New Coop Plans

[Mr Pink]

My first coop scribbles was for 8 or ten birds ... My wife started helping and when it was all said and done SHE had a 12 x 16 greenhouse and an 8x8x8 shed coop 20 birds and a 24x36 covered run !

I'm so easy

 

[nychick83]

Most of the space requirements have already been addressed here before I could post back so Im not going to rehash any of that .... I have no skin in this game only commented on what I thought might be a future problem for your reputation nychick !

Prefab coops have three MAJOR problems that makes most every experienced chicken person steer newbies away # 1 Poor designs #2 cheap material and workmanship and #3 OVER RATED BIRD CAPACITY ! If you don't mind your business being considered just another misrepresenting chicken coop company it's certainly no money out of my pocket HOWEVER you asked the opinion of people on this board who can potentially sway the choice of hundreds if not thousands of your potential customers ... I'd choose wisely on taking their advice !

Understood, I am openly posting here looking for improvements because I am trying to do this the RIGHT way and not be another crappy coop design company. If I was trying to mislead or "fool" people, I wouldnt have posted here to begin with.

Think about it...me putting myself out here is actually MORE risky so I think that should say something about my ethics. I am 100% taking into account everything everyone is saying, its just that I am putting myself out here for feedback and I feel like I am being accused of being misleading...which is the exact opposite of what I was trying to accomplish in the first place. I thought everyone on here was supposed to be a community. Keep in mind I am not some coop "company". I'm an individual with a passion, and put alot of time and effort into these coops and accompanying website with the goal of producing useful coop plans for newbies. Point is, I am a normal individual, just like yourself.

I feel like alot of replies are coming at me like I am some big company trying to mislead people...which, again, is the complete opposite of who I am and the exact opposite of what I am trying to accomplish with my designs and website. Yes, they are paid plans, but I love this hobby (or however else you might classify it) and am trying to contribute positively. I was looking for constructive comments with an upbeat tone...did not expect the "US vs You" mentality that many of these replies seem to have. Please consider my viewpoint and the fact that I am not some company when responding.

All that being said, I am going to look into making improvements on the vents for every coop and will 100% update the capacity numbers within the next couple of days. The website is live but not out for the world yet - I came here first for a "soft launch" because I am looking for good feedback. Apologies for the long reply, I just think that if some of you who responded understood more who I am, you might still have the same comments but with a more understanding tone. In the end, we're all supposed to be on here to help each other out. I took a shot at producing great plans for newbies, which I think I deserve at least some credit for because I don't see many others on here genuinely trying to accomplish. I DO care about the quality of the plans and I DO care about the health of your flock. If I didn't, I would never have posted on this forum to begin with. My goal/dream is to have the #1 chicken coop plan site on the internet. I might have a long way to go, but i can assure you my intent and attempt are 100% genuine. We dont all get it exactly right the first time around...

 

[cholland]

That's chicken math affecting your gardening plans exponentially.

I think the smaller coops are good for 4 standard breed size. And the medium ones 8-10 max. If pasturing or free ranging you can squeeze in a few more but you have to plan for the bad weather days.

Most of the designs are small enough to be portable. Including and idea for wheels and maybe handles would be good.

 

[nychick83]

That's chicken math affecting your gardening plans exponentially.

I think the smaller coops are good for 4 standard breed size. And the medium ones 8-10 max. If pasturing or free ranging you can squeeze in a few more but you have to plan for the bad weather days.

Most of the designs are small enough to be portable. Including and idea for wheels and maybe handles would be good.

@cholland - thank you. You know, didnt even think of the wheel idea...GREAT idea, I am going to look into it right away. I really appreciate it, this is more of the feedback I was hoping for .

I am re-working the numbers now, it seems 3sq feet is simply not a good number, I am going to use 4sq feet and re-do the bird capacity numbers. Clearly, this is the one major thing I did not get right and need to fix.

 

[nminusyplusm]

I am re-working the numbers now, it seems 3sq feet is simply not a good number, I am going to use 4sq feet and re-do the bird capacity numbers. Clearly, this is the one major thing I did not get right and need to fix.

I'm glad to hear that! Also please calculate capacity using a minimum of 10 sq ft of run per bird!

 

[nychick83]

I'm glad to hear that! Also please calculate capacity using a minimum of 10 sq ft of run per bird!

Will do! Thanks

 

[KettermanHillCoop]

My first coop scribbles was for 8 or ten birds ... My wife started helping and when it was all said and done SHE had a 12 x 16 greenhouse and an 8x8x8 shed coop 20 birds and a 24x36 covered run !

I'm so easy

Your wife and I are the same...lol...hence the sucking up I need to do. One little idea I have turns into a ginormous project. He humors me though...good guy that he is. Lol

 

[blackdog043]

I am re-working the numbers now, it seems 3sq feet is simply not a good number, I am going to use 4sq feet and re-do the bird capacity numbers. Clearly, this is the one major thing I did not get right and need to fix.

In your capacity, you might want to put (as an example) 4 - 8 chickens depending on the breed size. Then it's up to the consumer to know what size breeds they are going to get and how many will fit, in the coop plans they want. For instance, you can put more small bantams in a coop than larger breeds.

 

[Mr Pink]

Understood, I am openly posting here looking for improvements because I am trying to do this the RIGHT way and not be another crappy coop design company. If I was trying to mislead or "fool" people, I wouldnt have posted here to begin with.

Think about it...me putting myself out here is actually MORE risky so I think that should say something about my ethics. I am 100% taking into account everything everyone is saying, its just that I am putting myself out here for feedback and I feel like I am being accused of being misleading...which is the exact opposite of what I was trying to accomplish in the first place. I thought everyone on here was supposed to be a community. Keep in mind I am not some coop "company". I'm an individual with a passion, and put alot of time and effort into these coops and accompanying website with the goal of producing useful coop plans for newbies. Point is, I am a normal individual, just like yourself.

I feel like alot of replies are coming at me like I am some big company trying to mislead people...which, again, is the complete opposite of who I am and the exact opposite of what I am trying to accomplish with my designs and website. Yes, they are paid plans, but I love this hobby (or however else you might classify it) and am trying to contribute positively. I was looking for constructive comments with an upbeat tone...did not expect the "US vs You" mentality that many of these replies seem to have. Please consider my viewpoint and the fact that I am not some company when responding.

All that being said, I am going to look into making improvements on the vents for every coop and will 100% update the capacity numbers within the next couple of days. The website is live but not out for the world yet - I came here first for a "soft launch" because I am looking for good feedback. Apologies for the long reply, I just think that if some of you who responded understood more who I am, you might still have the same comments but with a more understanding tone. In the end, we're all supposed to be on here to help each other out. I took a shot at producing great plans for newbies, which I think I deserve at least some credit for because I don't see many others on here genuinely trying to accomplish. I DO care about the quality of the plans and I DO care about the health of your flock. If I didn't, I would never have posted on this forum to begin with. My goal/dream is to have the #1 chicken coop plan site on the internet. I might have a long way to go, but i can assure you my intent and attempt are 100% genuine. We dont all get it exactly right the first time around...

I for one have little doubt that you are sincere in your efforts ...what I think you're missing from the comments posted towards you is the difference between perception and reality . First off I realize that you are selling plans and NOT prefab however the prefab companies have dirtied the waters so much well intended people such as yourself get confused as being from the same cesspool ! Certainly not a situation you want to find yourself in I'm sure . Many of the comments from the folks here were IMHO directed at you to help avoid a very negative and real perception ... not to be mean but upfront honest

 

[nminusyplusm]

In your capacity, you might want to put (as an example) 4 - 8 chickens depending on the breed size. Then it's up to the consumer to know what size breeds they are going to get and how many will fit, in the coop plans they want. For instance, you can put more small bantams in a coop than larger breeds.

In the interest of newbies and their chickens, I think it would be better to be as specific as possible and state the square footage of coop and run and also say how many large fowl it fits max and how many bantams max.