Coopus Optimus...

This post is for the birds. Chickens in particular. Our laying hens had lived in temporary housing since we moved here in 1977. This year we put the finishing touches on the Ultimate Hen Coop and the girls finally have the deluxe housing they so richly deserve. Our steady egg production and happy hens indicate that they appreciate it.

It's testimony to how easy it is to raise poultry that they did so well in the various housing they were given. From a tiny 4 foot high by 4 foot wide by 2 feet deep coop to refurbished pig and goat pens, they still provided us with eggs and meat. Unfortunately they also provided a lot of the local wildlife with meat and eggs as well.
EVERYTHING likes poultry! And we have a wide variety of predators here: coyotes; fox; hawks; skunks; bobcat; cougar; raccoons... All fond of a chicken dinner. And rats, snakes, and squirrels enjoy eggs. And mice like the feed... The list goes on and on. Our eggs were fabulous but, given all the native competition, they were also rather expensive.

We had plenty of time to ponder the perfect hencoop and all the features that would make it most useful to us and the hens. Here are the things that ended up on our list:

1) Roomy. We wanted to make sure there was enough room the hens would not be too crowded. When crowded they have problems from illness to aggression. We also wanted to have room to raise meat birds part of the year. The bird's indoor portion of our coop is 6 feet by 10 feet in size, with a covered enclosed 10 by 10 foot space outside.

2) Easy to clean. Chicken manure is a wonderful thing. It can also be really disgusting. We wanted the main poop collection area, that is, the area where they sleep, to be dry and easy to access and clean. And cleanliness helps prevent parasites and other negative health issues.
One big step toward this was pouring a cement slab for the chicken's living area and putting their roost on hinges so it could easily be raised out of the way. It attaches to a hook in the ceiling. We also have a hinged lower wall behind the roost that opens so we can easily shovel out the manure mixed with bedding (wood shavings).

3) Safe. With all the hungry critters in the woods we know we have to be able to completely lock up our birds when there are predators in the area. We wanted to have both indoor and outdoor safe areas. This means a roof to protect from hawks as well as fencing that a skunk won't dig under or a raccoon dismantle or climb over. Foxes and bobcats can get in tiny openings, too. We also have a door that closes from indoors via a pulley system to lock the girls in at night, and a door separating their covered yard from the larger outdoor run. On nice days when there have been no predators about recently we can turn them loose into the world at large.

4) Sturdy. We can get a lot of snow here in the winter. We learned that chicken wire holds snow really well, until you are under it trying to do something. And it will also collapse under the weight of snow, taking wooden supports with it.  A solid roof that sheds snow was a must.
Also, any loose boards that can be pried make entries for a variety of critters. Solid siding is important.

5) Well ventilated. It gets hot here in the summer. Poultry wilts, wings sagging, which can result in health issues and egg production going down. Having good cross ventilation in the coop makes a world of difference. We were lucky to have scrounged 3 free windows that open from the dump/recycling center. We also put in a solid vent that is "screened" with chicken wire.

6) Versatile. We wanted ample room for the birds, to separate an injured bird, broody hen, or raise hatchery chicks. We wanted this space to be flexible, so in the chicken part of the coop we made chicken wire doors that could separate an area when needed, but open out of the way otherwise.

7) Human friendly. This means storage space, easy access to all parts of the coop, and lighting. It also meant a covered entry so we wouldn't get soaked unloading feed during the monsoon... I mean, rainy season.

You can see the nest boxes are located in the "human" area, taking no space from the hens at all, And are "double decked" with 4 boxes proving plenty for 14 hens.
The hens indoor area has a ceiling which creates an overhead loft for storage of various tools which are not in constant use. We also have a hinged shelf that holds a brooder (read: foil lined cardboard box) for hatchery chicks when needed, but otherwise folds out of the way. We keep the chicken feed and hen scratch in a metal garbage can for further protection from mice and such.

Everyone will come up with the design that best fits their needs and terrain, but we are tremendously happy with ours. 10 years in the planning, it paid off when we finally had the opportunity to build it.