What are your must haves for the new coop?

[AHappychick]

If I could have all I wanted I would have
1. nest boxes in places where I could access from both inside and outside the coop.
2. poop boards under all roosts
3. Automatic nipple waterer with insulated pipes
4. heat to keep coop from hitting freezing points so waterers always work
5. windows and screens and a sunroof
6. solar powered electricity
7. Automatic pop doors
8. Wooden feeders hand made and built to hold 50 lbs of feed and 2 smaller ones for choice oyster shell and grit.
9. a 3 part run so that grass may have time to grow while birds rotate runs every week or so
10. Light on a timer for winter
11. a few breeder pens and broody pens
electric fence and covered run
12. whole coop would be painted safe non toxic children's paint (the kind that wipes clean easily) with linoleum floor and be insulated.
13. an exhaust fan of some sort that filters the dust from the air and ventilates.

I have a few of these things in my present coop but if I ever build a new one it will be the greatest coop ever designed from the ideas of the coops here on BYC .

 

[sonew123]

a maid!

sorry couldn't help it. A poop board for sure. I didnt do it and regret it-another lesson learned

 

[augustmomx2]

Lots of windows...my girls loved their sliding glass door when they were all "cooped up" in their coop these past few weeks. You would look out and see them all sitting there in a row, enjoying the sun

Also, lots of ventilation... make sure to visit Pat's "Big ol' ventilation Page" the info on there is priceless!

 

[Baymen Moe]

I love fact that my windows and vents can be opened and closed from outside the coop!

 

[MeatKing]

Wow, Thank-you everyone! You all have such great ideas! Will print this out to refer to while we bulid! Thank-you again everyone!

 

[bigoakhunter]

The list's everyone have generated takes in most of my ideas. Only one more thing i would insist on: Tall enoung ceiling that you can walk in coop for feeding, cleaning and other tasks without bumping head. So around 7 ft. ceiling. This also gives adequate height for having roosts a foot or so higher than nestboxes with still enough room for ventilation up high that will not cause a draft on your girls!

 

[todd walker]

Power and water,every thing else can be added.

 

[CityChook]

large, efficient windows that open/close (double paned in the case of severe cold climates)

electricity

 

[ND Sue]

cposz, I don't think you want external nesting boxes in MN unless you can close them off for the winter and use something else in the coop during those months. Otherwise, you'll have frozen eggs within minutes! Unless you make your box one big box so you can fit one of those heated plastic mats under the straw or wood chips. That will keep the eggs from freezing for a little while. I use that In my coop and it really helps. I collect eggs 2-3 times a day and would still can get frozen ones during cold snaps (and this is in internal nest boxes!) until I started using the pad.

I like the splitting the coop in 2 idea, that I got here from looking over the coop plans. If anyone gets sick or I need to split anyone up, (Or raise some chickies!) I just have to modify the room a bit.