Update on MacDaddy Coop

[COOPster]

Been working Hard it is HOT!!!! Anyway got a lot done last few days. Coop is walled in and secure, Birds first day in it. Nesting boxes are not quite done yet but this batch wont lay for another 2 months.

Amenities.
OVer 100 Sg. Ft. of ventilation 4 sided roof soffits, 2 Operational windows secured with hardware cloth
I also made a hardwarde cloth screen for these sweltering days. Open the rear roost doors and it attaches adding a additional 40 sq. feet of ventilation

Roost swings up for easy cleaning, Unhook feeder lift up roost and attach chain.
Nesting boxes accesable from outside.
Hardware cloth buried 1 foot deep around perimeter.
UV blocking smoked roof panels for light

Next comes the electric. Water is 5 feet away

You might ask the last row of nesting boxes is high. My existing girls love that, dont ask me why but they do, maybe they are part turkey. So when I blend the crew together my older birds can have the high ground

 

[elmo]

Very nice! I don't think I've ever seen a coop with such good ventilation. Well done!

The only thing I wonder about is how that stair step roost is going to work. The rungs are a little close together horizontally; the girls on the bottom may get pooped on by the girls on the top.

 

[crazy chook]

Wow! Can I have one.......please??

It looks fantastic, well done!

 

[COOPster]

The stair stringer roost actually works pretty well and it is easy to build. I had my doubts about it as well. I built a make shift one in my existing coop and the girls actually for the most part keep their business ends to the back or side. Very rarely did I see one get plooped on from above. It was a pain to cleanout underneath hence the hinge idea for the new coop.

 

[wildeflowers]

That stair roost is a great idea!

 

[koifarm]

Two ideas that may help you.
1. Round off the edges of the 2x4's on the roost.
2. Put a small 1x2 on the front of each nest box to keep the eggs from rolling out....
Great design...nice work~

 

[annie3001]

wow a stair roost!! inventive!

 

[COOPster]

Thanks for the idea on rounding of the 2x4 edges.

The nest boxes will have plastic tubs in them for ease of cleaning.

I also have a dowel roost to add and the rails to access the nesting boxes have not been completed. Still thinking through the idea.

Anymore ideas are appreciated.

THanks

 

[COOPster]

Here is how the nesting boxes are setup still need to finish entrance and dividers
Notice the vanilla air freshner on feeder chain ----- Keeps flies down

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

You may need to put dividers in to stop the hens from nest box hopping. I use kitty litter boxes and had to put up dividers to stop them from going from box to box. They would step on the eggs, other hens, and flip the box over spilling the shavings. The dividers stopped that.