Rookie chicken coop

[Hawgon]

We are looking to get some egg laying chicks in the spring and this is our coop and run setup so far. Any ideas and/or comments would be appreciated. It will have a full roof and hardware cloth 30" up all sides and other wire to the roof above that. I plan on usinrg a low pressure watering system using roof run off as some of the water. How do I post pic to this thing?

 

[mommissan]

You need 10 posts then you can post your pics.

 

[Hawgon]

Thanks momsmissan, saw it on faq....duh read first, write second

 

[GA_in_GA]

Just post a few more replies, go introduce yourself, and 10 will be easy.

Also

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Cant wait to see the finished product. We like lots of pictures here so make sure you take lots while building!

 

[bobbieschicks]

That looks like a great design. Can't wait to see the finished product!

If you plan to paint - do it before you put the hardware cloth in place - I made that rookie mistake last time and ended up having to paint with tiny paint brushes where the wire had been poultry stapled down.

Also if you plan to use sand - don't get play sand - it's too fine and will wash away easily - I had used up the play sand from our kids sandbox, but it is mostly washed away now- instead use construction sand like the kind they use for pool installs - it will hold together nicely and make for easy poop clean up.

Do you plan to have a ramp? If so make sure the angle isn't too steep and has some rungs on it to give them footing, or the ramp will be more like a slip and slide then climb. Mine like to fly up and hop down off things - so ramps aren't all that important for them. However, when chickens get fat and old apparently they like ramps. I'm still waiting for those days since mine are still young.

If I were making a new run, I would make sure the door to the run is at least as wide as a wheel barrow - it's a pain to haul stuff like sand in and out otherwise.

And of course leave room for expansion later - because chicken math increases expotentially and chicken loving fever can hit unexpectedly

Here's a pic of my coop/run

 

[krcote]

Great use of a space that likely didn't do much for you before

I am not sure where you are located, but cover your run with a roof if you can. It seems almost all climates benefit from cover for some reason or another. If you get lots of snow like us, the sturdier the better!

 

[homesteader wannabe]

I would just add that if you're planning on catching run-off from the roof, try to avoid asphalt shingles. All kinds of nasty petroleum chemicals leach into the water, making it unsuitable even for using in the garden.

 

[Katydid2011]

Welcome to BYC! It looks like you're off to a good start.

 

[Hen Mistress]

Looks good so far. Not certain where you are but I would recommend the hardware cloth all around and at the very least bottom and all the way to the top on the fence side. We are in a neighborhood and predators can walk along the tops of fences. I watch raccoons, cats and even bobcats get around on fence tops. You may have other ones as well. I could also imagine wild birds sitting along the top waiting to get into the coop for the food and possibly exposing the hens to disease.

Good luck!