What do you like/dislike about your coop?

[savingdogs]

Sorry I can't add my pictures, I agree they are very helpful.

We have had our chickens a year now and my husband constructed everything from scraps. We are pretty pleased. Here is my list:

Likes:
Access to food and water and eggs via pop-up roof, no need to walk through poo.
Ramp-style roosting plane with pull out tray underneath for droppings, access through outdoor slot.
Removable plastic nesting boxes so I can wash them and replace all the shavings easily.
electricity on a timer set for light and a thermostat set for heat.
Hanging feeder/less waste.

Dislikes:
No where for a broody hen to be private with her eggs/chicks.
No where to store chicken supplies near the coop, we have to store them inside our house.
No automatic water system yet.
More space! Not only would have solved the problem of no where to store the supplies, as well as a place for a broody hen and nest or chicks.

If you make one from scraps like we did, I highly suggest you paint everything one color. It made ours look pretty darn good. Not fancy but it doesn't look like mismatched parts.

 

[Layla1223]

Quote:
So where do you put your broody hen? And how big of an area does she need?

 

[savingdogs]

Excellent question, I don't have the answer for you there. I hope someone here does. I'd like to have a space for either ducks or chickens to have their nest and hatch babies, and have it be large enough to have them stay there until they are feathered out and can go into the main coop. Maybe someone has a good set up they can describe for us.

 

[jennh]

Quote:
Dropping boards? how does this work?

If you haven't started to build yet, think about building so you can clean the dropping boards from the outside. I built our coop so I can slide the trays out to empty them.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=54259 Check it out half way down the page.

BUILD IT B I G

Good Luck

HI

! I just visited your page. Very nice! One question, however. Where did you get your pop door, and how much did it cost, if I may ask?

Jen

 

[BillT]

Quote:
If you haven't started to build yet, think about building so you can clean the dropping boards from the outside. I built our coop so I can slide the trays out to empty them.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=54259 Check it out half way down the page.

BUILD IT B I G

Good Luck

HI

! I just visited your page. Very nice! One question, however. Where did you get your pop door, and how much did it cost, if I may ask?

Jen

Hi Jen,
The Pop Door is made out of Lexan and I got it at Lowes. It cost around $ 13.00. I like it because it's not only very strong, it's also clear and makes a nice window when it's closed.
Bill

 

[nelson1874]

This thread is great I'm designing my coop now

Thanks for all the help

 

[ranchhand]

I can adapt to most inconveniences. But my biggest irk is the one pen that is only 5' tall. And I am 5'6". Kills my back to tend that run and coop.

 

[obxWaMi]

Our first coop and run--
Like:
Coop has vinyl floor
Coop is up off the ground
Covered run
Electricity

Dislike:
Run is too short to stand up fully in
Run door is small (gotta bend down to climb inside)
Wish the pop-door was automated and on timer
Coop is a little too high off the ground for the babies to get back in by themselves (we go inside the run and pick them up and put them in the coop at night)


Our second coop--
Like:
Made it from recycled materials for the most part
Up off the ground so girls can get underneath during bad weather

Dislike:
No electricity (yet)
No vinyl floor (yet)
Wish pop-door was automated and on timer
No run at all, but my girls are free-range and HATE being penned up anyway

 

[Chickenmaven]

Like:
Cement floor
Spacious (12x14)
Separate "brooder room" (a 8x4' enclosed area with chicken wire walls)
Positioned in a thicket of trees for winter & summer insulation.
Covered run.

Dislike:
Lack of windows
Awful metal door.

 

[savingdogs]

When someone figures out how to put the door on a timer to pop open and closed, let me know! We all really dislike having to do that because we have to step through the run and of course there is always a poo where your foot goes. Murphy's law.