You can make a chicken coop from just about anything. I've seen rabbit
hutches, tool sheds, and portions of barns turned into areas for
chickens. But is the coop functional? If you're lucky enough to start
from scratch, here are a few things we've learned you might want to take
into consideration. If you have a coop but it's just not working quite
as you hoped, this article may give you a few simple ideas to change.
The photo of the little red shed was the existing chicken coop and
tiny outdoor run when we purchased our farmhouse. We knew we wanted to
build a new, larger coop and run, and had hoped to do so prior to
bringing chickens home. It didn't happen as planned and I am now very
thankful. We learned a lot while using this small coop that we wouldn't
have thought about otherwise. Those are the things I'd like to share
with you.
As a start, regarding the size of your coop, the general number seems to
be 3 feet to every chicken. (Our coop is 8 foot by 10 foot and around 8
foot tall) Remember to also keep in mind you want a roost area, feeding
area and egg laying area. Think through the feeding area, because if
it's too close to the roost area you'll end up with feeders full of
manure.
You also want to make sure that the coop is safe from
predators. Whether your chickens are in their run or free-range during
the day, they need a safe haven to sleep in. Make sure nothing can
get underneath the coop or through the door or windows. We use two
types of locks on all our doors (hoping that if they can get one open
they can't get the other) and every window has a barrel-lock on the
inside. We also added a strong wire to all the windows so they can
remain open during the hot summer days and evenings.
Lesson One: you want to make sure you can get in the coop to clean it. Whether you want a portable house or a large coop as we have, make sure there is access to the indoor and outdoor areas. You can see from the photo above we chose a shed-style coop that my husband designed and built. We had to build an outdoor run because of loose dogs and wild animals in our area. We have a small solar panel that runs the light, however, we also ran electricity to it to run the heated waterer and the flat panel heaters (shown further down) in the winter months.
The photo above shows the outdoor run. It has a "people" door as well
as a chicken tractor door. The idea of the latter is so you can pull
the chicken tractor up to the small door and let them in. What I would
change about this are 2 things: The people door isn't quite tall
enough, so you have to duck as you enter and the chicken tractor door
opens out not in.
We built sloped roofs in preparation of the snow we get in the
Northeast. We also chose metal roofing to go with the rest of the
outbuildings on the property.
Lesson Three: If you have an outdoor run offer lots of roosting space. They absolutely love it
Jay made the handy little ramp, including the wood strips so they could get traction on their way down.
Let's go inside.
You can see in the photo above, the small solar light. Jay designed and
built the nesting boxes with a small perch in the front.
Lesson Four: Plan one nesting box for every four to five chickens.
Also, the nesting boxes don't have to be large, although Jay wanted the
girls to have plenty of room so he built ours a little bigger than
necessary. Generally, 12x12x12 is plenty of room. We fill the boxes
with straw that the girls enjoy rearranging while waiting to lay their
egg.
Our nesting boxes are purposely positioned below the window, because you
want a dark, quiet area for them. We also added a slant roof to the
top to deter the girls from roosting on top. Although it hasn't stopped
them completely it does make it more difficult.
You can also see, in the photos above and below, we used all available
space. We put the nesting boxes up high enough to have storage space
underneath for small cans of feed. Also, the door to the outdoor run is
tucked underneath.
Although we use the deep litter method, I still rake the manure in the
mornings after a night's roost. I purchased the rake from our local
hardware store and had Jay put 2 nails in the wall to hold it. It works
perfectly for letting the litter fall thru but holds the manure to
throw in the compost bin.
We built lots of roosting space as well as 2 shelves. We found from
the original coop that the girls love the shelves and fight over them
every night. Jay wanted them to be happy, so he put 2 in the new coop.
Make sure you use something such as a 2x4 for the roost so they are
comfortable wrapping their feet around it, and sand it, if needed to
prevent small cuts on their feet.
Lesson Five: We put four windows in our coop for plenty of ventilation.
We have 2 small windows on the North and South sides of the coop that
are up high enough it won't be breezy on them as they roost. One is
kept open all the time for ventilation. We open both when we want a
breeze or cross ventilation. All the windows are recycled windows that
Jay made work. He attached hinges to them so they could open/close, and
he put cleats by each and a string on each so we can open them as
little or as much as we want to. The photos below show this in more
detail.
Also to note, if you're going to have windows open you
probably want to put wire on them to keep other birds and critters out.
We used a pretty rugged square wire on ours. We also used barrel-locks
on all the windows so they can close tight in the winter.
Lesson Six: If you live in an area with
freezing temp.'s through a good portion of the winter, you may want to
look at a heater for the water (in the photo above to the left). After a few mornings of trying to thaw out the waterer you will be thankful.
Lesson Seven: Chickens are messy and they love to scratch.
Because of this, if you don't want their feed all over the place, raise
their feeders. Jay built wooden platforms for each, but we've also
used strings attached to the ceiling as in the photo above. Just make
sure it's easy to remove for filling and cleaning. Also, try to have
more than one feeder. The girls tend to gang up on one or two chickens
and prevent them from feeding. With an additional feeder, everyone can
eat.
Many people have asked me about the cold temp.'s in our area and how to
keep the coop warm. The simple truth is, if you have a small coop and
enough chickens to fill it, their body heat alone will keep them warm.
They deal with the cold better than the heat.
Our coop is large and tall for the amount of birds we have, so although
it stays warmer inside than outside, it still seems chilly. We did 2
things: we insulated the coop (walls, ceiling, door and floor) and we
purchased 2 flat panel heaters and a thermostatic outlet. (The
insulation helps in the summer as well so the coop can stay a little
cooler, especially with the box fans going.)
The heaters we purchased were from Melanie at Shop The Coop.com
and they work great. She also sells the thermostatic outlet, which
allows the heaters to operate similar to your thermostat in the house.
We are very happy with them. Yes, it definitely raises our electric
bill, but we only turn them on during the coldest parts of the winter.
If you're going to use heaters, flat panel is the way to go because they're safe and cool to the touch.
Lesson Eight: Do you have an area to keep chickens who need to be separated from the rest?
We realized we didn't want sick chickens in the same coop, and haven't
yet built a small hutch-style coop for that purpose. Currently, they
get quarrantined in the craft room in a dog crate.
But we did realize, when Mama Claire hatched 2 eggs and again when we
adopted the new chicks, we needed an area for the babies where the big
girls couldn't pick at them until they could defend themselves. Enter
my handyman again to construct a temporary coop within the coop.
The photo above to the left is the box method we started with. With
five chicks, they outgrew it quickly. We wanted to keep them with the
other chickens so there would be no need for introductions later when
they were released to the rest of the flock. So my very handy husband
constructed a portable coop within the coop. He boxed in one corner of
the coop and made the walls portable so we can take them down and put
them up when needed. Brilliant!! It has worked out great.
Lesson Nine: Think through what you store inside the coop area.
You can also see from the photos above, we started out with a shelving
area in part of the coop to keep litter, straw and extra feed. We
realized how bad an idea this was when we had a mite infestation this
past summer and had to toss it all out. I would suggest only storing
tightly sealed items (such as the small trash cans of food) just in case
of a lice, mite, or any other infestation.
Lesson Ten: Electricity, to us, has been one of the most important things.
We didn't really think much about it initially, and I'm sure Jay was
wishing the decision was to not power it, but in the end we are both so
thankful we did. He had to dig a trench and run the wire, while the
girls and Clyde supervised, but it has allowed us to run the electric
heater for the water; run the flat panel heaters; and run a box fan (we
put in the windows) in the summer. The girls get up on the roosts,
spread out their wings, and take in that wonderful breeze. Their
happiness is thanks enough.
Lesson Eleven: Where there are chickens there will be a lot of dust.
This is inevitable. I've seen wonderful coop designs with chandeliers,
curtains, painted walls, etc. Remember, chickens poop where they want
and create dust constantly.
Lesson Twelve: If there is a 1-1/2" or larger ledge, a chicken will find it and roost on it.
When you build your coop look around and think about this. We have a
small windowsill all the way up at the top of the coop where our
ventilation window is. They found it and there was no keeping them off
of it. We are unable to get up there to clean off the manure, so we had
to create obstacles to keep them off. To read more about roosts, visit my All You Need To Know About Chicken Roosts post.
Lesson Thirteen: If there's a wire or something sticking out, a chicken will likely injure themselves on it.
Also, if there's something to peck at (exposed insulation, etc), they
will. Again, take a look around your coop and think of it from a
chicken's perspective.
Additional information is with regard to the flooring of the coop, which
really depends on your preference. Our first little coop had a dirt
floor. My concern was that something would be able to dig underneath
the coop and get at them. We now have a wood insulated floor. Cement
is a good choice as well.
Additional posts that may be of interest:
My hope is that you come away with an idea or two, or perhaps you can
share an idea with us. If so, please leave a comment, we'd love to hear
from you!
**An edit to the original post. **
First, I forgot to state we do have a locking screen door on our coop
(removed in winter) so the girls get plenty of ventilation in the
summer.
More at: http://www.lifeatcobblehillfarm.com/2011/03/chicken-coop-101-thirteen-lessons-weve.html
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