HGTV Coop Design

[ExpiredMayo]

Has anyone seen or built this design? Im looking to build a coop for next year for my first time with chickens. I want it easy to clean, harvest eggs, and get to any part of it if I need too.

https://www.hgtv.com/content/dam/documents/Gardens/chicken-coop-plans.pdf

Ive priced out the parts for it at Lowes and it looks to be close to $500 to build

I do want it to be pretty clean looking though becuase I can have a high standard and it will be in a fenced in backyard where it will be seen alot from guests.

 

[townchicks]

That's very cute looking, but even as a relative newbie, and a non builder, I can see that it needs way more/better ventilation, and probably a bigger run too. Others may be able to add more, or make suggestions for modifying it. Check out the coop pages here, there are lots of cute but good for the chickens designs. Start by deciding how many chickens you want, figure 4 sq feet per chicken for the coop, and 10sq feet per chicken in the run. Ventilation is 1 sq foot per chicken in the coop. Make it bigger if you can, bigger is always better.

 

[jthornton]

Hmm where do I start... no overhangs, no ventilation, hard to get inside to clean, nest boxes too high, roost too low. On the plus side the man door is a good size and they did use hardware cloth!

Look for shed plans and turn that into a coop or read the Modern Fresh Air Poultry House book for ideas.

 

[ExpiredMayo]

oh wow, i didnt know it was that bad. i guess i will keep looking for another design

 

[cmom]

I had a couple of coops that were raised and they are not my favorite. I personally like a coop I can walk in. This may give you some ideas.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/gallery/categories/chicken-coops-runs.6/

I recently renovated my original coop. It needed help. I have been doing one coop at a time because they all need some work. I have one left to do but it's good until the weather gets cooler.

 

[ExpiredMayo]

thanks for the responses everyone! im really only looking to have about 3 maybe 4 chickens. probably only 2 to start, so i dont feel like i need such a large coop.

how does this look?
http://www.ana-white.com/2016/07/fr...n-coop-planter-clean-out-tray-and-nesting-box

 

[snow5164]

2 or 3 huh? You need a much bigger coop then the first one I’m afraid . Build a shed , divid it in half , make one side the coop. Wait and see how long it is before you’re making the other side another coop , that’s what we did and it works great

 

[cmom]

Some people modify play houses for coops. For me the most important is that they have good space and a safe place to roam.

 

[ExpiredMayo]

wow i really cant fit that large of a coop in our yard. i was thinking 4x8 or 5x10

 

[townchicks]

Frankly, that coop is not very practical. You want to get at least 3 chickens, so if something happens to one, you don't have a lone chicken. They need a flock, even if it's a small one. Where are you located? If it snows where you live, you really don't want a prefab coop. If you live in a temperate climate you can get away with one for a while. That's what I did, while I got used to having chickens and learned what was working and what didn't. Then I built a bigger, sturdier one. A lot of prefabs are very cheap and pretty much worthless right from the start. I got mine from mypetchicken, I think it is pretty good for a prefab, with some modifications for safety. Be aware the number of chickens it can house are always inflated, figure on 1/2 or less than what they claim it will hold, and they always need a bigger run, unless you plan on free ranging in your backyard.