Chicken Coop Design - 2

This Part 2 is to answer some questions people had about the coop I posted about in this post.


I was asked about possible changes to the design. If doing it again, I might make it a little bigger, possibly walk in size, or the other alternative to make it lighter and more portable.

The original design for the chicken coop was to make it portable, with wheels on one side, like moving a two wheeled wheelbarrow. I didn’t ever get around to adding the wheels, I did move it a few times, but it is heavier than it looks and difficult to move.

I also considered adding a longer a chicken run to a grassy area or garden.

 The chickens were always fine with how cold it gets in Texas, but sometimes the water froze over. A heat lamp could be added in the upper area for the colder days or in colder climate. I would probably design a more sheltered or insulated area if it was in a colder climate.  _Laying Boxes_ To get to the upper story I was going to have a ramp or ladder, but saw that the chickens could just jump or fly up to the upper area, so I eliminated the ramp.

Considering the wire at the bottom, I was a little concerned about the wire on their feet, but over the years there was never been a problem so I guess their feet are tough enough. As for pecking the ground, they do get out some for short periods of time but adding a long run with a door at one end of the coop would be nice.

The food and water is handled in the following ways. The food is in the upper part in a hanging chicken feeder, spilled food lands on the wood floor. The water is in the lower section so that spills go through the wire.

 

With 4-10 hens the number of eggs was sufficient for our family. Eggs were usually laid every day or every other day.

 _My favorite chicken is the Americana with light blue eggs_

This coop I designed in Texas, but now I’m in Panama and will be considering a new design to have chickens here. There aren’t as many predators, but there are still some snakes, hawks, owls, stray dogs and cats to contend with.