Things you've learned while building your coop...

[Skittleinaustin]

1. Put in a hinged door that you can easily use to dump treats in such as kitchen waste without having to enter the run. This is especially good when you travel and your DH has to do some of your chores for you under extreme protest.
2. Epsom salt baths are a coop builders best treats.

 

[NC Giants]

I would recommend having a seperate door for the chickens to exit than the one you use to enter. This keeps them from diving at the door when its open everytime you walk in with your arms full. I can leave mine open as i carry bags of feed in and they arent racing at the open door because they have never gone outside that way. But when i go near "thier" door they line up to get out and roam.

 

[Yetti]

its funny you should mention charging the door. my geese do that coming and going. when I put food in at night to get them in they have to move over to let me out.

 

[danib]

Kaela23, do you have picsof your coop?

 

[thekla]

I learned a lot from the first one, first, waterproof, I made my floor much stronger and used heavy vinyl composite tile for the new one, (check at a restore or other used or extra building supply shop or builders excess sale, these usually sell for about $1.60 or more but I got mine for 35 cents a sq foot ) I also raised the coop - although mine is a bit bigger - 8x40 feet - THE SINGLE BEST THING that I did in the new coop - I made my roosts hinged, at the wall and the leg,so they can be folded up against the wall (I use a bungee hooked into my 1" hardware cloth to hold them up while I clean) what this means is no legs in the way when I clean the floor, this probably is not that necessary in a tiny coop, but for any larger one, not having to get the shovel around the legs and not having to stoop to get the floor under the roosts = AWESOME.
What I learned since building the second one it is that if you have enough room, section off a smaller area for young birds, then just leave to connecting door open once you integrate them into the flock, or just use the smaller area for supplies and tools. lots of ventilation - I put 1 inch hardware cloth on the top 2 feet on both the long sides of the coop, I like the 1" better than the 1/2 because it doesn't get clogged with the "cobwebs" like the little stuff, although I do live in an area that has slightly warmer winters so that much ventilation might not work in all areas, if it does get cold, I just staple plastic over it (and in the smaller area if I have chicks in cool weather). Guess that is all my "wisdom" for the moment, have fun. PS you can usually find miss mixed paint for a fraction of the regular cost at many hardware stores, unless you have a specific color in mind.

 

[LisaYolkUm]

make sure the floor drains-----------now that is something I have not thought about...........

is this so you can hose it out or just manage water spills.

My avatar picture is a dresser I am building into a small coop for 2 bantams..........

make sure the floor drains.........I need to hear more about this!

 

[MacMMJ]

Chauntecleer's Keeper :
make your coop easy for your wife to clean out

Azelgin:
A wise neighbor once told me: "Never plant more lawn, than your wife can mow". Words to live by.

I am new to this forum but I am confident of the collective wisdom here.

 

[Hokum Coco]

I wish I had put my pop door one foot up from the coop floor instead of 6 inches.

 

[MelissaTXRn]

Very informative and entertaining thread!! Lve it. Thx for all the great tips.

 

[Hokum Coco]

Roost directly above nest boxes; Roost all one level; Poop trays 3 1/2 inches from roost; Catches eggs; I like!