Building our dream coop...

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The Innkeeper said:
Why is it that few people build coops big enough to stand in?
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I suspect it is often because when people start looking into chicken coops the are bombarded by pre-fab (made in China) coop photos and designs.

Then they tend to use those as a blueprint for their own build. Being able to stand up in it is crucial IMO, plus people always end up adding more birds than the initially planned on so bigger is better.

Some ideas if they haven't already been mentioned, a waist high poop shelf with a level underneath for other stuff (i.e. nest boxes, an isolation cage, storage etc...) makes it 10x easier to clean and maximizes space.

Also blackjack 57 roof sealant makes for the best hen house floor ever (it is non-slip for chicks and birds jumping off roosts, waterproof, very tough, seals all gaps between boards and prevents bugs/mold from getting underneath).
 
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Well I obviously have no idea how long it takes to build anything lol. Hoping by the end of next week. If our days off ( Monday and Tuesday) are nice, ( meaning no rain! For the love of God, please no more rain lol) maybe sooner.
 
The Lazy L said:
1/2" hardware cloth covering the large opening?
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It's hardware cloth. Not sure if 1/2 inch Is that the size of the squares? If so could be because they are small. It will also cover the window up top which will have a shutter so it can be closed or open.

Our design is loosley based on prince woods " open air coop" I say loosely because DH just did his own thing, instead of working from the book. so I don't know if the air flow will work the same. But we have mild winter's so I think we should be ok.

Door has to be built and a shutter for the hens door. I am going to lock it at night.
 
It's for airflow. If you Google open air poultry house you will get the idea. It stays open all year around.

We will be doing portable nesting boxes like what peanut has posted on the coop pictures thread. Or it might be this thread lol. Can't remember. I just really liked her boxes.
 
@Sunshine
I got lucky getting those soda flats. I’d delivered a load of firewood in the big town. On the way back, I stopped for gas just outside town. The entire front of the store was hidden by gray containers with interlocking lids and soda flats.

There was a guy outside on a phone yelling at someone. As I walked up he ended the conversation with a torrent of curse words. I needed some containers and asked if they were for sale.

He yelled at me “Take them all! Take them all! My vendor won’t come pick these up!

I got about 30 of the grey boxes and about 50 soda flats. I filled up my trailer and the bed of my truck. I’ve been using these things for years. :D

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Sunshine said:
We will be doing portable nesting boxes like what peanut has posted on the coop pictures thread. Or it might be this thread lol. Can't remember. I just really liked his boxes.
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;)

Here is what she is referring to, so no has to go searching. I use heavy duty plastic soda flats for nest boxes. They are portable and easy to clean. Couple of times a year I soak them in clorox water then clean them with a brush and a water hose. It's easy and simple. My set up makes it easy to deal with fire ants, always a problem in the south. I use diatomaceous earth. My little laying house is also portable. If ants get too bad in one spot I just drag it to another. I have a loop of aircraft cable attached to each end with a piece of garden hose as a handle. You can see one handle on the right, laying on the ground... a piece of pale green garden hose. :)

The metal around my little laying house is skirting that came from a mobile home that burned down. The only thing I paid for was 3 or 4, 1x2’s in the upper section and two loops of aircraft cable. I have about $10 invested and it’s lasted 8 years, probably last another 8.


Nest boxes 01.jpg
 
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Sunshine said:
Our design is loosley based on prince woods " open air coop" I say loosely because DH just did his own thing, instead of working from the book. so I don't know if the air flow will work the same. But we have mild winter's so I think we should be ok.
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That should provide good air flow. If it is for air flow during very hot weather you want a window up high on the back side (back wall furthest side away from the hardware cloth to create air flow through the whole structure).

If anyone wants ideas on how to cool homes (or hen houses) without AC I made a video on it, it can save quite a bit on summer power bills and makes a big difference during outages. It mostly focuses on the design elements used in Southern Plantation and Victorian style homes which had the best off grid design elements of the day.

After doing some research into air flow I stopped using the AC entirely which is no small thing in Middle GA where the temps are stifling in the summer. I have a small house but it stills saves me $150+ a month in the summer.

 
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Roosts, nests, bedding and finish some painting and sealing up any gaps in the coop. Then we can buy our pullets!!! Whoo hoo!

Here's DH finishing up the fencing for the run. Eventually they will just free range the entire yard, when my flock is bigger....

Fence on this side of the property is complete!
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Sunshine said:
It's hardware cloth. Not sure if 1/2 inch Is that the size of the squares? If so could be because they are small. It will also cover the window up top which will have a shutter so it can be closed or open.

Our design is loosley based on prince woods " open air coop" I say loosely because DH just did his own thing, instead of working from the book. so I don't know if the air flow will work the same. But we have mild winter's so I think we should be ok.

Door has to be built and a shutter for the hens door. I am going to lock it at night.
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We used hardware cloth too. We put a little sandbox in there for them to scratch in and a little shredded paper for their bed although not too big or they will poop in it.
 
The Lazy L said:
Yes, it is the size of the squares. Too many folks use chicken wire and don't realize that chicken wire will only keep chickens in, it will not keep predators out. IMHO you done good!
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We used welded wire and put chicken wire over that, never had a problem but I agree just chicken wire is not strong enough.
 
That's what we are doing! The front part where they walk in and out will be sand and the rear, where the roosts are will be pine shavings...I think. The sand is a definite. I'm still on the fence for the rear bedding.
 
Recent developments...

Chicken Door I can secure at night
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Ventilation window has a "shutter " I can open and close and the hardware cloth is in it too, started putting up some gutters.
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Inside DH built nest boxes and roosts...the roosts will have to be reworked. The boxes are also not what I wanted the tops need a slant...but DH will do what he wants and he was so proud of them...somet someyou just have to compromise.

I will have outdoor boxes too...like.peanuts...i swear it to myself Lol.

The roosts are too low. And he used pvc which I'm thinking I don't like. Back to the drawing board.
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The run is almost entirely under these trees. I'm guessing the chickens can easily get over this fence...or will they not bother?
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Another one of inside the coop. The front, where their little door is and we plan on using sand here.
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Almost there!
 
Sunshine said:
The roosts are too low. And he used pvc which I'm thinking I don't like. Back to the drawing board.
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Yeah the PVC pipe has to go. They are for sleeping on so trying to keep their balance all night and not slip off is not at all good. Flat pieces of plain splinter free board that are at least 1.5 inches wide are best. Plus they will all want to be on the top roost, and will fight for space on it.

See if he can just run one or two roosts/boards wall to wall (anchored on the wall for ease). Figure 1.5 ft per laying hen, and more is better.

Maybe move the "nest boxes" underneath the roost and use the top as a poop board? Or if the nest boxes are too low and not wide enough just run a plywood shelf wall to wall under the roosts (with a little walkway board on the side so they can walk up to that level, you want to minimize the need for them to jump down far as it can cause injuries when they are adults). The shelf will give you more floor space and a clean area for storage.

Remember 95% of the poop will be right under the roosts (unless you get snow) and you don't want to be down on your hands and knees cleaning it up off the floor (my back hurts just thinking about it).

When you eventually get your dream nest boxes you can use the old ones either for storage OR wire them off as an isolation cage for future chicks or injured birds.
 
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If they start flying out of the pen trim the flight feathers on one wing with scissors. That way they can only fly in a small circle. As long as they have plenty of food and water they should stay in.

For roost poles I just cut and trim a sapling about 4 inches in diameter.

@Sunshine Here is a pic of my roosting poles. I wedge them in the cinder blocks so they wont spin.

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Sunshine said:
The run is almost entirely under these trees. I'm guessing the chickens can easily get over this fence...or will they not bother?
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If you are getting heavier bodied laying hens it may not be a problem in part because they may never think about doing it (until one does it, then it is game on). Might want to trim any low branches that give them ideas else you could end up with the whole flock roosting in the trees one night (and baiting owls or other predators).

It is fun to watch as when one takes off and flies 20-30 feet (always accompanied by a loud "reeeee" type noise) a few of the other young ones immediately do the same thing in some sort of competition

Many of the heavier bodied layers like Buffs aren't very good at flying once they reach adulthood and put on weight, but young birds under a year can be pretty frisky.
 
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Update! The coop is pretty much done. Have to get bedding in and the roosts.

We decided on pine shavings and for the roosts I will be picking up 2x2 and we will round of the edges and smooth it down .

Still have some painting to do on the coop but all the gaps and cracks are sealed and I can padlock the door.

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Sunshine said:
Update! The coop is pretty much done.
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That looks great! Be sure to take lots of pictures of the inside and outside the first few days after the chicks go in because the coop will never look as clean and poop free again. :)

Also a thought for the unpainted plywood flap over the upper window. I have two similar to that, I put the hinges on the top so it can be left partially open for airflow even when it rains.

Hard to see in the pic, but there is a chain mounted above the flap with a hook on the flap itself so it can be kept open all the way or just part way.

chicken door.jpg


feed dishes 2.jpg


The feed dishes didn't stay inside long. The area under the roosts was fenced off and a small chicken door was added so it could be a separate indoor/outdoor broody pen, and now has an extra rooster living in it full time. The shelf really maximizes the usable space in a small 4x8 ft hen house.
 
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