Purchasing Coop Plans

[Alpha Chick]

Hi,

My husband and I are totally newbies on the subject of designing a coop so we want to purchase plans. The design I want seems fairly simple:
Off the ground with run under the house
4x4x4 (with higher peak)
nest boxes outside the coop (about 12x12)
one side opens for easy clean
removable roosts for easy clean
windows and vents on each side (we live in central FL)
4" board all around to keep litter in
Large run attached that is tall enough to walk in
Under the tangerine tree

This is for 5 chickens, the most that we will keep at a time.

So, I can't find plans that includes all of the features I am looking for. I have seen what I want here though (Henstein Castle to name one). We want to do this right and do it quickly so we are looking for plans to purchase. Has anyone used or seen plans like what we want? We are looking at plans from BuildingAChickenCoop.com and ChickenDIYGuides.com.

Any suggestions would be welcome. Thank you for your help.

Jeni

 

[elmo]

Hmm. First of all, a 4' by 4' coop is only big enough for four chickens (the usual rule of thumb is 4 square feet of indoor space per bird). You can build smaller than that, but it's risky. It isn't that much more expensive to build bigger, and you'll never regret having more space.

Having one whole wall open up for cleaning and ease of access is a great idea. That's the way I built my coop, and I'm very satisfied with it.

You might not actually need plans. I didn't use plans, I just sort of winged it, using some of the design features of these coops:

http://www.ezcleancoops.com/

They helpfully include a picture of their coop kit being put together, so you can really get a good idea of the construction details.

Instead of a gable roof, you might think about a simple shed roof (sometimes called a pent roof). It's easier to build, and you can put a vent high up on the top of the higher wall (as well as vents on the other walls, too). The vent on the higher wall will be above roost height and you'll be able to leave it open even during the winter. On a gable roof design, where you put the vents is more limited, and gets tricky when you're building a small coop only 4' high....you don't want all of your vents to be right next to the roosts.

There's a picture of my winter coop on my BYC page; except for the windows, it sounds pretty much like what you're wanting to build. The only thing I would do differently with that coop is: make it bigger, use a conventional roof (rather than polycarb panels) and put in windows instead, and roof the whole run to begin with, not add the roof later.

A closed coop does get very hot in the summer. Be sure you've got plenty of shade for it!

 

[The Chicken Lady]

Check out your local bookstore or home improvement store for books about building sheds and chicken coops.