Topic of the Week - Building a Chicken Coop

[Vixen55]

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Pic by @bgchicken​

Many of us found that building vs buying a chicken coop can be a better option for economic and other reasons. And with summer in full swing (for most of us anyway!) and spring chickens moving outside, it's the time of the year when many new chicken owners start thinking "coop". So this week I'd like to hear your thoughts on coop building. For starters:

- Do's and don'ts - What did you wish you did differently or knew when you built your coop?
- What materials would you recommend (or not) and why?
- Coop size(s)?
- Money-saving tips for coop builders?
- Anything you'd like to add?

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For a complete list of our Topic of the Week threads, see here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive

This is so helpful! We’re still working and preparing to pour the slab so this topic is great. It always better to see do‘s and don’t’s from others!!

 

[SASnCoBYC]

Chickens are an addiction! Our flock grew from 17 to 22 and our purchased coop meant to house 15, quickly became too small. So we decided to build a bigger coop and second run. All in the last 3 months! The new coop is a work in progress..started about 3wks ago. Coop is 8x8 built with wood, has a tin roof and will have interior nest boxes. Bought 2 small double hung windows, but also recycled some windows we'd acquired. Coop is situated inside an approximately 50' x 25' chicken yard. Used roofing tin we had on hand to fence west and north side of yard which will protect it from winter winds. Tin goes down 18 to 20 inches below ground level. South and east sides are hardware cloth on bottom 4ft, going about 10 inches below ground, top 3 foot used chicken wire, will eventually put bird netting over entire yard. Main predator concerns are coyotes, and birds of prey, and stray cats. My husband worked on a vineyard at one time and remembered they used a pressure washer to dig the trenches to plant new vines, so he went and bought a pressure washer to make the trench for the tin and hardware cloth. Was a bit messy, but saved his back from digging! We added 10 more chicks bringing our flock to 32 last week. Because, when you have the space, you tend to fill it. The older pullets are now occupying the new coop and the babies are enjoying the smaller coop and run. Right now we are pretty happy with what we've built. We learned from the purchased coop that a full size door is a must. Our paint scheme was because the hubby likes to peruse the Walmart clearance aisle and brought home a pail of dark amethyst and a pail of white paint a couple months ago. They were $5 each. We lightened the amethyst to a charming lavender color with the white paint. Purple wouldn't have been my pick if I had a choice, but I think it's going to look cute once all the trim is put up. Had initially planned to line the interior walls with pallet wood, but time became an issue and we ended up buying exterior panels to do the inside and out. Still need to finish the ceiling and one of the exterior sides.

 

[3KillerBs]

My husband worked on a vineyard at one time and remembered they used a pressure washer to dig the trenches to plant new vines, so he went and bought a pressure washer to make the trench for the tin and hardware cloth. Was a bit messy, but saved his back from digging!

What an amazing idea!

 

[SASnCoBYC]

For all beginners.. Make it big! Real big. If you get "CHICKEN FEVER", you will want a few more hens. It is easier to build one house than build another later. You will see breeds that you desire or want a couple of the breed your friend has. If you get the fever for Chickens, you will want to expand your hobby.

Chicken fever...yup..that's definitely what hit me last week... couldn't resist the feather footed chicks in a different color than the ones I already had.

 

[papajoesfarm]

For any coop or run, start planning early. Before your first chicks, or second 100 chickens. Plan early, and constantly, until you get togethor a project plan that will work for your budget location, and flock size.

Then increase the size by 50%. At minimum. Because you will need more space than you thought you would. This seems to be a Law of All Things Chicken.

I have yet to build a coop, or run, or fenced in pen, where I have later said: "Gee, I should have built this smaller".

 

[BDutch]

I see I never reacted in this great thread of dear Sumi. My needs are different than most of you’re needs with only a small flock of bantams and a small garden (400 m2) . At the moment I have 6 adult bantams and 3 chicks. (never had more then 9 adult bantams).

Because this thread bumped up again I’ve been thinking about what I like and what improvements I could make.
This small prefab coop with tiny run and an extension on the right side is what I have now. The netted run is right behind the coop.

Inside (extension) with roosts an poop board:

It’s a nice place for my bantams because they have enough room in it for resting and there is an automatic -door to the run so they never have to stay in there from sunrise till dusk. And we live in a mild climate without harsh winters.

Let me answer the questions too: Do's and don'ts
- What did you wish you did differently or knew when you built your coop?
… Wish I bought a bigger coop 10 years ago. But then it made sense because the coop was a discounter and was a home for 2 rabbits .

- What materials would you recommend (or not) and why?
… Wood with hardware cloth , windows and fungi paint. Wood is easy to adjust if you like to make changes. Hwc for lots and lots of ventilation while keeping the chickens safe. Windows to block the rain and lets lots of light inside the coop. Wood and fungi paint (preserves the wood) are natural and don’t harm the environment in any way (100% circular).

- Coop size(s)?
… At least 2 meter roosts. And big enough to get in without having to crawl if I have to get in for some reason. Mine has maintenance from the outside, but sometimes it would be handy to go in for easy acces to the auto chickens door or the coop divider to close of the extension.

- Money-saving tips for coop builders?
… second hand materials

- Anything you'd like to add?
.. I do like to make one change. Build a higher roof or lift the whole thing up with a new frame under the whole thing. (+ 50 cm). But the problem is that this involves more changes. And the coop is already quit old (for a prefab) and it’s not worth the trouble. So maybe I better make a new coop within a year or 2.

 

[Shanaleeann]

To me the three most important things in building a coop (and run) are location, location, and location. If you put your coop (and run) in a low spot where water drains to it or stands you will have issues. If you build it where (or so) water drains away life will be much more pleasant. You need to keep it dry!

- Do's and don'ts - What did you wish you did differently, or knew, when you built your coop?

This is hard to answer because we all have our different preferences. My coop has been constantly evolving as I go along. You make your plans but they never work out exactly as you expect. We are all going to have different goals and conditions. Even if you have some experience your needs will change. Things you think you want are never used. I made a couple of my nests so I could access them from outside. I never use that feature, it’s much more convenient for me to just walk in and gather eggs. Some people really like access from outside, and if your coop is too small to get inside yourself it’s pretty necessary.

- What materials would you recommend (or not) and why?

Anything touching the ground needs to be able to stand up to touching the ground. Non-treated wood will rot pretty quickly in most climates unless you use special expensive varieties of wood. Some metals will rust. Pay attention to the foundation, use stuff that will last. That can be treated wood, special wood, certain metals, cinder block, brick, concrete, or something else. They can all work.

For roosts I want wood. Metal or plastic are good heat conductors while wood is a good insulator. Wooden roosts will stay warmer in winter and won’t be as hot in summer.

That’s about it for specific material recommendations. People successfully use wood, metal, or plastic in various combinations for coops. Some of that is personal preference, some might be climate, some might be what’s available or inexpensive.

- Coop size(s)?

You can follow the link in my signature for some of my thoughts on things to consider when determining coop size. We keep them in so many different climates, with different goals, set-ups, flock make-ups, and use so many different management techniques no one square foot number can fit us all. We are all unique.

Make it bigger than you think you need. I find the more I crowd them the more behavioral problems I have to deal with, the harder I have to work, and the less flexibility I have to deal with issues. A lot of this is about me, not the chickens. If I manage them right I can crowd them, but why make my life harder than it has to be?

Flexibility is priceless. If you shoehorn them into the tiniest space possible what do you do if you get a broody hen? Or if you need to separate an injured chicken for a while? Or try to integrate replacement chickens? If you plan your coop around free ranging all day so they only sleep and lay in the coop, what do you do if you have a predator issue?

You need to be able to access everything inside your coop. At some point that’s going to change from a small coop you can reach most places from outside to where you need a walk-in coop. Again, think about your convenience.

- Money saving tips for coop builders?

Consider the size of your building materials when planning your coop. If you are buying new, here in the States most building materials come in 4’ and 8’ standard dimensions. If you plan your build around this you can usually reduce cutting and waste. A 4’ x 8’ is probably not going to be much more expensive (if any) than a 3’ x 7’ and will probably be easier to build.

- Anything you'd like to add?

I’ll give links to a couple of articles that I think should be required reading for anyone building a coop (and run).

Pat’s Big Ol' Ventilation Page

http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION

Pat’s Big Ol' Mud Page (fixing muddy runs):

http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-fix-a-muddy-run

You will get a lot of advice on this forum, many people will tell you that you absolutely have to do things one specific way. But then you’ll see where someone did it totally differently and it still worked. There is practically never one way to do something, there are many different ways that work. That makes it harder because you have so many options that can work instead of someone just telling you that you have to do something a certain way.

We all keep chickens in totally different conditions. When you see advice from someone I suggest you try to determine if they are talking about your circumstances. What works for someone free ranging a large flock with multiple roosters may not work at all for someone keeping four hens in a small suburban back yard, totally contained in a small coop and run.

Try to keep things simple. Again, that’s for your convenience, but animals are a commitment. If you leave town for a wedding, vacation, or funeral, you will need to get someone to feed and water the chickens. The easier you make it to take care of your chickens the easier it may be to find someone. Think about where you store your feed, get water, and such as that. Chickens should be easy to take care of. They are much more enjoyable if they are not a burden.

I brooded my chicks in the house. First 2 weeks they were right off my kitchen. I had no smell issues, just a cute cheep cheep all day, and silence all night. Made it much easier for me to keep up on them with 6 little kids to not always have to run to a coop to check on them. Now they're in the laundry room in a waterproofed lawnmower box. Still no smell, and I can just see to their needs when I throw in a load of laundry. Works well for us. Hopefully if we do more birds after this first round, we can just do it with a broody, though. But it definitely hasn't been "ew" for us to have them inside. (Side note, it's only 6. If it was more, that might be totally not doable.

 

[BanoOmg]

Pressure washer to dig trenches... I gotta try that!

Messy or not, what a great idea!

 

[igorsMistress]

There are a few things I’ve learned, but above all is to keep it simple. The more you put in, the more there is to clean, repair, etc. The second thing is that there will be poop everywhere, it is what makes the first thing important. The third thing is that chickens shed dander, adding to whatever dust accumulates naturally, which also makes the first thing important. So if you can’t blast it with a hose, scrape it, or scrub it with a brush, don’t bother.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I brooded my chicks in the house. First 2 weeks they were right off my kitchen. I had no smell issues, just a cute cheep cheep all day, and silence all night. Made it much easier for me to keep up on them with 6 little kids to not always have to run to a coop to check on them. Now they're in the laundry room in a waterproofed lawnmower box. Still no smell, and I can just see to their needs when I throw in a load of laundry. Works well for us. Hopefully if we do more birds after this first round, we can just do it with a broody, though. But it definitely hasn't been "ew" for us to have them inside. (Side note, it's only 6. If it was more, that might be totally not doable.

I brooded 11 in my heated basement. They are now 4 weeks old and mostly feathered. Temps are in the 40s at night so they will go to the coop this weekend. There isn’t a smell in my basement but the dust is getting bad. They have been dust bathing in the pine shavings. I can’t imaging the air pollution that could be created by having a real dust bath in the brooder, but it must be a glorious mess.