Two small coops for a couple of hens.
” Windows are a must, South facing if possible to catch the winter sun. If the window is to serve for ventilation, put it up as high as possible to remove the hottest air.”
Chicken Coop Design
Hopefully if you are reading this you have already read our articles on square foot requirements per bird and chicken coop materials. Whether you are purchasing a coop or wanting to build your own a design needs to be decided upon before you get started.
We’ve already covered the size requirements, four to five square feet per bird in the coop and ten square feet per bird in the run. Next pick out a good location, preferably under a deciduous tree for shade in the summer but still exposed to the sun in the winter. If no shade is possible consider building a double layer roof so the coop will be cooler. The top layer need not be waterproof, just to provide shade for the lower roof.
In the coop itself, raise the entire coop off the ground enough so that a dog or cat can get under the coop for ratting duties.
You want to have the inside to be high enough to easily enter and walk around in so you can clean and care for the birds. Or have very large sections that swing open that will allow you to reach every part of the coop to reach a sick bird or to clean. The floor can be plywood s long as you either cover it with sheet metal or heavy plastic and keep deep litter in place to soak up water spills. Make your door wide enough to poke the nose of a wheelbarrow through which is also wide enough to pitch a shovel full of manure/bedding through as you are cleaning the coop.
The walls need to be solid and as air tight as possible. You will add ventilation at the top to cool the coop in warm weather and to remove ammonia and moisture but you want ventilation that you can control, not a drafty coop once the temperature drops below freezing. Windows are a must, South facing if possible to catch the winter sun. If the window is to serve for ventilation, put it up as high as possible to remove the hottest air. Insulate the walls if possible so the bird’s own body heat will help keep the coop warmer than outside in cold weather. A low hardware cloth screened vent is nice, put a sliding plywood hatch so it can be closed off if needed. Don’t forget to leave a 12” x 12” opening for the ramp into the lower run.
Looks more like a doll house but perfectly functional for a small free range flock
If you are building a stationary pen either cover the floor of the run with hardware cloth or dig a trench around the coop and bury the first section of hardware cloth about a foot deep to prevent predators digging into the coop. Use hardware cloth everywhere except for any inner partitions that can be chicken wire.
Your roof needs some pitch or slope to allow the water to run off. Asphalt shingles need at least 4” of drop per foot of run (4/12 pitch) but if you use the roll roofing you can go as low as 2/12 pitch. Metal roofing can go even lower to 1/12 but the steeper the roof pitch the more water tight it is in extreme weather and it will hold up to snow loads better. It is good to cover about half of the run with a roof for the rainy days and snow days. The run will require cleaning too so make the run at least six feet tall in back and eight in the front, or six feet on both sides and an 8’ tall peak in the middle. Provide a six foot tall door that is at least 36” wide to allow a wheel barrow to be pushed in and out of the coop.
You will want electricity for additional light in the winter and for freeze proofing the water. A single 15 to 20 amp service is plenty. A water source is good too if you can bury it deep enough to prevent freezing. Get one of those metal freeze proof faucets but place it outside so it drains well or when you back fill the hole around the faucet use small stones with gravel on top to make a drain for any spilled water.
You will need a ramp to connect the lower run to the coop. Chickens can handle a steep ramp but make it a bit longer if you have the room.
Inside the coop, cover the back one third with chicken wire, providing a tray under the chicken wire to catch the droppings from the roosts poles that you wlll install overhead. The tray will provide the predator protection so chicken wire will work fine and allow the droppings to pass through easier than hardware cloth. Roosts should be 2 x 3 lumber, set with the narrow side up for strength. Keep the span down to less than six feet length, 18” between roosts, at least 9” from the outside wall, and between three and four feet off the ground.
The walls need to be solid and as air tight as possible. You will add ventilation at the top to cool the coop in warm weather and to remove ammonia and moisture but you want ventilation that you can control, not a drafty coop once the temperature drops below freezing. Windows are a must, South facing if possible to catch the winter sun. If the window is to serve for ventilation, put it up as high as possible to remove the hottest air. Insulate the walls if possible so the bird’s own body heat will help keep the coop warmer than outside in cold weather. A low hardware cloth screened vent is nice, put a sliding plywood hatch so it can be closed off if needed. Don’t forget to leave a 12” x 12” opening for the ramp into the lower run.
Cute coop for four to five hens.
Nest boxes need to have an outside access door, be around 12” wide x 16” deep x 14” tall with a pitched roof to prevent roosting. Set the next boxes at least 24” off the floor and add a 2” front rail to keep the bedding inside. Put a good latch on the outside access door that a raccoon couldn’t open. One nest box per five to six hens.
You should provide space for one treadle feeder per 12 to 16 birds, ideally placed against a wall and even better is placed in a corner so that one side is close enough to a wall so the birds won’t try to lean in to eat from the side. On the other side of the treadle feeder provide a thin, short partition to do the same thing, leaving room for clearance. Water is best left outside unless you also provide a water tight drain area for the inevitable water spillage.
You will want electricity for additional light in the winter and for freeze proofing the water. A single 15 to 20 amp service is plenty. A water source is good too if you can bury it deep enough to prevent freezing. Get one of those metal freeze proof faucets but place it outside so it drains well or when you back fill the hole around the faucet use small stones with gravel on top to make a drain for any spilled water..
The run can be covered with a thick layer of straw, dried leaves, rice hulls, or wood shavings. Anything that is dry and absorbent. Provide a hook to hang a water dispenser from or set the water dispenser on a cement block fitted with a light bulb for winter use. Paving the area around the water dispenser with patio blocks is a good idea.
What are your thoughts on chicken coop design? Please leave a comment or message in the comment section below.