What to have inside the coop?

[Kristinadukhin]

So we are building a coop. What are the just haves inside the coop and any ideas for layout. I’ll attach a picture of what we have so far.

 

[wamtazlady]

Only thing I have inside the coop are roosts. The nest box hangs off the side with an outside door so I can collect eggs without reaching in the coop. The food and water is always kept in the covered run.

 

[NatJ]

Roosts. Ventilation. Space. Bedding/litter.

Enough distance to fly down from the roosts without banging into a wall (probably at least as far from roost tolanding spot as from roost to floor, on the side they'll be coming down. The roost can be within a foot or so of a wall on the other side, though, because they only really need one side to get up/down.)

Nestboxes somewhere the hens can get to them--either on the floor, hanging on the wall, sticking out the back wall, or something of the sort. If the nestboxes are on the floor, they reduce the available floor space. If they are raised, then be sure the hens have a way to get in: a shelf or perch to land on when they fly up, so they can step gently inside without breaking eggs.

Feed and water need to be constantly available during the time the chickens are awake: either in the coop or the run. But if the feed and water are in the run, consider whether the chickens have constant access to it--if you close a door to keep predators out of the coop, you'll have to open that door in the morning. If you do not close a door, then the run must be predator proof too, so no predators climb into it and then into the coop to eat your birds.