What do you wish you knew before you built your coop and run?

[CocoL]

I wish I knew how long and hard it would be. Literally, I don't even want to admit how long we've been working on this coop. I should have just bought one made haha

 

[EmmaDonovan]

I wish I knew how long and hard it would be. Literally, I don't even want to admit how long we've been working on this coop. I should have just bought one made haha

Boy do I understand that. This is our third build and they always take far longer than I think they're going to. I even plan everything out ahead of time in a Sketchup drawing but once you get started it never goes exactly as you planned. The trips to Home Depot are endless!

 

[CocoL]

Boy do I understand that. This is our third build and they always take far longer than I think they're going to. I even plan everything out ahead of time in a Sketchup drawing but once you get started it never goes exactly as you planned. The trips to Home Depot are endless!

So true! I had got a plan online and we got everything for it but somehow it's just such a whirlwind of still fumbling through the build haha

 

[PeaceMary]

I wish I made my coop bigger and walk-in. Now I am short on coop space :/ Always go bigger than you think you need!

 

[PeaceMary]

Boy do I understand that. This is our third build and they always take far longer than I think they're going to. I even plan everything out ahead of time in a Sketchup drawing but once you get started it never goes exactly as you planned. The trips to Home Depot are endless!

Wish i would have put in an automatic door from the start!

 

[mamasnowwolf]

I wish I had thought to put the man door an access to the nest box on the OUTSIDE of the run. You can add a gate to the run too, but where I live there is snow, and I have to shovel a lot to get the gate to open. It would have been much easier to move the coop to the side for those ultra snowy and windy days. Oh and unless you free range, you would need a way to keep the birds from sneaking out the man door while you are working.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

I wish I had thought to put the man door an access to the nest box on the OUTSIDE of the run. You can add a gate to the run too, but where I live there is snow, and I have to shovel a lot to get the gate to open. It would have been much easier to move the coop to the side for those ultra snowy and windy days. Oh and unless you free range, you would need a way to keep the birds from sneaking out the man door while you are working.

An airlock entry!

Can you add a second man door 3-4 out from the real one? If you had the width, you could add a bench on one side for small tools and supplies. If they sneak through the original entry, they’re still penned in, with a lot less chasing to get them back where they belong.

 

[Love Donkeys]

Next thing you know you have 18 and people are calling you the Crazy Chicken person.

I have a T shirt that states "I'm driving my husband crazy one chicken at a time".

 

[dearmeghann]

I wish I had thought about the grading! We never had to worry about pooling water, and this spring/summer has been a nightmare with the rain!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I wish ...
I had graded and leveled the ground where I had my 8 x 10 hen house set and had poured a concrete foundation for it. I was a new transplant to MO at the time from NM and had NO idea how wet it gets here. My hen house has sunk into the ground, more at one corner than any other and now the door doesn't fit tight and the floor slants at a crazy angle.

I had had proper ventilation put in on opposite sides and a clerestory roof.

I had put pooptrays in under the roosts from the beginning.

I'd had a good compost system set up for all the chicken manure.