suggestions needed on coop design plan

[GallowayFarms]

hey anny,

Ok. Like the poster above said. I would recommend putting foam board insulation on the outside of the coop.

If you can get your hands on some old cinder blocks those are about 8" high and great for holding coops of the ground. prob need about 6 of them.

I designed this coop so you can get lowes or homedepot to cut the plywood for you. Most of the time they will give you free cuts when you buy stuff. You will need 6 4x8' sheets of plywood. The floor of it needs to be 3/4" treated plywood since it is going to have the litter on it plus the weight of the other pieces of wood on it.

I have two 100 watt light blubs in this coop. You can get ceramic light fixtures at most home depots and lowes that attach to the ceiling. I would see if you can find one that you can put a red cover over. You can leave these lights on in the winter and it should be enough to heat the house. The red covers will help it not be so bright to the hens when they are roosting.

I have two 12" 1x1" blocks on each wall to put your poop tray on. that way you can slide the self in and out to clean it. You can make the tray by cutting a piece of plywood then screwing 1x1" boards around the outside.

I use play ground swing chains to hang my feeders and waterers from the roof of my coops. Get a candiler hook at a hardware store to hang it from.

If you have any more questions or need something else drawn out let me know.

Good Luck

Nick




Here are those drawings.

One is a top view and the other is a front view.

 

[Anny]

Is the nesting box ok at floor level? For some odd reason I was thinking they needed to be raised higher.

Will I only need one nesting box...or should I put two?

I really like the idea of having it raised on blocks much easier then trying to build a table like thing.


Thank you so much! I'm gonna steal many ideas from your stretch (and probly almost all the measurements )

Do you think I could put all the roost in one corner...kind of like this:

But with a shelf under it.

How much roosting space would 4 hens require?

 

[GallowayFarms]

I drew it so you could use the measurements.

I put the roosts in there the way i did bc you wanted a shelf under the roosts. they are easy to get to and clean.

you can put the nesting boxes anywhere. Sometimes my chickens will lay eggs on the ground in the run. CRAZY GIRLS.

Anyways good luck and send me a pm if you have anymore questions.

Cheers

Nick

 

[Anny]

Thank you so much for all your help!

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
As long as you have well-behaved (well-trained, naturally inclined to lay in the box) hens. Some people have problems with floor-level boxes if the hens are kind of 'on the fence' about where to lay. Me, I use floor-level boxes no problem, although it's with sex-links that are BRED to know what a nest box is for

Will I only need one nesting box...or should I put two?

One is fine for 3-4 hens. You need the floorspace more than you need another box.

How much roosting space would 4 hens require?

at least 3', preferably a little more.

I seriously doubt you will need to use lightbulbs to heat your coop, certainly not *most* of the time and quite likely not at all. Assuming you have appropriate breeds for your climate.

Have fun,

Pat​

 

[CATRAY44]

Hello Anny, I am in Michigan, too...

 

[Anny]

How high off the ground should the nesting box be? One foot...or two feet?

 

[Anny]

For the side of my coop would this be an ok set up, with two nesting boxes??

So there are 2 nesting boxes each 1 foot squared.

Should I have the roof slanted or am I just making more work for myself? honestly? (remember the coop is inside of the garage but I would like it to look nice.)

 

[5peeps]

Your coop looks like mine , I am almost done with it I did everything 4ft. I found it was less cutting and waste .
If you have any questions let me know .
here is a link :

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=57286

regards
Will

 

[Anny]

I've been thinking about doing it that way actually. I think you may have convinced me. My only worry was it would be hard to reach the back.