Thoughts or advice on this coop?

[sarabeth485]

Hi all! I’m wondering what some of you experienced chicken keepers think of this coop design?

https://cutestcoops.com/collections/shop-luxury-chicken-coops/products/customizable-chicken-coop-4x6

My super handy husband would be building me a coop based on this one and with an attached and covered run of about 4x8ish.

Our flock will be 5 bantams who are arriving in the spring.

Just looking for some feedback and/or suggestions. Thanks!

 

[DobieLover]

It's cute but lacks year round ventilation and I personally don't like the interior layout.

I'd make the cupola fully functional for good ventilation up at the ridge, open up the spaces between the rafters and secure these areas with 1/2" hardware cloth before installing the siding.

I would also add LARGE top hinged windows on both of the load bearing walls. These windows will allow a cross breeze across the roost during summer months.

You will only need 2 nest boxes and I would put the roost running along the 8' wall opposite the nest boxes, centered over poop board with the roost being 12-14" away from the wall. Also look at this way of building a bump out nest box as top hinged boxes are notorious for leaking.

I would also make the run at least 8x10 and high enough to walk-in with a solid roof if at all possible.

I know you only want a few bantams, but things change and you should have it designed for 6 LF chickens... just in case.

 

[sarabeth485]

It's cute but lacks year round ventilation and I personally don't like the interior layout.

I'd make the cupola fully functional for good ventilation up at the ridge, open up the spaces between the rafters and secure these areas with 1/2" hardware cloth before installing the siding.

I would also add LARGE top hinged windows on both of the load bearing walls. These windows will allow a cross breeze across the roost during summer months.

You will only need 2 nest boxes and I would put the roost running along the 8' wall opposite the nest boxes, centered over poop board with the roost being 12-14" away from the wall. Also look at this way of building a bump out nest box as top hinged boxes are notorious for leaking.

I would also make the run at least 8x10 and high enough to walk-in with a solid roof if at all possible.

I know you only want a few bantams, but things change and you should have it designed for 6 LF chickens... just in case.

Thanks for the ideas!
I was already planning on just two nest boxes. Thanks for the alternate design idea for those. Didn’t know about the leaking.

We’ve been talking about rearranging windows for better ventilation. When you say top hinge do you mean like like swing upward and prop open?

Also we were going to skip the cupola and put vents in each peak near the roofline.

And definitely planning to add poop boards.

 

[3KillerBs]

Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters -- particularly when it comes to housing.

If that cupola is functional, it *might* be adequately ventilated -- especially if you make the windows top-hinged. But it should have wider roof overhangs in all directions.

You might want to look at my Little Monitor Coop, which is designed for 4 adult, large-fowl hens. A competent handyman could easily expand it to 4x6 -- moving the access door to the long wall because it's important to be able to reach every part of the coop.

It's commonly said that bantams take half the square footage of large-fowl chickens, but the minimum suggested dimensions are still pretty tight. Look at these photos of 3, 19-week cockerels, who aren't *quite* the size of an adult hen, in a 4x8 coop:

It doesn't really look all that big, does it? And see how much space the feeder -- and the waterer you can't see just inside the door -- take up? But it's the size of your proposed run.

A run for 5 chickens would be a minimum of 50 square feet. 8'x8' would be an easy build given the standard sizes of lumber and you wouldn't regret giving your birds some extra room.

We’ve been talking about rearranging windows for better ventilation. When you say top hinge do you mean like like swing upward and prop open?

Yes, like this coop: https://countryliving.blog/2021/06/15/my-coop/

I second the desirability of front-drop-down nest access.

 

[DobieLover]

We’ve been talking about rearranging windows for better ventilation. When you say top hinge do you mean like like swing upward and prop open?

Also we were going to skip the cupola and put vents in each peak near the roofline.

Or hang with a chain.

I would add a ridge vent along with the gable vents.

 

[sarabeth485]

Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters -- particularly when it comes to housing.

If that cupola is functional, it *might* be adequately ventilated -- especially if you make the windows top-hinged. But it should have wider roof overhangs in all directions.

You might want to look at my Little Monitor Coop, which is designed for 4 adult, large-fowl hens. A competent handyman could easily expand it to 4x6 -- moving the access door to the long wall because it's important to be able to reach every part of the coop.

It's commonly said that bantams take half the square footage of large-fowl chickens, but the minimum suggested dimensions are still pretty tight. Look at these photos of 3, 19-week cockerels, who aren't *quite* the size of an adult hen, in a 4x8 coop:

View attachment 2984337View attachment 2984348


It doesn't really look all that big, does it? And see how much space the feeder -- and the waterer you can't see just inside the door -- take up? But it's the size of your proposed run.

A run for 5 chickens would be a minimum of 50 square feet. 8'x8' would be an easy build given the standard sizes of lumber and you wouldn't regret giving your birds some extra room.



Yes, like this coop: https://countryliving.blog/2021/06/15/my-coop/

I second the desirability of front-drop-down nest access.

I’m in central Iowa, so in general warm summers and cold winters.

Definitely larger roof overhangs to provide protection.

The actual run size will depend on yard dimensions once the weather warms enough for further planning. The yard is little though, hence the choice of bantams. I’m thinking full height walk in coop and run for ease of maintenance.

 

[sarabeth485]

Or hang with a chain.
View attachment 2984365

I would add a ridge vent along with the gable vents.

I like this for the windows. I’ve been trying to figure out how to get functional hardware cloth lined windows.

 

[3KillerBs]

I’m in central Iowa, so in general warm summers and cold winters.

Definitely larger roof overhangs to provide protection.

The actual run size will depend on yard dimensions once the weather warms enough for further planning. The yard is little though, hence the choice of bantams. I’m thinking full height walk in coop and run for ease of maintenance.

Full height is always nice.

Walk-in half-height is NOT: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/another-reason-to-build-a-full-height-coop-run.1484191/

 

[Boise-girls]

That is a cute coop, and it's great that you have a handy, willing hubby!

I would make both the coop and run as large as practical, even with banties (which is what I have). Even if you're planning to free-range, there may be times you'll need to keep them shut in for extended periods - predators, bad weather, disease, vacation....

The coop and run have a way of getting a lot smaller when your birds are in there. They will get along better with more space, and you won't feel as bad when you need to shut them in. Plus, it will give you more flexibility if you need to separate birds due to wounds, behavior, etc.

I have six banties in a 6x8 coop and a 8x16 pen. It seems about right for now because they have a larger area where they can semi-free range. But, I would probably expand the pen if they could no longer be out part of the time (e.g., bird flu). We do have a largish lot, though, so admittedly more options.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Others have already mentioned ventilation and a larger run, but also looking at the layout... in both plans the roosts are a bit too close together. Might be ok if you're only doing bantams but I'd still prefer to space them further apart to lessen chances of birds bullying each other on the roost. At minimum roosts should be 12" from wall, and for bantams maybe 12" apart (14-16" minimum for standards).

To fit them in assuming you go with that layout, I would move the pop door ("run door") further towards the "entrance" and remove the nest that's closest to middle, and that'll give you plenty of room for the roosts.