From measuring the yard or werf and picking a coop plan drawn for smallstands, to fitting predator mesh, hanging feeders and drinkers, and setting up incubators and brooder plates before the spring hatch. This is the order we work in, and the practical limits that come with it.
Most coop problems trace back to a step that got skipped. These are the parts of a Gotchickens setup that save you a second trip to the yard.
Smallstand or farm werf, the coop plan matches the space you have. Cutting lists come in millimetres, so the timber yard cuts once and you build without guesswork.
Plans note where to open the ridge and how to hang shade cloth over the run. Hens stop panting through February afternoons, and eggs stay firm in the nest.
Rust-treated hinges, heavy latches and tight-weave predator mesh for vents and low gaps. You bury the skirt once and stop counting losses in the morning.
Feeders, drinkers, galvanised laying nests and the 50 kg feed bin sit where you pass them anyway. Refilling and collecting eggs takes minutes, not a whole morning.
Incubator and brooder plate get set up and tested while the eggs are still in the tray. Chicks come out of the shell into a warm, dark corner instead of a cold box.
Grit, diatomaceous earth, wood shavings, leg bands and a heat lamp in one order. You skip the trial-and-error shopping and get the basics right the first week.
The order below is the one we follow with keepers across Gauteng, the Free State and the Cape. Skip a step and it usually shows up later, either as a wet coop floor or a mongoose-sized gap.
Step 1
Measure the yard or werf
Walk the space with a tape before anything gets ordered. Note the morning sun, the afternoon shade line and where water pools after rain. On a smallstand the coop often ends up along a boundary wall; on a farm werf it usually sits near the feed store. Both change the plan you pick.
Step 2
Choose a coop plan
Our plans are drawn for smallstands and farm werf layouts, with cutting lists in millimetres so the timber yard can work straight from the sheet. Check the ventilation notes before you commit: a coop that breathes properly in February is a different build from one that only looks right on paper.
Step 3
Sort shade and airflow
Highveld heat is hard on layers. Shade cloth over the run roof and open vents under the eaves keep the worst of it off the birds. Fit the cloth so it clears the nest boxes and does not sag into the run where hens can peck at it.
Step 4
Close the gaps
Rust-treated hinges and heavy latch plates go on first, then predator mesh over vents and low gaps. Mongoose push through anything loose, and caracal test the frame at night. Bury the mesh skirt a hand deep along the run edge so nothing digs under it.
Step 5
Set up daily chores
Feeders, drinkers and galvanised laying nests go where you can reach them without stepping through the flock. Wood shavings, diatomaceous earth, poultry grit and leg bands live on a shelf near the door. A 50 kg feed bin keeps the bag dry and off the floor.
Step 6
Prepare for the spring hatch
Incubators and brooder plates get tested a week before eggs go in, not the morning chicks arrive. Run the plate for a day, check the temperature, and have the brooder corner bedded and draught-free. Cart items can be ordered directly, and a starter kit covers the basics if this is your first clutch.