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

[CityChook]

Save your pennies. That coop is going to cost twice what you think...

 

[Schroeder]

On the door swing issue. Initially mine opened to the inside, but this created a three inch threshold in which rain water collected, and then seeped under the door. When I reversed the door to an outward swing, I was able to have the door flush with the siding allowing the rain to better run off the building rather than into the floor.

Create more than one pop door, on different sides of the coop, especially if you have 2x4 walls with insulation. Temporarily cover the unusued door(s). If ever you add an additionally run, you won't have to cut through a finished wall.

 

[vermontgal]

for mendogurl and anyone else interested in my "shelf" for my waterer. It is kind of like a catwalk along one of the walls of my coop. It is an 8"x3' long board that connects the dropping board (2'x4') to the waterer, which is in the corner against the wall.

Here's a pic of my waterer inside the heated dog bowl. I have a small waterer as I only have 4 chickens. The roost & dropping board are over on the left (out of sight). The waterer is in a corner. I just took some additional pics of my coop and will try to add them here later. This isn't a great pic.

 

[Zahboo]

Great ideas peoples! Keep it coming. Make sure you coop stands up to hurricanes!

 

[kenman]

Make sure if you put a top on your run or coop of 2/4's and chicken wire that you make sure you allow extra inches in height because poop will build up several inches in the run.

 

[NapsWithChickens]

Bury the wirecloth of your run a foot down ... we went so far as to add concrete to the bottom of the trench. We have determined predators.

Run wirecloth around the base of your coop as well - bury it the same way.

We also ran it under the floor joists of the coop above the ground to deter rats from chewing their way up into the coop.

Use removeable roost rods or an angled roost ladder so you can remove or lift them when cleaning the coop.

If possible, place windows opposite from each other for cross ventilation in the summer.

Storage: room for straw, wood chips, bags of feed, dicotomous earth, meds, tools (for cleaning, repair, toe nail trimming, etc), feed suppliments (flax seed, oats, etc). If you are like me, you want to buy in bulk to save money and trips to the feed store. That sounds like a great idea until you have to store it all.

Cover your runs in wire cloth. Then roof that with clear corrogated plastic sheets. It will keep the rain out, provide shade and keep extra litter out. (I do this because our pop door to the coop stays always open to the run so that the girls can go in as late as they want and get up as early as they want. In the winter and early spring, we let them out to free range in the garden, but otherwise, they are kept in the runs.

My runs abut the coop on one side, so have 3 wire "walls". In the winter, I lower a thick plastic sheeting down on the two windy sides to keep the rain from blowing in. The girls love to take their nice, dry dirt baths all winter. AND it makes it much more pleasant to clean the runs and hang out with the chickens.

Run electricity out to the coop and storage areas. Have access to an outlet so you can plug in heat lamps over the roosts in the winter, etc. Have lighting in the coops, storage area and out to the runs. A motion activated light near the coop is nice so that you aren't working in the dark until you get to the light switch. (Helps the kids to feel safer, too.)

Put wire cloth over windows on the outside of the coop (if it is outside the shelter of the run) before attaching the window trim. Keeps them safe and looks neater. The only down side is that you can't clean the windows on the outside with many windows.

Keep a boot tray full of various sizes of rubber boots and clogs so that visitors, friends and the whole family can go out together.

And, I agree that it pays to think ahead. If you leave the possiblity open that you may want to expand your runs or coop, see if you can place your first one in such a way to make that possible in the future. I'm planning my run extension and a small coop for additional birds. I wish that I had laid out my coop and runs differently so I'd have more room. ~Sigh~ Now my kids are teasing me that we'll have to move so I can have more room for my chickens! You know, if the market weren't so horrible, I'd be seriously tempted! LOL

 

[damselfish]

Raise your coop up off the ground. It doesn't have to be by much, we used those concrete deck-blox that they sell at Lowe's (you put your 4x4s upright in them to form the corners).

Raising it totally cuts down on dampness problems and we have had zero rodents & snakes too, even though there are many around.

Second the notion from above: DON'T make a door you can lock yourself in with. BTDT, had to kick out a window screen to get out. Late for work, haven't lived it down yet.

And last, do not tell your husband that the coop he is planning to build is too large and expensive, and then ask him to expand the coop three months later.

 

[fpscabs]

17. Remember that a 4' wide roll of hardware cloth does not give you two true 2' halves. Only one 24" and the otherside is 23 1/2".

18. Plan your runs according to material available.

My run is 3" too long for a bunch of 2" sections. Now, I have to get creative with the hardware cloth. I could have cut down the run length by 3" and would have saved a bunch of extra work and cost of more hardware cloth.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Check prices of alternative materials. I planned to use 2x2's for certain things but 2x4's were cheaper and are not as warped, making them easier to work with.

 

[Mahonri]

In warm climes, more ventilation and lots of shade.

I'm thinking of putting in insulation and installing an AC unit in one of the windows. It gets up to 115 in the summer.