Newbies seeking any and all help!!

[Biologrady]

Key things we are glad we did...
Sheet vinyl floor( rolls up and slides out for easy cleaning, easy to sweep)
Use a heat lamp in winter/swap out with a ceramic "bulb" to provide heat
Bought a simple remote thermometer so we know how cold it's getting in the coop
Combination straw and shavings bedding...stays "fluffy", so droppings dry nicely/don't smell
Needed a shed anyway, so bought a shed kit and modified it by building a pen within it, and adding a chicken door and extra ventilation. Gives us space to store chicken food within the coop itself too.
Our "run" is a kennel frame not attached permanently to the shed. Lets us move it around the yard so we can put chickens where we want and give the most used parts of the lawn a break when it needs it. (Not an option if you have a risk of daytime predators though.)

 

[fiddlebanshee]

Key things we are glad we did...
(...)
Use a heat lamp in winter/swap out with a ceramic "bulb" to provide heat
Bought a simple remote thermometer so we know how cold it's getting in the coop
(...)

You really do not have to have a heatlamp in the winter with adult chickens. Unless you are in subzero temps for weeks at a time and even then you have to be very careful for frostbite because the heatlamp will cause moisture to condensate on the birds' combs. It is paradoxical but it is much better not to heat you coop (not to mention the fire hazard in a dusty environment), than to heat it. Chickens handle cold much better than they do heat.

Save yourself some money and avoid a fire by keeping the heatlamp out of the coop!

 

[farmgirl277]

Putting laminate on the floor of our coup was a blessing! Makes it easy to clean the floor. You should be able to buy a scrap piece at home depo or something. Also I know some people who don't clean their coups out in the winter and just keep layering shavings. This works well for cold winters because the feces will provide heat for the chickens. It does get kinda gross but it helps keep them warm and then in the spring you take it all out. We do this with our bunnies (they live outside in our ex chicken coup and run) and they seem to like it as long as we keep it fairly clean.

 

[Biologrady]

Clarifying: yes, you are probably best avoiding heating if you can...but in our case our chickens were too young and few in a big space their first winter to go without some supplemental heat (subzero here in the mountains at times). If you heat, use ceramic instead of light bulbs and if you can get by with deep bedding alone, it's surely safer.

 

[guesswhokatysue]

Wow this advice has been extremely helpful! I was a tad nervous about needing to heat the coop, but I did plan (and still do!) to make the coop so that it can be easily insulated for winter. I'm hoping not to have very young chickens to start, so maybe ill be fortunate enough to avoid the need for heat lamps right off.

As for the flooring suggestions, I love it! I think when we go to the stores to get price ideas we will see what's available and the prices for what you have all recommended! I am dl thankful that everyone is supplying information that has worked well for them.

 

[Biologrady]

Careful when considering to insulate...you can't close things up too much...keeping heat in is less important than letting moisture out. Coops are built with considerable ventilation because high humidity and respiratory diseases are a greater risk than cold. Body heat and bedding should be enough if you keep the space small and ventilated but not drafty. (Assuming they will have free range or a big run during the day).

 

[guesswhokatysue]

Fair enough! It will definitely be a small (but not too small, of course) inside space, with access to a run during the day...or at least for a short part of a very cold day. Fortunately it gets cold up here, but there's only a short period where the temps are so cold we really have to worry.

 

[ADKegger]

This is my first year raising chickens. Just finished my coop and run. It was a lot of work but a ton of fun. I live in upstate NY and have decided to not heat my coop.

Finished coop and run. 6'x6' coop with run area of 6'x14'. We are painting in the Spring.

 

[guesswhokatysue]

Thank you for sharing your coop photos! That looks fabulous. Do you mind sharing the rough cost with me? If not I understand, we are in the pricing/ planning stage. So fun!

 

[Marks Chicks]

I'm looking for a very simple, inexpensive coop design plan. We are only going to have 4 hens, which can free range in our large fenced-in back yard once they are big enough. Just need a very simple coop for over night, roosting, and when they're still babies and can't free range yet. Need something that will be easy and inexpensive to build. Any plans, designs, instructions, or pictures would be much appreciated. Hoping to build it in one day, maybe even one hour. Is that possible?