Planning a new coop

[Chibichabo]

Hi all, I’m looking at building a new coop and replacing the two dodgy fir ones I have.

I’ve been playing around with different layouts, and this is what I’ve come up with.

My chooks are able to free range during the day, but are locked up at night.

I’m wanting to have a storage section where I can have an isolation pen, meds and feed. As well as a separate pen for any broodies with chicks.

The “windows” on the plan will be mouse proof wire, with Perspex covers for winter. Roof will be slanted with ventilation on the sides.

Any suggestions or improvements I can make? I’m at the point where I’m just hitting a brick wall.

I’m in Australia, temperature range of around 2°-40°c. No snow, rarely frost.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

How much space do you have to work with?

And what’s the compass orientation (North, in your case) of your hot summer sun? Any existing shade from buildings or trees that you want to work around?

 

[kattabelly]

How are those roosts spaced?

 

[Mother of Chaos]

(For all of us who have to hit the calculator when confronted with metric, 1 sq meter is a tiny bit larger than 10 sq feet)

 

[rosemarythyme]

What is the reasoning behind making an indent (74.4 cm) on half the structure - I'd imagine it'd be a lot easier to simply build it as one big rectangle.

One other random thought - given your temperatures most "medication" shouldn't be stored outside unless you're planning to climate control the storage room/

 

[Mother of Chaos]

One more thing, just thought of:

Are building materials in Australia typically in standard widths and lengths? If so, tailoring your measurements to standard increments will make for a simpler build with less waste.

For instance, in the US, 4’ is the magic number. So except for the 3’ doorway (and its equal width panel on the opposite side), all my run panels are four feet wide. It’s basically an aviary, with walls made of 1/2” hardware cloth, and I was able to buy the HWC in 4’ wide rolls, so minimal trimming.

Using standard dimensions REALLY cut down on the endless measuring and sawing.

 

[Penpal]

Are those roosts stacked one above the other. I can't really tell. If you stack them the birds will all want to have the highest roost.