Question? What common mistakes are made when building chicken coop

[liaanne17]

I'm building a chicken coop and I want to know some of the most common mistakes are.

 

[sourland]

Build it twice as big as you think you will ever need - chickens are addictive.

 

[liaanne17]

Thanks I will post some pictures of it later

 

[nab58]

Agreed about the size. I think it's natural to keep adding chickens until you run out of space.

I'd also add to be sure to make it easy to clean and predator proof. Be sure to use hardware cloth for the outside run. Some other may say proper ventilation but that seems easy to mr
E.

 

[liaanne17]

here is my coop in progress

 

[tcstoehr]

Yes, size. People rarely regret building too large, but often regret building too small.

Preditor-proof. Common mistake is using flimsy materials like chicken-wire. Gaps must be tight and where the roof meets the walls must be secure so nothing can squeeze through there.

Ventillation. A good sized window each on opposing sides of the coop should allow enough cross ventillation. But keep the roosting bar away from that crossing air so they don't get wind blown while they're trying to sleep.

 

[kardar2]

I'm building a chicken coop and I want to know some of the most common mistakes are.

look at my post " what I have learned in one year" I just posted it

 

[henless]

Size is the #1 problem with new chicken owners. Build it as big as you can afford, even if you end up not getting chicken fever, the ones you have will love the extra space. I built a 10x20' coop. Now I'm splitting it in half to make two, but I'm also making 4 more.

Here is a great article on chicken room: How much room do chickens need

Ventilation is another problem. You can never have too many ventilation options. You can put up tarps or plastic to stop air flow for those times you need to. You can put shutters on the openings to open/close as needed. It's easier to put these in during your build then later.

A good article on ventilation: Chicken coop ventilation

I use a horizontal nipple bucket for water and a bucket feeder for feed. Saved me on daily chores. I change the water once a week or less, depending on the weather. When it's really hot, I do it weekly or couple times a week to give them fresh water. My feeder holds 25 lbs of feed. It will last me at least 2 weeks, maybe a few days longer.

A link to both of these are in my signature.

I use the deep litter method and only clean my coop once a year. Some people use sand and clean daily/weekly. It just depends on what you want to do and what works.

Just remember that what ever methods you use for your chickens, you will probably be making a few changes to suit your setup. Just have fun and enjoy your chickens!

 

[rgunn1]

Yes, size. People rarely regret building too large, but often regret building too small.

Yep. I'm working on coop number two only about two months after finishing coop number 1. A bigger coop also makes it MUCH easier to maintain. I learned that quickly from experience. This is the best picture I had, taken right when the coop was completed. 5x10 for the run, and with the feeder, waterer and a little tub of grit, there isn't much space left for my 9 birds.



And a newer pic for perspective. It's obvious I should have painted it, as two months worth of nothing but ran has wrecked up the plywood siding.

 

[junebuggena]

Build it about twice as big as you think you need it to be. Also take into consideration winter weather. If you live some place where the weather will keep your chickens in the coop for several days on end, coop size and covered run areas should be given extra consideration. Also make sure there are several roosts at different heights. Always use hardware cloth to cover all gaps. Chicken wire and wire fencing are not predator proof. If you use them in the run, close your chickens in the secure coop for the night. Also make sure the latches are secure. Keep in mind that raccoons are very intelligent and have opposable thumbs.