Opinions on this coop?

[beloges]

We have a shed on our property that could be converted to a coop I think, but with the position that the barn was built I think it could be hard to do the run properly. But would this be a suitable coop? View attachment 2490639

That looks pretty great to me. The porch overhang section could be wrapped in hardware cloth and that make a pretty good run.

 

[Mtman]

Hi! We’re planning on starting our chicken coop this weekend and hoping for an a frame style tractor. I like these plans:
https://www.greenwillowhomestead.com/mobile-chicken-tractor-build-plans.html

but hubs is having trouble swallowing the price tag. Are there any similar plans anyone knows of that will accommodate 15-20 chickens? This is our first coop btw so if anyone sees anything we’re not consider...we really appreciate everyone’s feedback an opinion!

I

Hi! We’re planning on starting our chicken coop this weekend and hoping for an a frame style tractor. I like these plans:
https://www.greenwillowhomestead.com/mobile-chicken-tractor-build-plans.html

but hubs is having trouble swallowing the price tag. Are there any similar plans anyone knows of that will accommodate 15-20 chickens? This is our first coop btw so if anyone sees anything we’re not consider...we really appreciate everyone’s feedback an opinion!

 

[Mtman]

I built my coup in the back of my shed. It’s 12x19 and we’ve had fifty in it at the beginning. We’re not down to thirty which is a good number for it.
It’s about six feet tall and completely fenced in with a tin roof.

 

[countryladyNH]

Okay. Maybe too many pictures, lol, but pictures! It is probably 100 ft from the house at least so I’m not sure about running electric out there. I’m not great with American standard system but my guess is 6 ft wide, 12 ft long and 8 ft to the roof. Roof is metal...small vents on each side. Not sure what other info would be helpful. View attachment 2491836View attachment 2491837View attachment 2491838View attachment 2491839View attachment 2491840View attachment 2491841View attachment 2491842View attachment 2491843

Wow! This would be great! Wish we had had something this good existing for a coop when we got our hens.
We would cover the roof rafters with ply. for a ceiling. (MUCH easier to keep clean.) Scrub down everything, all walls, etc., and PAINT THE ENTIRE INTERIOR WITH SCRUBBABLE SEMI GLOSS PAINT. (We did ours in a sunny yellow). This made it much easier to scrub off poop etc. I guarantee if you don't paint you will have lots of dried poop and stuff over time that will only stick to bare wood and smell and be impossible to get off.)
Cut out and frame for windows/door/ chicken door. We did this ourselves, never having done it before and installed nice shed windows we got new for a song on Ebay, and it worked out great and was not hard! I even built batten doors from scratch myself and hubby and I hung them. They were not hard!
We would also buy remnant of sheet vinyl and cover the floor with it. This will make your life so much easier and you will be SO glad you did it. We had no trouble finding some at a flooring store for a really low price! (Most places usually have partial rolls of their not-the-most-popular sellers for a give away price.)
Build in some perches using a 2 by 4, flat side up (It gives hens room to roost on and they like it better than a skinny branch, etc.) We made 2 nest boxes with slanted tops and installed on one wall. I made a 'poop tray' from a leftover foot wide board and installed under the perch. It is removable, and I covered it with lefover sheet vinyl. We clean it every single AM and it's so easy! MAKE SURE TO PAINT EVERYTHING---NEST BOXES, PERCH, WALLS, WINDOW AND DOOR TRIM, CEILINGS...Adapting this shed will still cost less than buying a really nice, big new one, and you will have a super coop!
You said you are getting chickens first, so I would do this. Don't worry about the goats until the time comes to add them to your menagerie. You don't know what your circumstances will be then...One thing at a time.
For a run, we have extended a run and attached to existing. We never had any experience doing this but we did not have the money to hire someone and we did some research and did it. We framed the run with 3 x 3s and used 1/2 inch hardware cloth on the entire thing, including door, and some buried a foot down all around. We used corrugated clear plastic sheet for roof (slanted). On Some of the run we did the roof of plywood, and we shingled that outside, connecting it to the plastic roof. We used leftover cedar shingles we had. (Looks amazing!) This also gives some sun and some shade. (On the inside of the run, where it has the plywood ceiling, I painted it sky blue semi gloss and hand painted clouds on it, lol!)
Believe me, we had no experience, no help, not a lot of $$, and all of our tools are old and lame, and the 2 of us managed to do a really great job! You can do it!

 

[Ann Perkhens]

Sorry to be back in this post again, but I’m wondering about the best course of action for the flooring. It’s completely dirt flooring. As far as I can tell at least. What do I do for litter and keeping it clean? I had considered a deep litter/deep bedding method but I am not sure if that’d work with the dirt floors?

 

[Alaskan]

Sorry to be back in this post again, but I’m wondering about the best course of action for the flooring. It’s completely dirt flooring. As far as I can tell at least. What do I do for litter and keeping it clean? I had considered a deep litter/deep bedding method but I am not sure if that’d work with the dirt floors?

I love my dirt floor coops and barn.

Poop boards are great and hold most poo.

Then toss the bedding on the dirt floor.

Only thing with a dirt floor... is
1. if you have a bunch of digging predators make sure you make an apron, or anti-dig something around the perimeter.
2. Make sure the surrounding land is sculpted so that water flows AWAY from the building. You might need gutters.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

also love my dirt floor.


Deep Litter ftw

Gutters and sloped ground both. Must haves.