Planning an upgrade

[BEggRN]

Hi everyone! I joined the world of backyard chickens last March, and have learned so much. We are planning to build a new, secure coop and run over the next couple of months before I begin to introduce some new babies to grow my little flock. Since we're starting from scratch, I am hoping to use the knowledge that I have gained and would love for you to share your "must-haves" for the coop of your dreams. We don't have a limitless budget, but I am taking full advantage of my husband's desire to fulfill all my crazy chicken lady desires. So, outside of it being safe, secure, and predator-proof, if you were building your dream coop, what feature would you most want to include? (just thought you'd want to see my inspiration, so here's a picture of my lovely girls)

Thanks!
Beth

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm planning an open air style coop (which suits my steamy, southeastern US climate), and I want it big enough to subdivide so that I can have birds of different ages, meat birds, and/or an attached broody facility.

Probably dirt floor for Deep Litter and a design that is partially roofed and partially wire.

I want to incorporate several openings to rotate pasture.

It's not going to all appear at once, of course.

For the first stage, I'm praying to get a 1-car, metal carport to begin with. Wrapped in hardware cloth with partial walls on one end it should make a splendid, termite and carpenter ant proof coop.

 

[aart]

Mine is pretty much all I want, except wish it was bigger.

 

[BEggRN]

I'm planning an open air style coop (which suits my steamy, southeastern US climate), and I want it big enough to subdivide so that I can have birds of different ages, meat birds, and/or an attached broody facility.

Probably dirt floor for Deep Litter and a design that is partially roofed and partially wire.

I want to incorporate several openings to rotate pasture.

It's not going to all appear at once, of course.

For the first stage, I'm praying to get a 1-car, metal carport to begin with. Wrapped in hardware cloth with partial walls on one end it should make a splendid, termite and carpenter ant proof coop.

I'm in the southeast US as well. I am beginning to learn that no matter how much I hate the cold, out summers are a much bigger issue for my girls than our winters; that is once I figured out how to keep their water from freezing. I'm excited to have a large barn door from the coop to the run to allow extra cooling and ventilation in the summer.

 

[Sally PB]

I wish my coop was bigger. I want to install poop boards. Everything else is stuff I'd like for the run, and number one on that is BIGGER.

 

[BEggRN]

I haven't gotten to the point of getting a deicer and making a waterer to suit it, so I just bring the water in overnight if it's going to be below freezing.

We've had some stretches of colder than we're used to nights, so I decided to make a bucket waterer with horizontal nipples and a deicer. We vented a square bucket, put a nipple on each side, and it's working great!

 

[3KillerBs]

We've had some stretches of colder than we're used to nights, so I decided to make a bucket waterer with horizontal nipples and a deicer. We vented a square bucket, put a nipple on each side, and it's working great!

That's the sort of waterer I use. It's only 1 gallon though so I've been reluctant to put any kind of deicer into something that small.

A 5 gallon bucket is more than I can carry so I'm looking for a suitable container of about 3 gallons.

 

[MissE]

I use the deep litter method over the winter. Unfortunately, it's cold enough here that it freezes solid instead of composting and providing heat, but oh well. I used a cheap roll of vinyl on the floor. Boy does that make for easy clean up in the spring! I am considering taking down the dairy board I used on the walls and replacing it with vinyl also.

 

[thanai]

I'd love it if my coop was easier to clean... in fact, I'm upgrading to a better, bigger coop this spring. My wish list is plenty of space, great ventilation (I underestimated the ammonia + poop producing power of chickens my first time around), lots of roosting space, large chicken run, and a big enough coop that I have room to hatch more birds; also plenty of light.

 

[BEggRN]

Mine is pretty much all I want, except wish it was bigger.

I am going bigger than we need. Hopefully big enough!