New coop. In the process. Would love advice, suggestions, HELP!

[harrellkd]

Hey guys! Here is my new coop so far. We've never done this before, so any advice or input is greatly appreciated! Let me know your thoughts on what we should do next! We plan to leave the run uncovered, adding shade cloth over part of it. I know the girls will quickly eat and tear up the grass and I will be left with mud. Any flooring suggestions? Also, if anyone has any great, creative nesting box and roosting designs I would love to see those as well! Thanks a ton!

 

[Chipper Chicken]

That's a nice start! Great area to work with. First thing might be to put some kind of pitch to your roof. Not sure what your winters are like, but even rain can wreak havoc on a flat roof.
Lots of options on run base, some people like sand, some shavings (but not cedar) I think I'd lean towards sand in a small run......
Nest boxes. Do you want inside or outside (or the option of both) egg collection? With Inside collection you can monitor the health of the flock, among other benefits that are eluding me at the moment.....Outside collection frees up a bit more coop living space and makes collection faster and less messy on the shoes for one thing. Size depend on your breed of chickens, from bantam to jersey Giants......it would help to know the breed(s)
Then there's the roll out type of nest box, which prevent egg eating and soiling. See Opa's new updated nest box plans for that here
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/287684/new-rollout-nest-design-picture-heavy-edited-1-21
For myself, I'm building reversible roll out boxes so I can monitor and trap nest when I'm home, and reversible for outside collection to make it easier on my neighbor to collect the eggs when I'm gone.
I'm nowhere near ready to build my new nest boxes, but you can check out my prototype.....
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...t-box-with-room-for-trap-later-prototype-only
Hope this gives you some ideas....
Also... Please cut LOTS of ventilation holes in your coop/shed and cover with 1/2" Hardware cloth, NOT poultry wire. You need lots of air to combat the ammonia buildup that comes from their droppings (which happen a lot at night while their roosting) Poultry wire you will hear over and over does not do anything but keep your birds IN, keeps almost nothing, predator wise OUT. You almost can't have too much ventilation, but the trick is not to have a drafty area next to the roost. Take a looksie at the Woods style open air coops for the idea. I originally started with an old armoire not much bigger than your shed, but it needed ventilation badly! My original run was about the same size as yours too, and not knowing better I used poultry wire on it (I was ten years old, many years ago ) and lost my flock to raccoons. Do not wish that experience on anybody! Which is why I'm taking my time on my new coop and hopefully get it right this time.
Chipper

 

[harrellkd]

@Chipper Chicken Thanks! I have a small flock of mixed breed chickens. One bantam, RIR, BO, black sex link, EE, and two marans. I was leaning towards indoor nest boxes only because it would be way easier for me to put them inside....I'm not that crafty, so probably nothing too fancy. Just cute, simple, and functional.

I am def. planning some cut outs for ventilation. I live in the mountains of NC, so it does get very cold in the winter. What do you suggest to prevent frostbite, but still allow proper air flow? I don't want an ammonia filled coop, but I also don't want a cold, drafty, snow filled coop. Ahh...how to find a balance?

Well, I bought chicken wire! Luckily, its not on the coop yet and can be easily returned. What would you suggest instead? Right now, the girls are free range and only go in a coop at dark. I lock them in after they roost at night, and release them the next morning. I still plan to let them free range a large majority of the time.

I'm certain there are many things I have overlooked and will change after it is constructed. I am trying to avoid that as much as possible right now! Thanks so so much! If you think of anything else PLEASE let me know!

 

[Chipper Chicken]

You're welcome!
For mixed breeds nest boxes... I'd suggest maybe 13" square since you have a BO, and you could put a one smaller on top of those bigger ones
for the little gal.... If the bantam is a good flyer put hers on top, she'll probably like that.... They like a little privacy too, so either make a cloth/burlap curtain or use wood to close the open in a little bit. Lots of good suggestions on this forum, you just have to figure out the right search terminology so you don't get too derailed off the main track......

Another trick I use is to google chicken nest boxes, (if that's what I'm researching) then select the images option at the top of the search page. This way you can scan hundreds easily and follow the link to the specific page for that style. Except Pinterest . I avoid those as they're too much work and it doesn't take you to the original posting, just to someone else's favorites list.

For ventilation I would cut two 12" or so squares out of each door (in front) near the base, or alternately on both sides near the doors, also as near the base as you can, and securely cover these with 1/2" hardware cloth. (Home Depot, lowes, Menards,etc) small rolls are easier to find. Then cut two long, but not too long rectangular openings on each side at the highest point you can manage. Something about 2-4" high and 5- 10" long would probably work. Again, make sure to cover these with 1/2" hardware cloth (1/4" is good too). You don't have to worry so much about covering these holes to make the coop warmer, (the birds can stand the cold) as getting a good air flow. What they mean by drafts are vents that are directly behind the birds when they're roosting that will blow cold air right on them, so try to balance the vents locations as best you can. The idea is to have the fresh air come in and flush out the stale out the top.
For the run, the best is to do all hardware cloth (1/2") but there again you have to research to find the best price in your area. I gave up trying to find what I wanted local because I wanted VINYL coated 1/2" in big rolls for my project, so I ended up buying from Academy Fence out of NJ. Cost was up there

Take some time to do some research on the different coops. I'm always looking at the coop section on BYC to get ideas. Also there are some great articles on ventilation if you just search BYC , several on sheds just like yours. Good luck! I'll try to check back when I can.....

 

[ashlieneevel]

You're off to a good start on your coop! like the OP said you are going to want some sort of pitch to your roof. I seen that your in the mountains of NC so you likely have snow in the winter so make sure you take the weight of that into consideration. I know you said that you were going to go for an uncovered run with just some shade cloth but if i were you i'd consider covering it with at least hardware cloth if not an actual roof. You'll wish you had completely enclosed your run the day a bird gets picked off by a predator which im sure are plentiful in the mountains. I also second the other persons recommendation for 1/2" hardware cloth. Chicken wire doesn't cut the mustard its good for keeping chickens in, not so much for keeping predators out. 1/2 inch hardware cloth will help keep your chickens and their eggs safe from rats coons and possum and such but small mice and snakes will still be able to get through. 1/4 inch hardware cloth prevents those but is quite pricey. Make sure you take precautions to protect from digging predators by using hardware cloth as a barrier by either digging a trench around the run and attaching it to the run and burying it or by attaching it to the run and laying it out and flat on top of the ground and bury it or secure it in some way to keep it in place. there are lots of threads here on how to do either and how much to use and also on youtube. I seen that you said you were going to use inside nest boxes because you were (paraphrasing) uncertain how to make the outside ones. There are lots of threads on that here too and its not as hard as you think. If you're concerned that by doing them it would create structural instability then just frame your wall like normal 16" on center and affix your nest boxes (14x14) between the framing studs so then you dont have to worry about altering the structural integrity. I'm a fan of roll out nest boxes. You may never get an egg eater in your flock but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure so i say if you already know it could be a potential problem you might as well do what you can to avoid it from the beginning. You can also make nest boxes so you can still have roll out and with outside access as well. There are lots of possibilities. You already know to make sure you have proper ventilation so i wont beat a dead horse but I will say that most people think they have enough ventilation and they rarely do so add your ventilation and then add some more just avoid drafts. Coops still need to be ventilated even with 3 feet of snow on the ground in the dead of winter. I'm super excited to watch your coop develop so keep us all posted!!!

 

[Chipper Chicken]

There ya go! That's all said better than I can. For my HWC skirt I'll probably skim the sod off for the 18-24" lay out the HWC and replace the sod. That way DH won't snag it, hopefully, with the mower. Our ground is too uneven to use pavers for most of it, but I think you could easily Also, if there's a habitat for humanity store near you, sometimes called RESTORE, check it out. sometimes you can find exactly what you need at bargain prices. I'd also check craigslist on a regular basis. I've gotten some great deals there, but you have to be patient yet still know when to jump on something.

 

[Brookliner]

To help with the ammonia smell I suggest putting poop trays under your roost bars. You can fill them with PDZ (Zoelyte a natural mineral that absorbes ammonia) it is sold in grain stores like Tractor Supply as Stall Fresh. You scoop it like kitty litter it keeps flies down also because it dries out the poop. I scoop my poop trays daily it takes only a few minutes and then I compost it. Check out my profile pictures.
Below are pictures of my poop trays and roost. Keep in mind all my chickens are bantams. Also the black nest boxes I use are plastic vegetable bins with removable lids.

Picture of my nest boxes. This one in use by my broody hen and 2 chicks.

My main coop it is 8' x 8' HiFiber Gold horse forage on the floor for bedding 6 to 8 " deep. I fluff it wbith a hay fork daily and change it completely 1 time a year. It doesn't get pooped on much. Most of the poop lands in the poop trays.

The lafst 2 pictures are my rooster coop poop tray tools and after cleaning.

Good luck with your chicken adventure. BTW my coops are always changing and being redefined so don't think once you have finished your coop you can't change things, oh I always use screws not nails, I makes it easier to make changes. I also agree only use 1/2" hardware cloth pllenty of venelation, and cover your runs. Racoons can climb an do.

 

[harrellkd]

Great ideas and advice!! Guess I should have clarified....when I said "uncovered", I just meant no roof type structure. It will definitely have some sort of wire covering it, along with the rest of the run! I love the poop tray ideas, and also burying the HWC. You guys are so helpful and smart!

 

[jmarlowe]

I installed a poop tray(actually a plastic cargo liner out of a 2002 explorer) under my roosts with an access door for easy cleaning.

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[JanetS]

Having a secure coop and run is one of the most important thing when owning chickens. Hardware cloth is a lot stronger than chicken wire.
Here's a picture of one of our windows.


This is a good lock setup. Raccoons can't open it.

Our chickens have lived through many attempted attacks from bobcats because they are safe in their pen.



This bobcat went home hungry. No chicken dinner here!!! Good luck and enjoy your chickens. I know we do.