This is my plan

[W_Tx_Geo_Chick]

https://myoutdoorplans.com/animals/easy-chicken-coop-plans/

This is the plan I believe I am going to tentatively follow with some slight modifications. I have never built anything before in my life but I believe this one is doable for me. Since I live in an extremely hot part of West Texas I am planning to raise it a little higher for added shade for the girls (& possible boys): I’m also planning to add more openings for airflow, a large door that opens at one end for cleaning, and making the footprint and sides out of whole sheets of plywood at 4’ x8’. My husband thinks I should use 2x4 boards instead of 2x2, this is still being discussed and we are going to use tin on the roof instead of shingles.

From now until my babies are old enough to go out we have approximately 8.5 weeks to get this ready! My husband works out of town and is on,y home on the weekends so it will mostly be myself and my boys working on it. Should be an interesting learning experience for them while we are all stuck at home!

This is a free set of plans and if anyone else has used this one I would love any tips or pictures!

 

[Folly's place]

Welcome!
Mine has roof shingles, not metal, and people with a metal roof on the coop say that it's necessary to have plywood or something under the metal to prevent moisture dripping into the coop. Check it out first.
Do you really want to have to crawl into the coop, and crawl under it? I'd recommend a walk-in coop instead, on a foundation, not above ground. Make sure your drainage for the coop and run are very good, because water there will be awful, and so much more difficult to fix later.
LOTS of ventilation! How about a three sided shed type building instead?
It can't be too large, unless you are restricted to four or six hens where you live. Otherwise, 'chicken math' will strike, and it will be too small very soon.
Mary

 

[W_Tx_Geo_Chick]

I’d rather have something we can close up completely at night due to the amount of predators we have here. Skunks, big dogs, coons, and the occasional mountain lion or bear! Definitely keep plywood under the tin! Not quite ready to go to a solid foundation yet. I figure this is a good start and later on if go bigger we can use this one as a grow out coop or a quarantine. Thinking of putting it about 15” off the ground so it won’t be too terrible to get into. Still working on that detail. For ventilation I am even considering some kind of solar exhaust fan or even two. Most certainly lots more windows than the original plan has!!

 

[B-Goock]

I have built a couple coops similar. 4'x8' platform style nonwalkin. They are ok but present some difficulties.
Cleaning can be a hassle because you'll have to be bent over and can't reach all the way across. Then the head conk. Then times will come about with a sick, injured, or broody hen in a corner that you can't reach. My suggestion would be make it that you can walk into it.

As for lumber I would just go 2x4. Less likely to split when nailing. Also will be strong enough to the shelving into for storage.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How many birds do you plan on keeping in this? I noticed there's no mention of where to place the roosts... and the "logical" spots, width wise across the top of the walls, are problematic since there's insufficient head space on the sides.

 

[W_Tx_Geo_Chick]

How many birds do you plan on keeping in this? I noticed there's no mention of where to place the roosts... and the "logical" spots, width wise across the top of the walls, are problematic since there's insufficient head space on the sides.

If I make it slightly bigger than the given plan I can put 3 across the width or doone lengthwise. I’m planning 7 for now. Lengthwise would make it roughly 8’ long with the peak from the floor 5.5’ tall.