Roast my coop...

[JKLanier84]

Roast my coop!

This coop and run were built with scraps, only spent $150-$200 in chicken wire.
I'm already planning for a much bigger and more elaborate setup in a better location, and figured a roast would be a great way to plan for the new coop

We just put our very first batch of chicks in the coop from the brooder, and already know I made a ton of mistakes. Biggest one is location. Its only 25' from my bedroom windows. Its too close to the fence. No access to the back and poor ventialtion. Its just barely big enough for the 15 we have now. Coop 6x12, Run 12x25

 

[FowlRancher]

It's not as bad as you think it is for a first time coop made out of scraps. Good job, I'm sure it will get better over time!

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. Where, in general, are you? Climate matters so if you put your location into your profile people will be able to give you better-targeted advice when you ask questions.

That's not too bad for a first coop, scrap build. You didn't fall for the prefab marketing giving your birds plenty of elbow room to live in and you've got great access to the inside for cleanout.

First thing, height is your friend when it comes to ventilation. The guidelines suggest a minimum of 1 square foot per adult, standard-sized hen but that's one of the things that vary by climate. Here in the Steamy Southeastern USA I find that I need at least double or triple that OR deep shade to keep a coop under 100F on a 90F day (my normal summer weather is 95F with 95% humidity).

Height allows you to get the ventilation up over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

Second, your nests are higher than your roosts. Chickens prefer to sleep as high up as possible.

Here's a great article on how high to put things: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coop-stack-up-how-high-stuff-works-well.73427/

Third, you want to be able to reach the far back corner of any space you can't walk into. Chickens WILL lay eggs back there, get sick back there, stubbornly hide back there, and even die back there.

Fourth, you mentioned chicken wire. That's not predator-proof. Dogs, coyotes, raccoons, and some other predators tear right through it. Weasels, snakes, and rodents slip right through it. 1/2" hardware cloth.

But a big thumbs up for you for giving them so much valuable SPACE and, though you say it's poorly ventilated, it has MUCH more ventilation than most of the coops you might have bought.




Here are some links to larger coops that might inspire you for the future:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/alaskan-woods-coop.75752/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-coop.76267/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/post-and-beam-styled-coop-run.76181/reviews
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/le-palais-de-poulet-the-chicken-palace.67196/
https://countryliving.blog/2021/06/15/my-coop/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-mulligan.74743/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-coop-page.65912/

And my build thread for my own large, Open Air coop since I don't have the coop page finished yet. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/large-open-air-coop-in-central-nc.1443812/

 

[Battlepants]

Nestboxes - I'd probably put a walkway in front of these. This way you don't have chickens hopping directly up into a nest box, potentially landing on eggs or another laying hen. Also, the more the better. I don't know how many hens you plan on having, but this will support about 10-12. Edit - reread the origional post and you have 15. I'd probably add another 1-2 nestboxes.

Clutter/Supports - Cleanout favors coops with little touching the floor. If you can make horizontal supports to the walls instead of to the floor, your cleanout is going to be much easier.

Ventilation - The only real complaint that I have here is that your ventilation is at the same level as your roost bars. You will want this above the heads of your chickens ideally. I'd probably just remove that upper roost bar from this situation.

Nestbox vs Roost height - Chickens will sleep in the highest position they can reasonably reach. And with sleep, comes poop. Soooo much poop. If your nestboxes are above your roostbars, you end up with hens sleeping in them, and pooping a lot. Nobody wants poopy eggs.

Overall, I wouldn't call this bad by any means. There are a few things that I would suggest modifying to make it a bit better, but this is mostly doable within the scope of what you already have. Additionally, this absolutely blows the prefabs out of the water, at a fraction of the price. Good job!


Other stats based on 15 birds
6x12 coop - 72 sq feet - 4.8 per bird - good
12x15 run - 300 sq feet - 20 per bird - good

 

[3KillerBs]

I don't know how many hens you plan on having, but this will support about 10-12. Edit - reread the origional post and you have 15. I'd probably add another 1-2 nestboxes.

As a general rule, one nest supports 3-5 hens. Those 5 nests should support up to 20 hens -- though I like to offer an extra or two myself.

 

[Battlepants]

As a general rule, one nest supports 3-5 hens. Those 5 nests should support up to 20 hens -- though I like to offer an extra or two myself.

Relooked at the pictures and they DO have 5 nests. I only saw 3 the first time through, haha.

 

[Battlepants]

Also, I'm not sure if this is within the scope of this thread, but throwing this out there anyway.

That yard is a nice size for them, but that fence isn't going to do much. Once they are fully feathered and have some reason to want to jump over that fence, they will all be jumping right over without any issue.

You could clip wings, but in this particular situation I would suggest against it. It would almost be better for them to be able to escape in the event that some predator gets in there.

Ideally, I would get a full coverage going for this setup. Keep in mind the three angles of attack:
Burrowers - create a skirt of hardware cloth
Land Dwellers - covering the sides
Flyers - covering the top

As a middle ground, providing some cover in the yard is a good start. This could be something like overturned lawnchairs or anything similar. If it is big enough to hide a few chickens, it's good enough for yard clutter.