what would you do different to the inside.....

[charlotteda]

My dear hubby has finished my chicken coop. He did a great job....

Now I need to finished the inside... I cant decide where to begin !!

I have an 8 by 8 space... nests are not really a problem but I cant decide where to put the roost. I am using the deep litter method on the floor. I first considered the ladder that lifts but I read the posts about everybody wanting to be on the top. So I decided parallel roosts were better and I thought about poop pans under the roost to keep the floor cleaner longer. I will have plymouth rocks .

Can anyone give me ideas... not just about the roosts but about things you like or wish you had done differently in your coop ?

Thanks

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Every time we make a new coop I try to make it better, only to come up with different problems no matter which way I decide to have it. But I suppose I am really picky and want it perfect.
The ladder is the most important change I would make and you already covered that by making the roosts the same height. I have learned also to make all the nest boxes the same height because they all want the tallest one.
Other than making sure they are really predator proof I don't change as much anymore. The food and water both hang in the middle and other than self cleaning, I can't think of nothing else!

 

[ghillie]

I ended up moving the feed and water next to the door, so I dont have to get into the coop when I check them....

 

[motherbear]

We put in both types of roosts in and I find that my heavy birds (brahma's and delaware) still use the ladder to get up to the main perch and to the nesting boxes. The others roost in the rafters. Now we just need to put a poop guard over the feed and water. I saw a pretty cool watering system on the web a while back that you fill from the outside that I'd like to try as well.

 

[Comet Mum]

Something we did that is fun is put a short roost in front of the window. I love coming out to the coop and seeing them all huddled in front of the window clucking to me!

What I'd do differently is make sure I could access the nest boxes from the outside. That was the original plan, but we altered it during the construction process to make the coop easier to build. I may have to coax my husband to rework it, once he is finished building the turkey coop.

 

[charlotteda]

It seems that many folks use parallel roosts instead of a ladder due to fighting for the top spot. How far apart should the roosts be for large fowl ?

 

[ScrambledAcresFarm]

Measure one of them! I would say about 18 inches!

 

[WestKnollAmy]

I would make mine at least 18" if not more like 24". It depends on how ornery the flock can be. Some do fine, others just have to have a few pickers in the bunch that are not happy with anyone near. I have a few Araucanas like that.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

The one thing I didn't know about when I built my first coop, is how much chickens enjoy looking out the windows! So, now they have a second level area where they can look out the windows. They really like it, especially on days when the weather is too bad to be outside. It just makes the interior more interesting for them. They have a ramp that goes up to that area.

Other than that, I just try to put the roosts in an area where they won't be in a draft and higher than the nest boxes. If you're going to put pans under the roosts, I'd put in a shelf for them to rest on. It's easier on your back when tending to them and gives you more floor space underneath.

 

[sugarbush]

The one thing I would change on my coop is that I would elevate the doors higher than the floor because I get tired of having to clean litter out before I can close them everyday.

My coop I cannot walk into so roosts being in the way is not and issue for me, but if it where I would place them in the corners so I did not have to climb over them while cleaning out the litter.