First coop was a 4x8 hutch with external nesting boxes. Perfect for 6 chickens, right? Well, who can have just 6 chickens, if you have space for more? 
Besides, we early on figured out the best way to keep a steady supply of eggs would be to add 3 chickens every year. But, what to do with the ones that age out of laying? Well, let them retire, of course!! So, year #2 required the addition of a small A-Frame 4x4 to use as integration and add space for my now flock of 9. Okay, now I can accommodate up to 12, right? Nope. Turns out the girls liked having two coops! 
So, year @3 brought the challenge of how to integrate 3 new chickens. Can't ask DH to build another one, can I? He was traveling a lot so I needed to come up with something I could do. A prefab! Perfect!
Not so perfect. What a piece of junk that was. But, it got me through another year of juggling. 
BTW, I've been saying chickens, not pullets, because I seem to have cockerels show up here and there. This last year I had two show up, and this time decided I didn't want to rehome them. However, when the little jerks started feeling their testosterone, I knew it was time to give them a place of their own for a while, but where? I had plenty of run space, but two coops were well established with hens and the prefab was on the verge of giving up the ghost. So, coop #4 came into being in year #4, another 4x4 created just for the two cockerels, and thinking it will take the place of the prefab in the long run.
So, I'm all set now. I've got 4 runs and 4 coops available, and everyone has all the space they want or need. And, I'm cleaning 4 coops. Then the rain came, and it rained and rained and rained. I had to clean coops nearly every day, and some weeks actually every day. 4 coops.
I started reading about everyone else's walk in coops and got down right green with envy.
Wow! Poop boards? Who knew!!! I could go out and sift poop boards in 5 minutes a day? And do it while standing inside the coop and not out in the rain? Why didn't I think about that a long time ago? After a lot of explaining, I convinced DH we needed Coop #5, the be all and end all coop for my 12 chickens. Yep, I still only have 12. 
So, here we go. I'm posting the entire build as I go, to track it, and also in hopes that all you fabulous folks will chime in when you seeing us missing a really important feature. I want easy!!! I want to go out and enjoy my chickens, not just clean coops, change out frozen water, check all food for mold, etc, every day. I have a hope that we will have space inside where I know they will have absolutely dry food and liquid water in containers that cannot be so easily contaminated.
Besides, we early on figured out the best way to keep a steady supply of eggs would be to add 3 chickens every year. But, what to do with the ones that age out of laying? Well, let them retire, of course!! So, year #2 required the addition of a small A-Frame 4x4 to use as integration and add space for my now flock of 9. Okay, now I can accommodate up to 12, right? Nope. Turns out the girls liked having two coops! So, year @3 brought the challenge of how to integrate 3 new chickens. Can't ask DH to build another one, can I? He was traveling a lot so I needed to come up with something I could do. A prefab! Perfect!
Not so perfect. What a piece of junk that was. But, it got me through another year of juggling. BTW, I've been saying chickens, not pullets, because I seem to have cockerels show up here and there. This last year I had two show up, and this time decided I didn't want to rehome them. However, when the little jerks started feeling their testosterone, I knew it was time to give them a place of their own for a while, but where? I had plenty of run space, but two coops were well established with hens and the prefab was on the verge of giving up the ghost. So, coop #4 came into being in year #4, another 4x4 created just for the two cockerels, and thinking it will take the place of the prefab in the long run.
So, I'm all set now. I've got 4 runs and 4 coops available, and everyone has all the space they want or need. And, I'm cleaning 4 coops. Then the rain came, and it rained and rained and rained. I had to clean coops nearly every day, and some weeks actually every day. 4 coops.
I started reading about everyone else's walk in coops and got down right green with envy.
Wow! Poop boards? Who knew!!! I could go out and sift poop boards in 5 minutes a day? And do it while standing inside the coop and not out in the rain? Why didn't I think about that a long time ago? After a lot of explaining, I convinced DH we needed Coop #5, the be all and end all coop for my 12 chickens. Yep, I still only have 12. So, here we go. I'm posting the entire build as I go, to track it, and also in hopes that all you fabulous folks will chime in when you seeing us missing a really important feature. I want easy!!! I want to go out and enjoy my chickens, not just clean coops, change out frozen water, check all food for mold, etc, every day. I have a hope that we will have space inside where I know they will have absolutely dry food and liquid water in containers that cannot be so easily contaminated.
The great news is, the foundation is now in!!!
