So tell me, what would you do differently with your coop???

[Tdub4chiks]

Build the coop BEFORE you get the fluffy butts. lol

 

[Mahonri]

I would have put a metal grid or shield over my sky light because a limb from the neighbors tree came down during a storm and broke the top part.

I would also have installed poop boards under the roosts.

 

[gsim]

I would have used old formica counter tops or galvanized sheet metal for all 4 of my poop boards. Easier to keep clean and far more durable. (Currently, I use linoleum over OSB.)

Gerry

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I agree with Tianychikie about not needing insulation. The chickens that may have problems are those with large combs getting a touch frostbite. So try and stick with rose or pea comb roosters and no worries, Did'nt the Wyandotte originate in your neck of the woods? If you think about the proper ventilation needed to keep your birds healthy then you start to realize insulating is futile. Venting out moisture without having artic blasts of air blowing directly on the chickens is all you (I mean they) need.

You'll need 2 waterers with that many birds so make sure and get one that has a built in heater for winter months for in the coop.

There is a new thread here on 4 steps to keeping a clean coop. That will give you some ideas to keep in mind with coop design too. Side note to that is sealing your floor and lower walls with laquer or sanding sealer is almost as good as linolium flooring for easy clean up/ quick drying.

 

[LaurelRidgeDreams]

I would not have taken so long to decide to use a poop board under the roosts and put the roosts all on the same level. I LOVE this part of my coop. So easy to clean and my birds don't fight.

 

[PepsNick]

Quote:

 

[PepsNick]

I'll take some pictures later today

 

[Judy]

Be sure to read Patandchickens' pages on ventilation and cold weather coops; she is really smart about coops, among other things. You'll want an angled roof in that climate, surely, because of the snow. Use hardware cloth to cover the holes under the eaves, and you MIGHT have enough ventilation.

I would not recommend external nest boxes in that climate. Too fussy to build, too cold, too likely eggs will freeze, etc. Unless you plan to collect eggs in high heels on the way to work, I really don't see the point (really.) You will want a walk-in coop, and you will want to go inside at least once a day anyway.

These are just a couple of thoughts. There is a ton of good advice in the coops section; read, a lot. And I strongly second what everyone else has said about lots of space, especially in that climate. 10 sq ft per chicken in the coop would not be overdoing it at all, because there will be days they won't want to go out. I have about 7 sq ft per bird because mine tend to stay inside during the heat of the day in the summer; I'm so glad I don't have a smaller coop.

Oops, forgot to add the link: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/profile.php?id=1642

 

[newchicksnducks]

What a great idea...build the coop BEFORE getting the birds!

I would, like most everyone else, have made my coop larger. It is a converted club/tree house that we chopped off it's stilts and moved to another side of the property. At 8x8, I would have thought it would hold as many birds as I wanted, but my problem is, I always want more

I used an old upper kitchen cabinet inside the coop to hold DE, poop scraper (aka paint scraper), metal dust pan (also poop scraper), and misc odds and ends. It would be great if there were room inside the coop for storing feed, but I need all the floor space I can get for by chickens.

I wish I would have thought the run out more. It is large, about 25x35...and will therefore be hard to cover. I did not think about covering the run before. But last winter I lost 2 birds in 3 days due to predators (fox and hawk) Two strands of electric fence spaced 12" apart running around the run will help deter foxes, but not hawks. I currently have deer netting stretched across the top, but with the snow we had last night, I can see this won't last for winter.

I live in NE Ohio, and we have not insulated our coop. While we do have ventilation that is not closed off in winter (although windows are closed to only 1-2" openings), the chickens did fine all winter. Do invest in a heated waterer of some sort - ours is the 3 gal heated plastic water...works great.

When we had the most birds (15) in the coop, our 4 nesting boxes were all used...but some more than others. While one nest box would have one egg in it, another would have 7! Think 1 box for every 4 birds. I collect my eggs from inside - no outside door on nest boxes. This makes me do a visual inspection of the coop every day, instead of a quick gather and run back into the warm house, lol! Good luck!

 

[tedabug]

I have a small coop, but would have bought/made a taller one. I have to duck down to clean the night poop and collect eggs. A taller coop would be less of a back ache....