Barn Lean-To Coop Build Thread "Coop Knox"

[BaaKaaawk]

Hi all, built a few coops in my time- and well, time for another. Although I enjoy building fun coops, this one needs to be "Coop Knox" because I have (no joke) Hawks, Foxes, Coyotes, Racoons, Possums, Weasels and even Bald Eagles on my property! Basically, if it eats chicken, it lives here.

I'm going to use this thread more as a timeline on the build for me. I plan to make a video while I build as well. Soooooo... Day 1!

Day 1: Got a reasonable amount of my framing materials. I am going to build the coop in the left-most space. The run will be in the next 3 spaces making the whole build about 10'x40'. I plan to keep about 20 chickens and the coop will be 6x10 (60sf for 3sf per chicken) and the run 10x30 (300sf for 15sf per chicken).

 

[BaaKaaawk]

Day 2: Coop base is built, it is right at 6x10. I planned it so the bottom is nice and high at 32" and I'll put wire on the base to let the poop pass right through to the concrete and then it can be swept or raked off. (Since the whole thing is concrete, I'll put a nice 3" of dirt or so in the run area when I'm done).

 

[3KillerBs]

I'm curious as to why you're building elevated instead of walk-in for a coop too large to reach the far wall from the access door.

 

[Windrider]

I'm curious as to why you're building elevated instead of walk-in for a coop too large to reach the far wall from the access door.

I was wondering that, too!

If I was so lucky to have that much land and such an excellent existing structure, I would have taken advantage of the two massive posts and back wall already there, and just walled in the sides and put a walk-in door on one of them. Wouldn't even have to be all solid walls, being in Kentucky, where an open air coop with winter baffles would work great. I think it would have been less lumber to do it that way, too.

 

[3KillerBs]

I was wondering that, too!

If I was so lucky to have that much land and such an excellent existing structure, I would have taken advantage of the two massive posts and back wall already there, and just walled in the sides and put a walk-in door on one of them. Wouldn't even have to be all solid walls, being in Kentucky, where an open air coop with winter baffles would work great. I think it would have been less lumber to do it that way, too.

Yes, that's what I would have done too so I was curious about @BaaKaaawk's reasons for the design choices.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Hi all, built a few coops in my time- and well, time for another. Although I enjoy building fun coops, this one needs to be "Coop Knox" because I have (no joke) Hawks, Foxes, Coyotes, Racoons, Possums, Weasels and even Bald Eagles on my property! Basically, if it eats chicken, it lives here.

I'm going to use this thread more as a timeline on the build for me. I plan to make a video while I build as well. Soooooo... Day 1!

Day 1: Got a reasonable amount of my framing materials. I am going to build the coop in the left-most space. The run will be in the next 3 spaces making the whole build about 10'x40'. I plan to keep about 20 chickens and the coop will be 6x10 (60sf for 3sf per chicken) and the run 10x30 (300sf for 15sf per chicken).

View attachment 2780821

Holy cats! What a space!

I will def follow your progress.

The only opinion I will add is that 15sq ft per chicken in the run is tiiiiiight. My small flock of 9 (plus 4 ducks and 3 new chicks) have 60 sq ft each, and there are days it feels crowded. If you have the room (and it appears you definitely do - it's gorgeous!), I'd go bigger. Or at least build with an eye for adding on later, if you follow my meaning.

What a great space! I'm jealous!

 

[BaaKaaawk]

I'm curious as to why you're building elevated instead of walk-in for a coop too large to reach the far wall from the access door.

Mostly personal preference for poop management. I'm not a big fan of the litterboxes and with a raised coop with a wire bottom the poop passes right through to below, where I'll put some sand... which yes will act like a giant litter box lol- but I can just use a rake to clean it once every few days. The raised bottom also provides a lot of ventilation and since KY doesn't get crazy cold, the chickens will likely appreciate that.

Also, I left 3' overhang in the back because that is where the wife and kid will gather eggs and if it is raining it gives them a place to gather without getting soaked... which I didn't have on my "Southern Farmhouse Coop" I built (in fact, that one's roof was perfect that when you checked the nest boxes in the rain you just got soaked lol).

The only opinion I will add is that 15sq ft per chicken in the run is tiiiiiight. My small flock of 9 (plus 4 ducks and 3 new chicks) have 60 sq ft each, and there are days it feels crowded. If you have the room (and it appears you definitely do - it's gorgeous!), I'd go bigger. Or at least build with an eye for adding on later, if you follow my meaning.

Well, that's the max I'd get... and yes a bit tight. My hope is that since all the killer critters I have are nocturnal except the hawks - who seem to have a taste for the field mice... I will probably try daytime free-ranging.

 

[BaaKaaawk]

Day 3: Got the nest boxes done (6 total) and my 3 roosts up. For size reference those 2 top roosts are 8' long each. They're ash which I got from the woods which unfortunately emerald ash borers got to a few years back. At least the wood will have a second life! I'm going to use fence boards for the siding and do them in a board-and-baton style to match the barn. Also plan to get paint to match the barn as well to kind of camouflage the coop but also have it look nice.

 

[3KillerBs]

Also, I left 3' overhang in the back because that is where the wife and kid will gather eggs and if it is raining it gives them a place to gather without getting soaked... which I didn't have on my "Southern Farmhouse Coop" I built (in fact, that one's roof was perfect that when you checked the nest boxes in the rain you just got soaked lol).

That kind of overhang is great. When we were planning the new Chicken Palace DH came up with a way to extend the roof 4 feet over the nestbox side to give me covered access and dry storage.

 

[Aunt Angus]

You're really making headway! Looking good!

I live in a heavily wooded area in the Sierra foothills of Northern California. We have all kinds of predators, too. I find that my situation is similar. Hawks are my only real daytime problem. Foxes, raccoon, skunks, and coyote are mostly active at nighttime. We have bear and mountain lions, too - and we even have a wolf who passes through. There's not much I can do to stop those. Especially mountain lions.

I let mine out during the day in an area surrounded by electric poultry netting. That stuff is great! And it's easy to move. I cover that with heavy duty bird netting. I highly recommend the electric netting. I use it around my goats (who we keep primarily as brushers). Move them all over the property to eat blackberry and poison oak.