Share Your Mistakes

[Quail_Antwerp]

Well, I built a huge coop to start....and still needed to build a second....so i would just plan on building two..

 

[ChickenToes]

1.) Bigger
2.) Better ventilation
3.) We should have finished it right off the bat. We were rushed and had to get the chicks out of the brooder, so we did the bare-bones construction with plans on finishing it in September.

Well, now it's November and it's still a tar paper shack with no insulation.

 

[jbowyer01]

I presently have 6 frizzled cochins. My coop is 4' wide x 8' long x 8 ' high, which includes the run (I just stared to let them free range a bit). They fit beautifully in it, with room to grow. #1 problem is now I want to add silkies or sizzles and I need more room (should have listened to BYC) so now we are talking about coop #2. I threatened to cut a pop hole into my hubby's work shed..thats the number #2 I would change...never jokingly threaten to hubby's shed (he was not amused! lol). So as said before #1 Bigger
#2 Bigger
#3 Bigger

 

[CityChook]

1. Ventilation: Make the roof overhangs generous and put the ventilation under the eaves. You won't have to run out in the rain/snow to close up the vents to keep water out of the coop. Plan plan plan ahead for your ventilation and how you will manage it. Much easier to do this while the walls are under construction than to get out the sawzall. Seriously.

2. Windows: Put in double hung windows that open from the TOP. The ventilation is better at the top and you eliminate draftiness at bird level while still having the window open. Also, my chickens always want to sit in the opened bottom window and gift me with poop. Gross.

3. Run: Cover it with a strong, solid ROOF that can hold snow. Lots of it so you don't have to worry about it caving in. Make the door to the run easy for humans and tall enough to enter without bending over and/or hitting your head. You'll use this door more than you realize.

4. Read everything you can on BYC. There is soooooo much information here to help you sidestep the most common mistakes. Enjoy!

 

[BeardedChick]

OK so all you who are posting you'd "build it bigger"... How many chickens do you have and how big is your coop? (square feet /bird)

Mine is 8x8 exterior, finished at 7x7 interior. I have 14 birds, two bantam, most are medium sized layers, two are big orps. They are outside on freerange all day. So I have ~3.5' per bird. A couple more would fit in without much trouble.

I want to add another 8x8 section next year, and want to keep 20 chickens or so after I get some new ones and rehome the under-performers.​

 

[SunAngel]

I wish my main coop was bigger also, its 10x16. It didn't take long to acquire the 30 standards and thats about all that fit in it. So we will be adding on next Spring.

I also wish I had one big long barn/coop with sections for ducks, juvies, bantams and whatever else, with separate runs out the back. I have 3 coops now, one for Bantams, one for Standards w/ a section for juvies and a brooder in it and a duck coop. Takes much longer to get everyone water, lock them up at night and clean them all than it would if they were all in one building. A building that had running water to it!

I would have covered the runs and slanted the ground so the water ran off better. I am a little worried about snow and ice pulling down the netting over the run this winter.

 

[CityChook]

Oops - sorry Superior Chicken. I just re-read your original post and you were looking for run information. I guess I need to read a little more thoroughly next time.

Add:

5. Put 4 inches of sand in your run. Dries out fast, is easy to clean and the chicken footprints are funny.

6. Make sure there's a section of run that gets direct sunshine. I feel bad sometimes that my birds are constantly in the shade. If I didn't think my DH would KILL me, I'd ask for an extension on my run to get a little bit of sunshine.

 

[Ferngully]

I too am new and in the planning stage, the "build it bigger" I too would like to know. Just how many will I end up with if I start out with lets say 10 birds. I want 5 DH says 10 to meet the family's egg consumption needs (4 of us, only 3 can eat eggs, I am allergic....rrrrr eat them anyway lol). So in the grand scheme of things of building bigger first, should I plan on a 100 birds lol.

I already have the problem of not being able to decide what breeds I want, had a list of 3, think it is up to 7 now. I need to quit looking at these pictures of beautiful birds and eggs huh.
So how many did other people start out with and then end up with, this would help me figure out just how much bigger I need to plan initially.

 

[BeardedChick]

Fern,

I'd say that part of needing more birds for us is that the fresh eggs are a little smaller than store eggs (especially when they first start laying), and so we often use two eggs instead of just one. Oh, and fresh eggs are so GOOD, everyone seems to eat them more often. My hens are laying bigger eggs now, and they still all get eaten.

So me using the number of store eggs we eat to plan how many chickens we needed didn't really work out the way I thought. Our family was eating about 6 store eggs a day, now we are eating at least 8 a day.

Plus I like having plenty of extras for family and friends.

The other factor is broody hens... I only have four that have gone broody, not all at once thank goodness, but it does put a dent in the daily egg count when a regular producer quits.

But I will say - start out with a number that you can easily manage and that are fun for you. Heated brooder space is harder for some people to come up with and may limit how many you can start at once (12 is about my max)...

 

[BeardedChick]

Oh, and the most important thing:

Welcome to BYC!