What's the one thing you wish you had included in your coop?

[Korzak]

Coop #3 has most of what I found helpful after a few years.... freezing water is annoying but manageable. I have big pavers, 16x16 all around the coop and run and the coop is a few inches off the ground with a solid floor. The run has a dirt floor. Nothing has gotten in: dug in/under, roof is solid and 1/2 inch hardware cloth on entire run sandwiched between wood so it can’t be pulled off. My previous run had a skirt of hardware cloth buried around perimeter but for my current one I decided to use pavers. Poop board at a comfortable level makes cleaning easy. Solar light in case I have to go in after dark. Bears are not around here so I think I have it covered

Whoah. For some reason I had it in my head that you had to start an apron at the edge of the structure, and that having pavers around it extended the edge. Like if you had a coop with no pavers you would want to lay down an 18" wire apron staring at the coop....but if you had a coop with 18" pavers around it, you would still want a wire apron starting at the pavers. Is that not the case? You can just do pavers all the way around??

 

[Lisa G.]

auto door, electric absolutely (for fans, cameras, etc), lots of run space.

 

[Lisa G.]

auto door, electric absolutely (for fans, cameras, etc), lots of run space.

 

[Todd Springer]

Plant stuff before you put them in there. Mine eat new growth and all love to scratch at loose dirt, so it's good to kinda build something to prevent that as they will destroy roots. Also, lay a couple boards down and flip them every day or two - critters galore and that makes the eggs delicious!

 

[BreanneRN]

I wish I had made my coop with wheels.

Or at least on skids, so it could be moved for cleaning underneath, or moving to a new location (temporary or permanent).

 

[fldiver97]

Whoah. For some reason I had it in my head that you had to start an apron at the edge of the structure, and that having pavers around it extended the edge. Like if you had a coop with no pavers you would want to lay down an 18" wire apron staring at the coop....but if you had a coop with 18" pavers around it, you would still want a wire apron starting at the pavers. Is that not the case? You can just do pavers all the way around??

With this coop/run I didn’t do hardware cloth, only the pavers. The coop is on skids, just a few inches of the ground. Both open front and back on the bottom are covered with boards to keep rodents from getting under the coop, patio stones are flush against the wood. My old setup was done with hardware cloth skirt ‘buried’ a couple of inches deep and covered with dirt. It was hard to pull up so I decided to go with pavers

 

[Chickengene]

Whoah. For some reason I had it in my head that you had to start an apron at the edge of the structure, and that having pavers around it extended the edge. Like if you had a coop with no pavers you would want to lay down an 18" wire apron staring at the coop....but if you had a coop with 18" pavers around it, you would still want a wire apron starting at the pavers. Is that not the case? You can just do pavers all the way around??

 

[Chickengene]

Some predators will just remove your pavers. I had just over 16" of width on an apron of half buried 12" block which I also used to stack some lumber on that I wanted to keep out of the dirt.
More than a few times I had to restack the lumber and replace a block or two.

 

[TropicalBabies]

I often think of what I will do differently when I build my next coop too... but for now, we are still a work in progress. I have 12 hens and one goober Their coop is 3.5 x 16= 56sq' and their run is 18 x 25= 450sq'. I like the footage for the 13qty and will not add any more chickens, I swear... till needed right..?
Because I have some larger (BO, Brahma) breeds- I wish that I had given them LOWER spaces like- the bottom of their dbl nesting boxes are 23" high, this making my roosts even higher (with a landing but... I wish I had gone 16" that would be better).
They did not use the ramp to the boxes so getting up and down could be a movie. I have since solved the problem by getting more chickens ... and then doubling the length my coop, the other half solely for roosting w/ hangout room under poop boards- nice and open so they can catch a breeze with 2- 8' roosts and 2 big doors (soon to be 3, my access), 1 door for old flock and another for young ones that open straight out to the run. I put hop-ups to the nesting boxes and roosts which they seem to like way better than the ramp and gave them a low nesting box next to the compost for anyone who panics, is lower in pecking order or needs their space. It gets used about 5 times a week so far.


I love my poop boards. I can see who poops -healthy or not- and scrape for compost. I also sprinkle DE for smell and ease of scraping.
I put my compost (tumblers) in the run with 1/2 barrel catch. They can eat bugs that fall then pick through finished compost. Keeps them happier IN their run, also snack bags do too.
I have a transitional/broody coop that I can divide and make into two mini holding coops. I can hang a heat lamp or pad for chicks when the time comes, break my broodies w/o isolating too much and hospital for the non contagious.
I mulch and re-mulch the run and coop with free county mulch, and use local grasses along with paper from our shredder for the nesting boxes- (shredded paper on the bottom, topped with grass) I can afford to change often because it is all free and my girls really like it. Eggs have always been clean, no mites and it goes straight into the compost tumbler to keep down the smells.

Good luck with your new build. Please keep us posted with what you come up with!! I have learned MANY a good thing from BYC.

 

[MaryJanet]

@TropicalBabies your goober is super-cute and your setup is amazing! Thanks for taking the time to include photos.