newbie-have some questions abt coop size/build

[aoxa]

my first coop was so easy.. Ignore the nest boxes, you don't need to add them like that.

Four pallets were the base. Two high. The rest was framed really easily and plywood on the outside. It was 8 x 4. You can house 8 chickens in there, which is double what you want - trust me.. you want a bigger coop than the one you pictured.

I used cedar shingles on the exterior. You don't need to. Make sure you add ventilation I had my ventilation from the right side into the garage.

Suggestion.. raise the door up higher than I did.. It was hard to open in poor weather.

5 sheets of OSB
One for the back, one for the roof, one for the floor, one for the front and half of one for the side.

 

[ydkjenn]

They are allowed, I'm just trying to have minimum reason for neighbors to complain. I will go foraging for pallets, etc when the weather's better.
I'll try to get and post a pic of the area today.

 

[ydkjenn]

(sorry about the quality. I had to take it with my phone) This is the area I'm thinking about. The width is 11 1/2 feet, the depth is 9 1/2 ft. The window directly in back does not open, on the right is a kitchen window, and the left wall has no windows. Behind me on the right is the rest of the house, and directly behind about 10 ft away is the fence for the yard. As you can see, it's not used for much of anything because it's a weird location to reach, so I'd like to utilize it for something. Building a coop anywhere else in the yard is not as possible. There's a shed, a swing set, two trees, etc and it would literally be right in the middle of the yard. Yes, I need to clear out the rocks, etc. I already have a plan for those.

Also, I really, really need to keep costs as minimum as possible.

 

[ydkjenn]

Is the planning/decision making always this hard? heh.
Any ideas about the photo of the space I posted?

 

[4 the Birds]

I am not digging the coop that you listed at all. It is small, no windows, and the ventilation is essentially the roof moved ajar to create air space all around. Ventilation slots up high on the walls with storm flaps would be much better so that you can open or close vents upwind of storms or high winds. You also would not have to worry about high winds blowing the roof off! A window is very desirable in a coop even if it is just a 8" square hole with plexiglass covering the opening. A flat roof may be OK if in is under a run roof but if not then it will not last long with a season or two of wet snow or rain not draining off. The coop shown above by AOXA can be built with little funds but may take more space than you are willing to allow (much better size-wise to fit a waterer and or a feeder inside). If you go with your design then for sure raise it up on posts (or secured blocks) to utilize the space below.

Your alcove yard space may work as a run for just a few chickens but your coop will use a lot of that space as well. The area would be well protected from Winter winds but lack air movement during the hot summer months. I would for sure not attach any 2x4's or coop structure to your home. If you do use this space then set your run fence posts up near the house corners but not attached. It would be better if you can extend the space out from the alcove for the run to have protected areas and areas with air movement.

 

[LindaB220]

Hi newbie, welcome to the BYC forum. You have come to the right place. One thing I will point out. It's called Chicken Math. You think you want 4 chickens and then once you get them you want more. First coop is better to build bigger than you think. That's a great spot. I know you are interested in keeping the dollars down and I totally understand. Most of us do.

Build something that is predator proof and big enough that you can expand when you need to. Keep us updated, ok?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Check out the link in my signature for my thoughts on space. A lot of those won’t apply to you but some will.

I have no good way to attach to vinyl without damaging it. If you are going to use that space, I’d be real tempted to just close off the open side and use the walls of the house as the walls for the run. Part of that is resale value of the house but if you close off any small area you or the chickens can’t get to, you create a great place for mice to set up housekeeping. The chicken feed will attract them. Mice can attract snakes. I really don’t like to set up spots that attractive to mice, especially right around the house.

There are other potential problems having the coop and run that close to the house. Hens are not nearly as loud as roosters and they should be pretty quiet at night, but the noise may possibly bother you. Many of us enjoy those sounds but the egg song or other sounds they make can be surprisingly loud.

Chicken create a lot of dust. They are always scratching. That dust can be dried dirt, dander, dried poop, disintegrated bedding, about anything dry. You might not want to open that kitchen window because of the dust. Hopefully no one is allergic to chickens?

Another potential problem is smell. Smell normally comes from wet or damp poop. If you can keep everything dry and prevent the poop from building up, you can pretty much eliminate smell, but that is not always easy. You can set up a droppings board in the coop under the roosts to catch and eliminate the poop they deposit on the roosts at night, which will help reduce the poop you are dealing with, but you still need to control moisture. You’ll have enough poop in the run that if it gets wet, you’ll have smell.

There are two basic principles to keep things dry. Don’t let water in to start with. Cover the run and slope the roof of the coop and run so water flows away. Snow and rain can blow in from the sides, not just from straight above. Use guttering and downspouts to get water away from that area. I see that downspout in your photo. You might need to pipe that further from your house. Don’t locate your coop and run where rainwater runs into it when it rains.

The other principle is to get any water out that manages to get in. Good ventilation will help things dry out and keep smells from building up. Your run floor needs to have a place to drain to and needs to be a material that will actually drain. Clay holds water and the chickens will dig holes in it when they take dust baths that turn into mud puddles when it rains. Sand drains really well as long as the water has a place to go. That means it has to be higher than the surrounding area. I’d give a whole lot of thought to filling that area with several inches of sand and maybe using French drains to get the water away from there.

As far as not spending a lot of money, check out Craigslist for people giving away or selling stuff cheap, maybe even buildings you can relocate or tear down for the materials. Go dumpster diving or drive around on trash day for things you can use. You probably have one of those “recycle” places where they sell recycled building materials pretty cheaply. Maybe you can get a door or window for next to nothing. You’re also looking for hardware as well as lumber or wire.

Personally I would not use that area because of the potential for smell. I think it is going to be really difficult to build something you can keep dry enough without attaching to the vinyl. I wish you luck!

 

[ydkjenn]

Ridgerunner,
Thanks for all the input. It's a lot to think about and now I'm trying to see if there's anywhere else I can build a run :-/ I did think about dust, but not about all the moisture/water. Hmmm. I read your article about space, and that makes a lot of sense.

As LindaB220 said, chicken math. Once you have a few, you'll want more! I may not be able to adequately provide for more that 4-6, but we'll see.

Thanks for all the advice and insights.

 

[LindaB220]

Ridgerunner,
Thanks for all the input. It's a lot to think about and now I'm trying to see if there's anywhere else I can build a run :-/ I did think about dust, but not about all the moisture/water. Hmmm. I read your article about space, and that makes a lot of sense.

As LindaB220 said, chicken math. Once you have a few, you'll want more! I may not be able to adequately provide for more that 4-6, but we'll see.

Thanks for all the advice and insights.

Do what's right for you. If you need small. do that. One thing, when you get them feed them a little activated charcoal daily. Keep a little cup available. It cuts down on the smell. Good luck and let us know what you end up with.