Chicken coop design

Hi Ooooby-ites

I'm about to take the plunge and build myself a chicken coop (and then put some chickens in it, of course). I'm in suburbia, and want the coop to be more of a chicken tractor with and attached run, so I can shift the birds around and even get them up near my raised beds for a bit of weeding and fertilising duty. I'm thinking of getting 3 or 4 birds - no more. Might start with 3 and see about adding another later.

I have looked at about a million coop designs and settled on something kinda like this one: http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=33445 (but with the nesting boxes on the back, different doors etc). Or this one: http://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-tractor.

My question is about size. I'm building the coop as far as possible out of recycled pallets and other timber, so the base is going to be made out of a salvaged piece of ply about 1.1m x 1.1m. I'll raise this about 40cm off the ground, and then build the "box" part on top - probably 1.2m on the tall side and 90cm on the short side (it has a sloped root like the one in the link). The laying boxes will be taken out of the 1.1m square base, and there will be 3 of these, about 30cmx40cm each. So the "box" part of the coop will be roughly 85cm deep by 1.1m wide by 90cm tall (on the short end, 1.2 on the tall end).

Time for a sanity check before I start buliding: is this enough space for 3-4 chooks? There will also be a detachable run, I'm guessing about 1m x 1m x 2m or so.

I'm happy to share my plans if anyone is interested (I'm drawing them up in SketchUp at the moment). I might even get around to talking some photos as construction progresses.

Thanks!
Sean

Hi Sean! I got my first bantams about 1 year ago and also looked at millions of tractor designs before settling on a pretty basic one, much like the one in your 2nd link (although my run is detachable - I built my coop entirely out of ply and framing timber and it ended up far too heavy for me to move with the run attached). By the size of your nest boxes, I'm assuming you're planning on getting standard chooks, as opposed to bantams, is that right? I've put the sizes based on standard chooks below.

I got loads of books from the library when planning this one and this is what I learnt regarding area per chook, I hope it is of some help to you.

In the coop: ideally have around 20-25sqcm per chook
In the run: around 40sqcm per chook. Obviously, the bigger area you can manage, the better for the chooks.

Perches are also a good idea (not sure if you've planned for any?): the perch should be approx 5-8cm wide, with rounded edges and approx 23cm per chook. So for 3 chooks you'd be looking at a perch approx 70cm long. If you have more than one perch, try to make sure they're at the same level and approx 30cm apart.

I've since upgraded to a large shed now that I have 3 bantams and 7 shavers free ranging but I have kept my original coop - it sits in the middle of the yard and the bantams roost and lay in there. I think they like the privacy away from the big girls.

Anyway, hope that was helpful - have fun!

Replies

Mercurious April 21, 2010 at 11:07pm

Hi Sean,
I'd be very keen to have a look at your plans when you're done. I hope it all goes well.
Regards Kim
Sean Kemball April 12, 2010 at 2:47am

Thanks all for the comments.

I am planning on making the run detachable - not absolutely sure exactly how, but I'll figure something out. And there will be a perch - initially planned to be a dowel or something but will be wider, about 8cm.

Vicki, sounds like I'll have enough space, by the figures you've given. Thanks.
Kate, I'll provide three nest boxes as that fits the design best, if they only use one, so be it! I have read the French book, but it was a while ago. Might try to get it out again before I actually buy the birds.
Earl, I have some vague ideas about hooking up a fenced area that covers the garden bed and attaches to where the (more substantial) run will go, but these are not well formed at the moment. It's the basis for the idea of having a movable tractor and a detachable run. I have some metal hoops I use for bird-netting over the beds, maybe I could rig something flexible up using these? I suspect it will be a learning experience for later on... :)

Thanks again.
- Nicki Dunn > Sean Kemball May 25, 2010 at 12:17pm
  
  Hi, Don't know if you have taken the plunge yet or not....... Chooks are great. The only down side of a tractor is they have to be moved every couple of days as you will just have a mud bath (or dust bath) where it is if it stays put. To make moving it easier put wheels on the opposite end to the handles that way when you tilt it back to move it rocks back onto the wheels and doesn't rip up the ground. Taking this into consideration will affect the size of your tractor. To keep green grass in it you will need an area around 10 times the size of the tractor so you can move it to fresh grass twice a week. This give the trampled area time to recover for the next round. We decided to fence off a corner of our back section about 5mx 5m and build a permanent coop (around 1m x 1m x 1m plus external nesting boxes) in there with the girls allowed out to freerange in the back yard. This is big enough for our 6 big girls with room to spare. The bantys are in their own house about 2/3 the size. the 2pics are of our back yard corner and our tractor for our mum with her chicks. The ginger 'chook' has to be in on the action and she doesn't bother the chooks often. You will see from the pic
  outside yard 1.JPG
  
  ginger chook (2).JPG
Earl Mardle April 11, 2010 at 10:50pm

Another thought is to make it usable on your gardens. If you make it to fit their shape and size you will be able to get the chooks to work for you come the end of the season and weeding and fertilising needs doing.
Kate April 11, 2010 at 12:40pm

Hi Sean
I heard that the chooks all like the same nest box, and will take turns laying in it, even to the point of hopping from one foot to the other trying to hold the egg in while waiting for the favourite box, even when several other boxes are empty, just cause they all like the same box. Weird ay. My chooks do all lay in the same box even though I have 2 laying boxes for the 4 chooks. So I have removed one of the boxes to give them more space in their coop. They just take turns laying in the box and each morning I get 4 eggs.
Have you read the Chook Book by Jackie French. It is in the library. A really easy read. I highly recommend it as it contains some good chook pointers.
Vicki Hill April 11, 2010 at 11:43am

Hi Sean! I got my first bantams about 1 year ago and also looked at millions of tractor designs before settling on a pretty basic one, much like the one in your 2nd link (although my run is detachable - I built my coop entirely out of ply and framing timber and it ended up far too heavy for me to move with the run attached). By the size of your nest boxes, I'm assuming you're planning on getting standard chooks, as opposed to bantams, is that right? I've put the sizes based on standard chooks below.

I got loads of books from the library when planning this one and this is what I learnt regarding area per chook, I hope it is of some help to you.

In the coop: ideally have around 20-25sqcm per chook
In the run: around 40sqcm per chook. Obviously, the bigger area you can manage, the better for the chooks.

Perches are also a good idea (not sure if you've planned for any?): the perch should be approx 5-8cm wide, with rounded edges and approx 23cm per chook. So for 3 chooks you'd be looking at a perch approx 70cm long. If you have more than one perch, try to make sure they're at the same level and approx 30cm apart.

I've since upgraded to a large shed now that I have 3 bantams and 7 shavers free ranging but I have kept my original coop - it sits in the middle of the yard and the bantams roost and lay in there. I think they like the privacy away from the big girls.

Anyway, hope that was helpful - have fun!

This reply was deleted.

Poultry in Urbania

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