New owner and need help with coop design

[Jdutton24]

Was thinking of putting coop area under back porch so they get shade and it's an unused area really anyway. Also some shelter. They will be free range in the big back yard fenced in area. 200' x 150' or so. Have 10 chicks en route but not really sure how to design the coop. I'm fairly handy and have circular saw miter saw drills etc. Was thinking of utilizing the area under stairs and the first little bit of area under porch. We are back there a good bit in the summer time just hanging out. Thoughts? Thanks so much

 

[Jdutton24]

I'd also love to get their poop for composting

 

[DobieLover]

Welcome to BYC!
Where are you located in the world? If you update your profile with that general information, that will display with all your posts.

A couple of thoughts I have as a former house flipper:
You will want to be able to disassemble and remove the coop from under the deck if you ever go to sell the house so keep that in mind.
If you are not right on top of moving the poop out of the coop, it is going to stink. I strongly suggest poop boards under the roosts that are cleaned daily with your compost bin far away from the house. That bucket of poop STINKS when you dump it.
You will still want to slant the roof on the coop so in this case it should be a lean-to style roof that slants away from the house.
Put 1/2" hardware cloth backed, top hinged windows on the three sides away from the house for good ventilation.

 

[Jdutton24]

Yes I'll definitely need a sliding tray of some sort. I can frame up something from.like treated 2x2s and tack the cloth to it. Build a door.

 

[Jdutton24]

Where does the roost need to be in relation to nesting boxes

 

[cmom]

The roosts should be higher than the nest boxes. If the nest boxes are too high the birds may want to sleep in them and that means poop in them. Good luck and have fun...

 

[Jdutton24]

The roosts should be higher than the nest boxes. If the nest boxes are too high the birds may want to sleep in them and that means poop in them. Good luck and have fun...

Thank you. Better to be on the side to the rooting area?

 

[aart]

Take your time and plan your coop well.
There's a lot to learn.
Will you have a separate coop under the deck or will it be 'built in'?
How much water comes thru the decking during rain or snow melt?
How many birds are you planning on having?

There are links to 3 excellent articles in my signature, hope you can see them.
Good reading for a newbie.

Oh, and...Welcome to BYC! @Jdutton24
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, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[Jdutton24]

I'm.in central Alabama. Sorry! Not much if any rain gets through as it's covered. I was thinking of tieing into the porch with the coop for space sake but didn't know how smelly 8-10 birds would be

 

[Fluffyflufffluff]

Was thinking of putting coop area under back porch so they get shade and it's an unused area really anyway. Also some shelter. They will be free range in the big back yard fenced in area. 200' x 150' or so. Have 10 chicks en route but not really sure how to design the coop. I'm fairly handy and have circular saw miter saw drills etc. Was thinking of utilizing the area under stairs and the first little bit of area under porch. We are back there a good bit in the summer time just hanging out. Thoughts? Thanks so muchView attachment 2017021View attachment 2017022

That's a nice and roomy area you have there.. I'm thinking about a semi elevated with stairs for the chickens so you can have plants below where the manure can naturaly just fall down to.