Opinions on my Planned Coop and Run?

[ScaledCritters]

Hi everyone, I hope that you are doing well!

I am getting ready to build a new coop and expand my chickens' run. The run will be 10ft x 30ft. I am still planning the coop, and am hoping that you guys can give me your opinions and any advice that you see fit.

As of now, I have the coop drawn up as 3ft wide by 8ft long. It will have a hinged top for egg removal. I need it to be as watertight as possible due to the strong rains we occasionally get in Arkansas. I am thinking that the back wall of the coop should be 36" high to allow enough room for them to roost. I want to do the front wall a few inches shorter to form a slope for the roof, maybe 30" high. Any ideas for roofing materials? Should I do something other than a slope?

I plan on standing it up on four legs, probably 18" off the ground. There will be seven 12" x 12" nesting boxes on the side that the door is on, to keep wind from blowing directly onto them, and a roosting pole a few inches off the ground towards the back that runs the length of the coop. It will have a 10" x 12" closable chicken entry door.

Any ideas for proper ventilation? I was thinking maybe two house floor registers, one on each end, or something similar, but if there is something better that would be great.

Also, the winters here get VERY cold, despite the summers being very hot and humid. It is not unusual for it to be 14 degrees Fahrenheit in January. Should I somehow insulate the coop, or will 19/32" plywood be thick enough? I do not currently have a safe way to run electricity for a heater out to the run.

Is Thompson's WaterSeal ok to seal the exterior wood of the coop with?

If anyone sees any major flaws or improvements that I could make, PLEASE let me know. It will be greatly appreciated - I want my chickens to have the best coop that I can give them while still keeping it economical.

And finally, how many chickens can I comfortably keep in this setup? In August there will be eight out there. I want to get a few more next year.

Thank you!

 

[joshram]

Can you post pictures when you're done?

 

[Percheron chick]

A 3x8 coop is an odd size and only large enough for about 6 lf hens. 3' is not a standard lumber dimension so you will end up cutting every board and produce tons of off cuts. 7 nesting boxes is over kill. It wastes room, materials and time. They will only need 1 per 4 hens or 2 for your flock. You will need 6' of roosting space for 6 hens and the roost needs to be at least 15" away from the walls. You don't need to be concerned with freezing temperatures or insulation. I would insulate the roof as summer heat is 100x harder on them. A small coop can be very unhealthy. The biggest issue would be air flow.

 

[ScaledCritters]

joshram - can do!

As a continuum of my first post, I just read something that makes me concerned - if the coop I am planning is only 3' x 8', and adult chickens need 4 sq ft each in a coop, this would only give me enough room for six chickens. So if I made it 4' x 8', it would be enough for my current eight chickens. Am I correct? Is it ok to have more than one coop in a run?

 

[ScaledCritters]

Percheron chick - it looks like we both replied at about the same time! Thank you for the info

 

[joshram]

Thank you. I was thinking about building a coop for when I get my chickens.

 

[ScaledCritters]

Here is a rough "sketch" of my current plan. I am thinking about doing a 6" x 72" strip of hardware cloth on the back as well as a 6" x 24" strip on each end for proper ventilation. However, I still need roofing ideas. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Percheron chick]

Doors? How will you get in there to clean it?

 

[pickleskipper]

It almost sounds like you are planning something similar to what I built earlier this year. So far I have been very happy with my design and dimensions... Maybe this will help with your ideas...

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ng-coop-and-run-on-skids-design#post_15257140

 

[ScaledCritters]

I think that making the front into two swing-out doors, like with pickleskipper's coop, would be a good idea. And it wouldn't take too much of a design alteration. Thank you for the link pickleskipper - your coop looks nice!