. I use this area for new chicks sometimes too. View attachment 2818795

Favorite feature 2: Pull door. I have my chicken door on a pulley, so I don't have to go into the chicken area to open or shut it. Nice when I'm barefoot or wearing work shoes in the morning.
View attachment 2818808
Favorite feature 3: Trap door. I remove this and shovel/sweep used bedding out the bottom of the coop.
View attachment 2818798

Favorite feature 4: Coffee shelf. This is for when you have four eggs in one hand, coffee in the other, and you need to latch the door. Also functions as a wine shelf in the evening.View attachment 2818801

Lastly, recycled goodwill wreaths on the nest boxes. My hens prefer a circular opening for some reason.
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May i ask what you used for the floor? And what kind of bedding you use?
 
Swbertrand1 said:
Best idea I can give you is this: Build it twice the size you think you'll need or larger You can thank me in 2023... :)

Set it up for electricity for fans (direct wired or using a plug), automated doors, lights, etc. In the first photo, you might notice the pullout drawer that my boyfriend pulls out once per week to clean and put new shavings down. In the 3rd photo, you'll see a small door and another entrance. This was a "re-model" of the coop about 3 years ago to reduce the size of the storage closet and add a 2nd chicken entry via a tunnel under the storage area (gained a nest box beside the tunnel too) to create 2 coops within one for when we have young birds that aren't ready to mix with the adults, but need to be in the coop (we have separate runs too).

With just a removable divider door inside and a short section of fence outside, we can create two separate coop/run combinations and can switch back and forth between them in about 15 minutes by removing the interior divider (pictured in photo #4) and open "hatches" in the divider fence. When everyone is living as a single flock with the interior divider removed and two hatches in the run dividing fence are opened, the birds can go in either entrance and make a circle around the coop by going in one door out the other, around the coop, then back in the 1st door. It's worked out REALLY well.

Here is a 5x8 my bf built five years ago, and he wishes he had built it to something like 8x12:
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Can i see more if the inside of the coop please?
 
BTW, IMO the best feature about my current coop is the monitor roof. Splendid ventilation, absolutely draft-free, and, with it's roof overhang, proof against even hard-blown rain. :)

0902210822.jpg


(The now hail-battered picnic pavilion is for shade, not rain).

The structural details of how to frame a monitor are shown in my coop article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/
 
CKfarm22 said:
May i ask what you used for the floor? And what kind of bedding you use?
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The floor is bare OSB. I screwed down a second OSB layer on top of the subfloor with the intention of replacing it if it gets too gross. It's held up okay for 5 years and is just now starting to warp a little. I think when I do replace it I will paint it with some kind of waterproof paint. I live in a dry climate, but the floor gets damp under the waterer.

I mostly use straw or hay bedding. Occasionally I use shredded pine needles and twigs from my yard when we've been running the chipper. I try to clean it once a month.
 
Swbertrand1 said:
We did the same thing - feeder is under a 4'x8' cover that protects the feeder AND the birds from rain...
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I am becoming more and more convinced that chicken coops should have porches -- where the chickens can be outside but get out of the rain. :D
 

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