Someone had questions about the coop and I realized I did not mention the construction. I built the coop mostly out of repurposed wood. When I see a good piece of lumber, I drag it home and put it in my garage. I never know when I can use it on a project.
The chicken coop was started way before I got my chicks. I wanted no more than four hens, so I drew plans for this in mind. Each chicken needs about a 3-4 square feet area in the coop. My coop is 3'x5' with a nesting box built out on one end. I ended up with only two hens, so they have plenty of room.
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My yard is mostly shaded and the coop is located under a big pecan tree. The sun only hits the west side of the coop for a short time at the end of the day, so the temperature inside is not a problem in the summer. There is a screened window on either end of the coop that can be opened for ventilation. It also has a window above the door. This window doesn't open, it is there for the winter months when the screened windows are closed.
The roost is close to this window and they usually get close to it at night to see out. When they were small, Henrietta would sit on the window seal. They are too big now, or she would probably do it today. I used metal bracket to hold the 2x4s I used for the roost. They just lift out to make cleaning easy.
The door was place next to the nesting box for easy access to gather eggs.
The coop is 24" off the ground. This gives a dry place to hang the feeder. The hens like to hang out there and take a nap, or run and hide when they hear strange noises. I am pleased with the design.
