My coop build

So this weekend I got to raising a structure last weekend. I took some pics this morning before leaving for work. please excuse the mess, to protect everything from the rain/snow I covered it with the thick rubber sheet I'm thinking about using for the floor of the coop. I'm still not sure it is a good idea to use this with the DLM or paint on the roofing rubber. I did manage to cover the complete bottom with wire fencing then bury it before the ground froze so that is a bonus. it helped that we harvested our potato bin, which is right next to the coop, so I had some nice soil to spread out.

Major to do's before winter.

1) Add vertical 2x4s to the front, placement depends on where I decide to put the door
2) Lateral bracing for front and back
3) Decide on the layout of the coop interior, and build it.
4) Build the slant roof and install it. Currently the metal roofing is just placed on top to help protect it
5) Paint
At this point it isn't too late to change things so any tips would be greatly appreciated!

For the inside of the coop to you think I need 2 roosting bars if they are 4' wide, giving 6 chickens 8' to choose from. I was thinking of positioning these 1.5' from the ceiling, is this enough headroom and room to fly up. this would put them 2.5' from the base of the floor.

as for the nesting boxes, how high up should they be?

My coop is going to be 4' high in the front and almost 3.5' high in the back. I am going to put my roosts at 18" and 24" off the ground...they will go along the short wall which is almost 4' exactly....and staggered so they can work out there pecking order and then I will have a poop tray under each one. And that should still give them a bit of room underneath to walk without issues. Don't go too close to the roof if you have ventilation up there as they will catch the breeze if it is too close.

I suggest putting all roosting bars at the same height. This discourages conflict over roost space and reduces stress in the flock, as well as making all your roost space useful.

I'm starting to rethink using osb on the floor.

Dirt floors are good, with deep bedding, as long as predators can't dig in. It's much easier to manage a coop that is walk-in height! Can you build it 6.5 to 7.5 ft. tall, or taller? Build as large and sturdy as possible. How close to the house? Can you walk between the coop and house/ Leaving a "dead zone" may be a problem. Plenty of roost space is good. Mary

kirghizstan said:

I'm starting to rethink using osb on the floor.

Click to expand...

Why?

Tilt the roof away from the house.......agrees that yo need to be able to get between house and coop, hope it's not too late to move it..

It is the garage and there is no need to get back there. Only about a foot of room between the coop and garage. Plan on putting a gutter possibly use the water off of the roof for the chickens.

I am now worried about the osb and moisture from underneath even though it is raised 2 feet off of the ground.

I'll do 2 roosts first 1 foot from wall and the second 1 foot from that. Both being about 2 feet off the floor. Use 2x4s or are 2x3s wide enough?

I'll also put the nests 1.5 feet up to keep them off the floor

Mine is 4" from grass...and I used OSB. I just coated both sides with 3 coats of kilz 2 latex primer & paint. It should be fine