Five years ago I brought home five keets to help combat ticks in our woods. Those five little birds applied the usual 'chicken math' logic to my brain ... and last summer I found myself planning a coop that would 'serve 'til I'm 80'. That's our motto around here. 
For years I had enjoyed browsing through the coop articles here on BackYard Chickens. I decided I was going to gather all the ideas I could and design my own 'Chicken Palace'.
I researched a number of prebuilt shed companies in our area and settled on 'Old Hickory Sheds'. I was excited by the option to design my own door and window placements on their website. A few months later a beautiful 16 foot by 8 foot shed was delivered right where I wanted it - in our back paddock. I has three large windows along the south wall, a large window on the west wall, two windows and a double door on the north wall, and a large wide door on the east wall.
I had decided that having a poop tray was top on my list of priorities. So we created a 22 inch deep platform out of plywood. We used 2 by 4's to make a lip at the front edge. And we supported it at each end with 2 by 4 lengths nailed to the walls. I found this shelving at Home Depot and we cut off the top few inches to allow the platform to sit right under the window ledges at 32 inches up from the floor. We picked up a paint sprayer and used it to totally whitewash the interior of the shed and the platform and perches. I'd definitely use a paint sprayer again in such a situation!
We built perches ten inches off the platform extending the full 16 feet length of the shed. I painted 1 inch square hardware cloth squares black and then secured them with gutter washers on the outside of the coop against the existing window screens. I wanted to keep predators from reaching in for dinner! Along the back of the poop tray we installed 1 by 4 lengths to keep the wood chips we'd be using for bedding from falling down behind the nesting boxes to the floor below.
These were very useful. It made it much easier to clean when most of the droppings were kept up top.
Even though there were plenty of windows ... I could see a winter situation in which they would all be closed. So I cut vents up high on the end walls of the shed to create ventilation that could stay open all year round. I did hinge the piece I cut out so it could be closed. But I have not done that at all. Having those open vents has kept the Chicken Palace dry and enabled me to keep water inside during the winter months. I also cut pop doors on the west and south walls.
I was excited to introduce our young Orpingtons to their new digs. I had an existing flock of Red Sex Links and Barnyard Mix hens as well. They were all combined the night I moved them into the Chicken Palace. There was so much space there were no problems with their integration. Relief! I loved that the feed bins and wood chip bales could be easily stored underneath the poop bar. The pop doors were also easily accessed from under the ramp as well.
A second ramp ran alongside the poop tray at the other end of the coop. The flock didn't much like using this ramp ... too close on their left? Not sure.
This was last summer. The chickens were all either light breeds or young ... As the fall and winter progressed I learned I would need to make some alterations to my plan. As the Orpingtons got bigger ... the sounds they made when they jumped down from the perches got louder and louder ... and I began to notice a few limps!
Especially when Paddy started to roost up here!! The shed had two storage shelves at about six feet in height. He would work his way up to them - and then up to the highest beams. Of course they'd roost as high as they could go! And of course they'd hurt themselves trying to get back down!
My first change was to drape chicken wire above their 'assigned roosts' so they would not be able to access the storage shelves or high beams. I wove orange warning tape up there so there were no 'surprises' when they first discovered the second storey was closed off.
My second move was to bring in some hay bales to use as 'steps' down from the perches. They had a great time pecking at those bales over the winter months. I also installed some dividers to cut up the length of the 16 foot perching roost. When there were squabbles between groups of hens the dividers allowed them to claim smaller sections as their own. The favoured perch areas were those up against those dividers or against the walls. I put up pull down blinds to add additional insulation on windy days. On sunny days the windows were a great source of radiant heat.
The nesting boxes were made from tupperware tubs. I cut most of one side out and used gorilla tape to ensure it was smooth. The lids went back on. Then when I wished to clean them out I could easily pick them up and wash them down. I used wood chips and a layer of fresh hay for bedding. I wasn't sure about the curtains ... "I" liked the idea - looked great. It turned out the hens favoured the nesting boxes with the most privacy. So I installed them all the way along and untied the middle sections. They were easily able to poke their heads through to enter that shelf. For the winter months I installed some LED lights on a timer. It helped on those early dark days ... they had a brightly lit spot to go. If I didn't have the lights on they would find themselves in the jennies' barn - not wanting to cross the darkness to the coop.
When I had three new hens to introduce to the flock I used a garage door screen to separate the far end of the coop. I found a 'zipper system' that could be applied with adhesive to the screening. You then use scissors to cut up the middle of the zipper ... and you have a zippered screen wall! I've used that same system three times now. Very useful! I hung it from the beam above using screw in hooks. I screwed the sides to the wall 2 by 4's with screws and washers. The group could all see each other - but didn't have to battle it out for the newbie positions. There was the usual squabbling for a day or so when I opened the coop up all the way through. I have pop doors at either end so these hens had their own little fenced in area while they adjusted. (They'd been in quarantine for a month in another barn here.)
That curtain was great use to create a brooding area this past spring. I could keep an eye on my broody and look after her at the same time as the rest. She also seemed very soothed by having her flock mates around. Once the chicks hatched they stayed here with her for two weeks. Then I moved her with them to a bigger area with outdoor access away from the adult members of the flock.
After the hay bales had been in the coop for the winter months they began to fall apart. They also took up a LOT of space! I found these shelves at Home Depot for just $100. By putting them up in sections I was able to mimic the hay bales. The chickens liked to use them to get down - without the big GALUMPFH of hitting the floor from 30 inches up. I realized ... finally ... that really they shouldn't be jumping more than 18 inches ... So this was a way for me to 'lower' the roosts ... without actually lowering the roosts.I attached boot trays to the shelves to hold some wood chips ... to help make cleaning up easier.
You need to know though ... I did come to the point where that is exactly what I needed to do - lower the poop bar and perches. I was loathe to consider it as the entire poop tray (all sixteen feet of it) was quite heavy and was supported by those great metal shelves that were 30 inches tall - shaved down. I liked having the nesting boxes under the perches. It freed up all the rest of the floor space.
It was the right move. I didn't want to cut off the top of the shelving framework as the supports that held the sections together was involved. So instead I came to this design. (You can tell this isn't the brand new - freshly painted coop I was sharing at the beginning of this article!) At first I left the dividers up ... but everyone is getting along these days. I took them down and that opened up the perch all the way along the south wall. There is still ample room for the nesting boxes on the floor. I have picked up a couple covered cat litter boxes. They are now the preferred nesting spots. They provide more privacy than the open tubs at floor level.
I did end up adding two more small sections of poop board under the north side windows ... because ... well ... CHICKEN MATH! My latest bunch of new hens are growing out in other sheds for the summer ... but they will be joining my regular flock sometime in the fall. There will be LOTS of room for roosting for all of them.
A few final touches I didn't yet mention. One was that in the winter I noticed the cold winds really blew in through the pop doors. I cut pieces of tarp and slit them into strips. The flock was fine coming and going through those. But ... so was the wind. I scouted the local hardware store (aka our basement) and remembered an old greenhouse we'd used.
I attached it to the wire wall protection with cinch ties. I cut the exit into strips like the tarp is cut on the pop door. It didn't take them long at all to figure out that left hand turn as they came out.
This meant that on cold windy winter days - or rainy windy fall days - the coops stayed dry and much warmer than if those temperatures were blowing through on the floor. This ramp now simply rests on the ground. They are able to either walk up it or often hop up to the top rung and pop inside the greenhouse. The plastic is wearing thin ... I will likely have to improvise a cover for next winter. The concept has worked well!
I'm having a wonderful time living with a flock. There is never a lack of something to learn ... or something to renovate ... or improve!
Now ... about Chicken Math! That's an entire article all its own!
For years I had enjoyed browsing through the coop articles here on BackYard Chickens. I decided I was going to gather all the ideas I could and design my own 'Chicken Palace'.I researched a number of prebuilt shed companies in our area and settled on 'Old Hickory Sheds'. I was excited by the option to design my own door and window placements on their website. A few months later a beautiful 16 foot by 8 foot shed was delivered right where I wanted it - in our back paddock. I has three large windows along the south wall, a large window on the west wall, two windows and a double door on the north wall, and a large wide door on the east wall.
I had decided that having a poop tray was top on my list of priorities. So we created a 22 inch deep platform out of plywood. We used 2 by 4's to make a lip at the front edge. And we supported it at each end with 2 by 4 lengths nailed to the walls. I found this shelving at Home Depot and we cut off the top few inches to allow the platform to sit right under the window ledges at 32 inches up from the floor. We picked up a paint sprayer and used it to totally whitewash the interior of the shed and the platform and perches. I'd definitely use a paint sprayer again in such a situation!
We built perches ten inches off the platform extending the full 16 feet length of the shed. I painted 1 inch square hardware cloth squares black and then secured them with gutter washers on the outside of the coop against the existing window screens. I wanted to keep predators from reaching in for dinner! Along the back of the poop tray we installed 1 by 4 lengths to keep the wood chips we'd be using for bedding from falling down behind the nesting boxes to the floor below.
These were very useful. It made it much easier to clean when most of the droppings were kept up top.
Even though there were plenty of windows ... I could see a winter situation in which they would all be closed. So I cut vents up high on the end walls of the shed to create ventilation that could stay open all year round. I did hinge the piece I cut out so it could be closed. But I have not done that at all. Having those open vents has kept the Chicken Palace dry and enabled me to keep water inside during the winter months. I also cut pop doors on the west and south walls.
I was excited to introduce our young Orpingtons to their new digs. I had an existing flock of Red Sex Links and Barnyard Mix hens as well. They were all combined the night I moved them into the Chicken Palace. There was so much space there were no problems with their integration. Relief! I loved that the feed bins and wood chip bales could be easily stored underneath the poop bar. The pop doors were also easily accessed from under the ramp as well.
A second ramp ran alongside the poop tray at the other end of the coop. The flock didn't much like using this ramp ... too close on their left? Not sure.
This was last summer. The chickens were all either light breeds or young ... As the fall and winter progressed I learned I would need to make some alterations to my plan. As the Orpingtons got bigger ... the sounds they made when they jumped down from the perches got louder and louder ... and I began to notice a few limps!
Especially when Paddy started to roost up here!! The shed had two storage shelves at about six feet in height. He would work his way up to them - and then up to the highest beams. Of course they'd roost as high as they could go! And of course they'd hurt themselves trying to get back down!
My first change was to drape chicken wire above their 'assigned roosts' so they would not be able to access the storage shelves or high beams. I wove orange warning tape up there so there were no 'surprises' when they first discovered the second storey was closed off.
My second move was to bring in some hay bales to use as 'steps' down from the perches. They had a great time pecking at those bales over the winter months. I also installed some dividers to cut up the length of the 16 foot perching roost. When there were squabbles between groups of hens the dividers allowed them to claim smaller sections as their own. The favoured perch areas were those up against those dividers or against the walls. I put up pull down blinds to add additional insulation on windy days. On sunny days the windows were a great source of radiant heat.
The nesting boxes were made from tupperware tubs. I cut most of one side out and used gorilla tape to ensure it was smooth. The lids went back on. Then when I wished to clean them out I could easily pick them up and wash them down. I used wood chips and a layer of fresh hay for bedding. I wasn't sure about the curtains ... "I" liked the idea - looked great. It turned out the hens favoured the nesting boxes with the most privacy. So I installed them all the way along and untied the middle sections. They were easily able to poke their heads through to enter that shelf. For the winter months I installed some LED lights on a timer. It helped on those early dark days ... they had a brightly lit spot to go. If I didn't have the lights on they would find themselves in the jennies' barn - not wanting to cross the darkness to the coop.
When I had three new hens to introduce to the flock I used a garage door screen to separate the far end of the coop. I found a 'zipper system' that could be applied with adhesive to the screening. You then use scissors to cut up the middle of the zipper ... and you have a zippered screen wall! I've used that same system three times now. Very useful! I hung it from the beam above using screw in hooks. I screwed the sides to the wall 2 by 4's with screws and washers. The group could all see each other - but didn't have to battle it out for the newbie positions. There was the usual squabbling for a day or so when I opened the coop up all the way through. I have pop doors at either end so these hens had their own little fenced in area while they adjusted. (They'd been in quarantine for a month in another barn here.)
That curtain was great use to create a brooding area this past spring. I could keep an eye on my broody and look after her at the same time as the rest. She also seemed very soothed by having her flock mates around. Once the chicks hatched they stayed here with her for two weeks. Then I moved her with them to a bigger area with outdoor access away from the adult members of the flock.
After the hay bales had been in the coop for the winter months they began to fall apart. They also took up a LOT of space! I found these shelves at Home Depot for just $100. By putting them up in sections I was able to mimic the hay bales. The chickens liked to use them to get down - without the big GALUMPFH of hitting the floor from 30 inches up. I realized ... finally ... that really they shouldn't be jumping more than 18 inches ... So this was a way for me to 'lower' the roosts ... without actually lowering the roosts.
I attached boot trays to the shelves to hold some wood chips ... to help make cleaning up easier.You need to know though ... I did come to the point where that is exactly what I needed to do - lower the poop bar and perches. I was loathe to consider it as the entire poop tray (all sixteen feet of it) was quite heavy and was supported by those great metal shelves that were 30 inches tall - shaved down. I liked having the nesting boxes under the perches. It freed up all the rest of the floor space.
It was the right move. I didn't want to cut off the top of the shelving framework as the supports that held the sections together was involved. So instead I came to this design. (You can tell this isn't the brand new - freshly painted coop I was sharing at the beginning of this article!) At first I left the dividers up ... but everyone is getting along these days. I took them down and that opened up the perch all the way along the south wall. There is still ample room for the nesting boxes on the floor. I have picked up a couple covered cat litter boxes. They are now the preferred nesting spots. They provide more privacy than the open tubs at floor level.
I did end up adding two more small sections of poop board under the north side windows ... because ... well ... CHICKEN MATH!
My latest bunch of new hens are growing out in other sheds for the summer ... but they will be joining my regular flock sometime in the fall. There will be LOTS of room for roosting for all of them.A few final touches I didn't yet mention. One was that in the winter I noticed the cold winds really blew in through the pop doors. I cut pieces of tarp and slit them into strips. The flock was fine coming and going through those. But ... so was the wind. I scouted the local hardware store (aka our basement) and remembered an old greenhouse we'd used.
I attached it to the wire wall protection with cinch ties. I cut the exit into strips like the tarp is cut on the pop door. It didn't take them long at all to figure out that left hand turn as they came out.
This meant that on cold windy winter days - or rainy windy fall days - the coops stayed dry and much warmer than if those temperatures were blowing through on the floor. This ramp now simply rests on the ground. They are able to either walk up it or often hop up to the top rung and pop inside the greenhouse. The plastic is wearing thin ... I will likely have to improvise a cover for next winter. The concept has worked well!
I'm having a wonderful time living with a flock. There is never a lack of something to learn ... or something to renovate ... or improve!
Now ... about Chicken Math! That's an entire article all its own!
