Building a 4x4 coop!

[BroodyB]

I'm building my first chicken coop. I'm using diygarden.com free plans and just wanted to share my experience and review the plans. So far it's great! My husband and I have never really built anything before so, it's very amateur but doesn't look like it!

That's as far as we have gotten. I did start painting the interior with white barn paint.

Looking for recommendations on whether or not I should caulk up all the edges? Also whether or not I put the roosting bars by the vent window??

 

[Ameraucanas]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/964850/building-4x4-barn-style-coop-with-4x8-run/10 Here is a link that might help!

 

[Weston N]

Very nice but I prefer a bigger coop. I have four chickens and they live in a 12 by 8 feet

 

[ladyearth]

Looks good to me oh esp like you have it nicely off the ground....
I would... cause plywood edges wants TO DELAMINATE ,ETC. plus supposedly mites etc hide in cracks.... looks good.
and if its hot where you are esp this relentless heat here.....
just some suggestions since I have made so many mistakes...... even in our first aluminum truck Topper roof coop
we used a 2 by 4 ,,roost.... then I thought was wide enough
then I said "naw need to be 2 by 6 roost."... Had poor Hubby redo to 2 by 6 roost . that made it wide enough for chickens to poo on... Duh me. LOL >
then poor Hubby put back up ( but removable for cleaning 2 by 4 roost again.....
more suggestions........
just might wanna make plenty of hdwe cloth vents or hdwe covered "windows" esp for hot summer to get breezes.... Or even make their "door hdwe cloth centered. cleaning out door.that is...
One can always cover them in winter with plywood. we use plexiglass.... and plastic , and plastics and removable aluminum bubble wrapping even top of roof inside..... it was so cold and snowy past winter. Course there is plenty of ventilation at top of roof inside......
also hopefully Your COOP ..... it can be shaded by a tree or something...

My hubby is putting an addition, but prob freestanding to our first plans from" Fred's fine Fowl". Boy was it a mistake only big enough for 2 tiny chickens in the original form.. later before finishing ( what a headache and lousy plans, and very time consuming and expensive to make esp paying someone by the hour, I bought)to make the whole top accesible..instead of walk in...... It is a tractor type but only moved once.... Now before addtion its only less than 3 ft by 7 foot.. Very tight for & gals esp in the hot summer... they constantly vie for front or near fan or near the many windows we added.....we even put hdwe. cloth on the door for summer.... and put hde cloth under the lift down lid for the nestbox.....
that little fan is 12 volts running off 2 ,. 6 volts hooked to H F's.... 3 15 watt solar panels..
My wonderful Hubby says at times he" is all Chickened out"
but dont give up learn from others mistakes and keep on building...
.happy chicken TV

 

[Percheron chick]

It looks good. However, when you built the nesting boxes you reduced the size to more like 3x4 which is only large enough for 3 hens.

 

[BroodyB]

It looks good. However, when you built the nesting boxes you reduced the size to more like 3x4 which is only large enough for 3 hens.

I can only have three hens where I live so that works out perfect.

 

[BroodyB]

It looks good. However, when you built the nesting boxes you reduced the size to more like 3x4 which is only large enough for 3 hens.

There is a 4x8 run that will be attached - does this increase space requirements?

 

[Percheron chick]

It's a adequate for 3 hens but larger would be better especially if they can't free range. I have 4 8 week old chicks in that size coop and run and it's the right size for them. Keep the 2 size requirements separate.