So after I posted this I got a shipment notification, and my FIL had ordered us a pretty nice commercially available coop as a “Farm Warming” present. Its not as nice as some of the homemade ones, but it will be great for what we need it for. It has a house with nesting boxes and a roofed fenced in area.
Thanks everyone!
The biggest issue I have with commercially made coops is that they devote so much space to nesting boxes and not enough attention to predator proofing. My chicks have only been outside overnight for a week and we already see muddy raccoon prints trying to get in! Hardware cloth is buried all around so it’s unlikely something can dig in but we beefed up the access door last night with a lockable thingamajig. I had been pushing a loaded wheelbarrow up against the door, just in case.
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/jbAi18vcWgdkT6tKPL2OZkiw06C6Kn6sZOdW1FKVztm?v=grid&ref_=cd_ph_share_link_copy
From what I saw last year and what I’ve heard since, chickens will mostly lay in one preferred nest box. 10 of them for 10 chickens is a total waste of space. I’m being generous by providing 2 for 4 chickens but chances are they will only use one. Two of the rental hens used to line up on the ramp and wait for her turn but they never wanted to use the second box that was identical. If you can modify it to have more useful space, chicken coops are a fabulous gift. 
Here is my coop progress as of today. People door is in the middle, roost will be on the left and a combination of food/nest/storage is on the right.
[QUOTE=CrazyGuineaPigLady;8598683]
The biggest issue I have with commercially made coops is that they devote so much space to nesting boxes and not enough attention to predator proofing. My chicks have only been outside overnight for a week and we already see muddy raccoon prints trying to get in! Hardware cloth is buried all around so it’s unlikely something can dig in but we beefed up the access door last night with a lockable thingamajig. I had been pushing a loaded wheelbarrow up against the door, just in case.
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/jbAi18vcWgdkT6tKPL2OZkiw06C6Kn6sZOdW1FKVztm?v=grid&ref_=cd_ph_share_link_copy
From what I saw last year and what I’ve heard since, chickens will mostly lay in one preferred nest box. 10 of them for 10 chickens is a total waste of space. I’m being generous by providing 2 for 4 chickens but chances are they will only use one. Two of the rental hens used to line up on the ramp and wait for her turn but they never wanted to use the second box that was identical. If you can modify it to have more useful space, chicken coops are a fabulous gift.
Here is my coop progress as of today. People door is in the middle, roost will be on the left and a combination of food/nest/storage is on the right.
very true. but we also couldnt turn around and tell him to return it :). So we might have to just predator proof it a bit which we are ok with.
I finally completed mine. http://imgur.com/caPAKTw it’s well ventilated at the top which you can’t see in the photo. It’s also got lights inside of it and electricity hook up for winter months heat lamp. All I need is a paint job for it and I’m complete 
It’s fully predator proof itself when closed up. I’m currently working on a reinforcing a chain link dog kennel with added wire layer in the ground, on sides and above it to serve as an enclosed run. I certainly hope it works! No way anything but a human will get in the sides of it. I just hope my wire burying skills are on par to keep the run portion safe! How far down do you guys suggest burying wire to prevent digging in?
I second the idea of the backyard shed. We removed the doors, built screen doors, built a plywood floor, found free nesting boxes and installed a roosting pole. We hang the feeder and waterer from the ceiling, so they stay much cleaner than if they were on the floor. I put a thin layer of shavings down and pick through it every day. Very easy for me to keep clean, lots of fresh air, and looks nice.
[QUOTE=hlra11;8599337]
I finally completed mine. http://imgur.com/caPAKTw it’s well ventilated at the top which you can’t see in the photo. It’s also got lights inside of it and electricity hook up for winter months heat lamp. All I need is a paint job for it and I’m complete
It’s fully predator proof itself when closed up. I’m currently working on a reinforcing a chain link dog kennel with added wire layer in the ground, on sides and above it to serve as an enclosed run. I certainly hope it works! No way anything but a human will get in the sides of it. I just hope my wire burying skills are on par to keep the run portion safe! How far down do you guys suggest burying wire to prevent digging in?[/QUOTE]
That is really cute and I like the rustic look.
We did not bury the wire straight down. Instead we made what’s called an apron where it is attached to the bottom edge, has a 90 degree angle and then goes out away from the run for about 18 inches. My husband did bury it a couple inches but you don’t have to. Just use some landscape spikes to hold the edges down and grass should grow in the holes.
It was tricky under the stairs so we used a bunch of pavers there.
[QUOTE=CrazyGuineaPigLady;8599666]
That is really cute and I like the rustic look.
We did not bury the wire straight down. Instead we made what’s called an apron where it is attached to the bottom edge, has a 90 degree angle and then goes out away from the run for about 18 inches. My husband did bury it a couple inches but you don’t have to. Just use some landscape spikes to hold the edges down and grass should grow in the holes.
It was tricky under the stairs so we used a bunch of pavers there.[/QUOTE]
I didnt think about that! predator proofing is a project for this weekend, so I may give that a try.
I do plan on painting it to keep the wood bees away which are already having a field day with it. And Ill be making some screened in windows to the door as well. Now Ive been stressing for a whole week over what kinds of chickens to fill it with! What kind are you getting??
Decided to get some ducks too… I should probably stop before I get in over my head!
Something already tried to dig into the run! My Pitbull is overly interested in the chickens but she is not a digger and her pure white feet are clean as ever. Plus, she is too special to stay outside for more than 30 seconds without me, or step in dirt. LOL
Check out my other chicken thread for what I’m getting, or I should say adding. Kind of fluid right now.
Dad started my coop today. We’re using pallets from Generacs that he got free. So trendy, pallet construction :lol: Should be about 4x7.5 and six feet high in the front, smaller inside. Not as big as I wanted, but beggars and choosers, ya know…
OMG plywood is exorbitant!!!
ETA: Just found a guy selling 4x4 sheets of 1/2" plywood on Craigslist and going to look at it tonight (in case I never return, call 911). He waffled on the price, I think he wants to make a deal for me taking all of it, but said, “Well, I dunno, three or four bucks?” That would be $24 less than the new 4x8 sheets :eek:
In case anyone would like to see, finally finished the repurposed pallet coop
http://s207.photobucket.com/user/FitzgeraldFarm/library/Chickens
Great job.
We had to take a break to work on one of our rentals but I’m hoping the coop will be finished by June 1. It has rained for a solid week here and half the run is drenched. I’m using equine pellets and they do a good job of soaking up the water and keeping it from getting muddy but I’m tired of raking and adding another bag every day. Before this I was hosing it down because it was too dusty. LOL
Finally made some progress on the coop. I’d say it’s half done. LOL
Here is the front view. Chickens are living under the playhouse now and we’ll cut a hole so they can go back and forth.
The window is hinged so we can prop it open in hot weather and the eaves are vented. Still trying to decide about adding more ventilation.
The inside is a mess but this end will have the roost, and maybe a poop board with nesting boxes underneath.
https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/KvaBnSbd8BRDQ2UB013py5C6yDKI74lpCWttIQZSyF0?v=grid&ref_=cd_ph_share_link_copy
This end will have food and water (or nest boxes) below with closed off storage above that I access from outside.
CGPL - Love the look of your coop!
But one caveat:
You mentioned putting nestboxes below a roost.
Guaranteed your hens will poop into the nestboxes setup this way :dead:
Unless I misundestood the setup?
I have nestboxes at one end of the coop, feed/water in the middle & roosts at the other end.
Agree with Palm Beach - feeder & waterer off the ground so they aren’t as likely to foul the water or scratch feed out of the feeder.
My feeder hangs, waterer is set on bricks - both around 6-8" off the ground.
Our chicken coop had three partitions, one was the nesting boxes, the other the roost in the back, water and food and oystershell pan in front, the third one just for humans with the food and other supplies.
Chickens entered by a little door with a ramp in the middle, food and roost portion.
Chickens kept it very clean, we swept and disinfected once a week and laid more sand on the floor.
The nesting boxes were about 2’ high and always super clean and if we had preferred, on that end, we could have made a door to access the boxes from behind the nesting boxes, just never needed to.
This way it also kept predators like snakes away from the eggs, they were too hard to access.
Here is a car port someone made a chicken coop out of, one more option:
[QUOTE=2DogsFarm;8686991]
CGPL - Love the look of your coop!
But one caveat:
You mentioned putting nestboxes below a roost.
Guaranteed your hens will poop into the nestboxes setup this way :dead:
Unless I misundestood the setup?
I have nestboxes at one end of the coop, feed/water in the middle & roosts at the other end.
Agree with Palm Beach - feeder & waterer off the ground so they aren’t as likely to foul the water or scratch feed out of the feeder.
My feeder hangs, waterer is set on bricks - both around 6-8" off the ground.[/QUOTE]
You have totally underestimated my ability to overthink every detail, change plans on a daily basis and drive my husband nuts. LOL
The poop board is a tray that goes underneath the roosts to collect most of the night time droppings. If you build it to accommodate a couple inches of PDZ, it works like a shallow cat litter box. It also lets me get the roost a little higher because they can jump on the edge and then up another foot to the roost. This wasn’t something I originally wanted but my Brahmas are not turning out to be athletes and I hadn’t planned to keep 5 chickens. If I go with that option, the poop board will be the ceiling of the nest boxes. It seems like a better use of space than a lower roost with wasted head room and cramming food/nest boxes on the other end.
I’m also using a PVC feeder and we are going to cut a hole in a corner of the storage area for the pipe to stick up so you can just refill from there. (they might also have another one in the run) For now, I’m using nipple buckets out in the run and it has been working. That’s where the outlet is so I’d probably just keep water there to heat for winter.
You can use an aquarium heater or birdbath heater in your nipple bucket in the winter
My husband tried to cut off his finger with the circular saw this week so the coop is on hold again. Sigh.
Coop is almost ready for chickens. Still need the official nest box and roost but that should happen this weekend and then I can fill it up with bedding.
A lot of trim work and the storage door left to build but that doesn’t affect the inside.
This is the hole where I’ll refill the pipe feeder. Can’t wait until I don’t have to crawl under the playhouse for everything chicken related!
Our coop is in 8x4 sections.
You enter into 8x4 storage, treatment area. Then 8x4 coop area with next boxes then outside that there is an 8x4 porch. There is a lot about our No plan coop I love. We had chickens for 10 years before we built it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1hSeYAHiQQ/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Painting it so you get sense of size
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2BzVKQpNjs/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= The porch
I’ll keep an eye open for photos now
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