Small Coop Design Parameters

[uber_franz]

Howdy from the Colorado Front Range! This is my first post. Great site!

We are initially planning on 4 birds with allowance to expand up to 6 birds in the future (limited by town ordinance).

So after browsing the BYC site, I've compiled a list of chicken coop design parameters for "regular" sized birds:

1. 4 sq-ft per bird in the coop.
2. 10 sq-ft per bird in the run.
3. Nest/Laying boxes should be roughly 12" square and 10" tall and accessible from outside.
4. Insulation - may or may not be necessary depending on climate, but if you use it should not be accessible to peck at.
5. Ventilation - a must, but I haven't been able to find guidance on exactly how much. I'm currently planning on a 3" wide strip along the entire length at the top of the coop's long wall and another near the bottom on the other side to allow for cross/thermal currents. Ability to restrict ventilation may be required during very cold times.
6. Access for cleaning should be large and allow access to the entire coop without excessive reaching.
7. Line the floor and possibly the walls with linoleum and/or tile board for easy cleaning.
8. Locate food/water so they aren't easily pooped in, i.e. away from the roost pole.
9. Roost pole should be even all the way across.
10. Covered storage for supplies/tools nearby is handy.
11. A way to isolate birds that are misbehaving and/or sick is desirable.
12. Ability to access the coop/laying box/close doors/ without entering the run is suggested.

We have a 6'x12'x6' dog kennel that we are going to use for the run. Instead of installing the fourth 6' wall of the kennel, our coop will butt up to the other three walls.

Dimensions of the coop will be 6' long, 4' wide and 3-4' tall installed on a 2' tall platform. I'm considering two options for the platform: 1) enclosing it with siding for storage of tools/supplies or 2) incorporating it into the run to allow for a sheltered area. If the birds need shelter, wouldn't they just go back into the coop?

We think our dog will help to keep predators at bay during the day and the hens will be locked in the coop at night...

I'm planning to frame it up with 2x2s to keep the weight and cost down and will be making some visits to the Habitat Home Supply Stores to see what kind of cheap materials can be had. Hope to find some siding, linoleum and tileboard cheap there...

That's all I have thought of so far. Anything else to add?

Thanks for the great info and feedback!

Cheers,

Jeremy

 

[sephiroth]

http://catawbacoops.com/

I like these a lot. You can use it for a breeding pen, or a broody coop, or a coop for up to 6 birds. Easy and cheap enough to build. I am going to build a half-length version and use it for a broody coop.

 

[StevenMNielson]

From a former Littleton resident!

You seem to have it all - but the ventilation... There ar e afew threads for ventilation. The idea is the more the better! Especially during those hot Colorado summer days... but with the flexibility of closing them for the cooooold CO winters...

Try searching around for the vent link in this thread. I found it earlier today, as I am also building my first coop... It was very helpful!

 

[4CiTyCHicHENs]

yea, pretty much! have you throughly paroused the coop pics?? I'd do that. I have an ordinance of 4, Hens olny but, Im sure Ill get the itch & require a 5th or 6th hen... LOL

My coop/storage/run is a 10FT WIDE by 12FT Long rectangle, the left most 3x10 FT is a human storage side, the middle 3.5x10 is the coop (35SQFT @4 birds would be ~9 sqft indoors & @ 6 birds would be almost 6 sqft--more than reccommended) & the right 5.5x10 FT side is the hardware cloth enclkosed run (55 SQFT, @ 4 birds is almost 14 sqft outdoor & @ 6 birds is lil over 9 SQTFT outside--right @ the reccomended size).. Your coop plans sound perfect!! Try you local Restore & craiglist for vinyl rteplacement windows! they are cheap & just screw in!! in the 6.5x10 storage/coop Im going too have I plan to have 4/7 windows! I would even like a window on the roof!! skylight!! ventalation!!

 

[AnnesChicks]

Check out our set up - your plan sounds very much like what we have. My DH came with this after looking through all the examples on this site. We wanted a simple, functional and secure set up and didn't want to spend a fortune. Like you we used an old chainlink dog pen for the run and a lot of "re-cycled" materials for our coop. Think about elevating your coop, underneath the coop is their favorite dust bathing & napping spot. Plus being able to rake the dirty litter directly into a wheelbarrow makes clean up an easy job.

After a year with 8 hens we are still really happy with our set up, and so are they!

 

[uber_franz]

Wow! Thanks for the great feedback!

Cheers!

Jeremy

 

[patandchickens]

Another thing to consider, being somewhere that gets somewhat wintery: small coops are real hard to ventilate adequately in wintertime. It is hard to have the incoming air *not* fall right on the chickens, and because proportionately more ventilation is needed in a small-air-volume coop than in a large one it is also hard to keep the coop any warmer than nighttime outdoor lows.

Your best bet is to make the coop as large as you possibly can AND if it is doomed to be small and small-air-volume try to make it somewhat elongated so that you can have your wintertime ventilation open on the (downwind) side that is furthest from the roost.

I'm currently planning on a 3" wide strip along the entire length at the top of the coop's long wall and another near the bottom on the other side to allow for cross/thermal currents.

This is not going to work well... the long low vent will a) cause chaos when wind kicks up bedding, and b) create such bad drafts that you will only be able to use it in the hottest weather, at which point it will be an inadequate amount of ventilation *anyhow*. You do NOT need a cross-current, nor even two separate openings, for adequate wintertime ventilation (for more info on ventilation and wintertime and such you might take a look at the links in my .sig), and for summertime you will want more openable area than that so the coop doesn't get too hot.

It would be real good if you could leave the area underneath the coop available to chickens so they can go under there for shelter from sun, wind, rain, snow, etc. They would often much much rather be outdoors than indoors (and YOU are better off having them outdoors!) so especially where wintertime is an issue it's very helpful to give them a place like that where they can be outdoors yet sheltered. For wintertime you can put plexiglass or plywood or staple plastic over the 2 upwind sides for more protection (do NOT enclose the whole thing).

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[ColoradoMike]

Welcome to BYC, Jeremy!

I live in Ft. Collins and have been keeping chickens for almost one year. As you can see, BYC is an OUTSTANDING resource for expertise and advice from a broad spectrum of chicken owners.

Check out our coop on my BYC page - we have three hens and I plan to add one more this year - four will give us a few more eggs than we can use - being able to share our eggs with friends and neighbors was a big part of our embarking on this adventure... Of course, before we add another bird, I'm going to expand our secure run - I've found that 44 square feet for three birds is about as tight as I would ever want it - adding another 20-30 sq. ft. will be much better in the long run. Also, make sure you have a power source near the coop - I didn't heat our coop this winter (which turned out fine, despite our series of bitter cold sub zero periods) but keeping fresh, thawed water was a chore. So, at the least, you'll want to make plans on having a heated water dish of some sort...

Good luck!

 

[Dogfish]

Make sure your uprights are at least 2x4, not 2x2. 4x4 on concrete pier blocks would be best. You might get by with 2x2 in some areas, but certainly 2x4' minimum for the platform, walls and roof joists. With 2x4's under $2.00 each, they are a bargain.

 

[MelodyGraulich]

I just read the ventilation site. It's Page created byatandchickens. You need much more. I'm adding to mine in cold Utah after reading the site.