Did your coop design change after you got chickens?

hey guys,I don't have chickens yet, and I haven't built a coop. I'm still in the planning phase and wondering if I might be overthinking this.

Most advice says to build the coop first, then bring birds home. But I've also heard that once you actually raise chickens, your understanding of space, airflow, cleaning, and predator protection changes a lot.

I've looked at ready made coops from brands like Omlet,  SnapLock Formex, OverEZ, and even some budget options on Garvee just to study layout ideas. They all look thoughtfully designed, but I'm curious how they perform after months of weather, cleaning, and daily chores.

So I'm curious:

Is it better to design carefully before getting birds, or start small and adapt after observing them?Did your first setup end up being very different from what you thought you needed?Any advice would be appreciated!

I'd recommend getting some local advice.

We came up with a plan and then drove our immediate area and talked to everyone we saw or had seen in the past that kept chickens. I received one invaluable piece of feedback. If we had not taken that advice, we would have made a moderate change to the design that we didn't need to, that was climate specific, after it was built.  

We have not needed to make any changes since we sought local advice and implemented what we received. I have found that folks are eager to share with their neighbors/community.

You've come to the right place to find all sorts of suggestions!

First, I will agree with Jackson - find out what works well in your ecosystem. Here on permies, giving us your grow zone, your typical highs and lows, and general storm patterns, will help us give ideas that are applicable. That applies to breed of chicken too. There are some breeds I'd never raise on my Wet Coast Farm, that I *know* are recommended to people who face very cold temperatures (which we don't get.)

Second, I can't recommend enough that nest boxes and perches be removable for cleaning. It's a lot easier to give them a really good scrub if you can tip them this way and that, and then dry them in the sun to disinfect them. Definitely think cleaning while designing.

Third, you may have never seen _____ (insert predator name) on your farm before, but get chickens and they'll show up to check out how easy it is to break in. I'd never seen an owl, but when a friend of a friend gave us some starter chickens, the owl showed up the very next day. So please research local critters that are attracted to chickens, and build to protect your birds.

Forth, rats and mice will absolutely show up and get into any feed that's not protected. I hang my chicken feeders above my perches to make it harder - simple, cheap and amazingly effective. Extra feed is in a closed bucket inside a garbage can.

Fifth, quality housing is expensive. We no longer by "chicken wire". 1/2" Hardware cloth (the welded square stuff - different names in different ecosystems) will keep many more wild creatures out, but it's much more expensive. It's cheaper by the 50 Ft roll, and it takes a far amount if you find you need multiple secure runs. I am a great fan of upcycling, but only if the results will be safe.

Sixth, have a back-up plan for emergencies. People give us dog crates they no longer need, and they can be used to quarantine a sick or new bird for short periods, but not for very long. I try to always have at least a 4'x4' secure cube in case an injured bird needs recovery time.

Lastly, enjoy the journey. "Chicken TV" is a thing... For many permies, Chickens are "pets with benefits". They get you fresh air, exercise, and entertainment. They eat your weeds and bugs. And they give you awesome eggs and useful manure. Often they don't save you money, because Industrial eggs from chickens in huge barns are too cheap, but on a nutritional level, bug and weed eating chickens lay healthier eggs.