Chicken coop build questions

[Ridgerunner]

1. Do I need to insulate the coop? There will be no electricity/heat source (although an extension cord will be used to keep water from freezing in winter).

Does it get below -20 F in your part of Connecticut? That's kind of the cut-off where you need to start doing things because of the cold.

Also, they will eat insulation so you need to cover it. If you cover it you have just created a safe place for Mommy Mouse to raise a family.

2. Top opening or front opening nest box door? There will be an external nest box on the left side of the coop. I was going to do a top door but am worried about water issues. My main concern about a front opening door is the hens will get out when my daughter collects the eggs.

The water issues can be real but there are ways to get around that. My concern is more about being able to see inside before I blindly stick my hand in there. I'm not that worried about a hen being in there, I'm thinking more about how your heart really gets pumping when you grab a snake that's in there eating an egg.

3. Will the openings between the header above the door and roof (the spaces between the rafters) provide the correct amount of ventilation? The same openings are on the back (lower) side of the coop. I was planning on putting hardware mesh over them. Additional windows will be cut in but the question pertains more to winter when the windows will be shut.

Good question. My guess is probably but as Rosemarythyme said, cut a hole on the side under the run roof where rain and snow won't come in. Cover it with hardware cloth for predator protection. That will definitely be enough. This will let in a lot of natural light too so you can probably skip one window. My 8' x 12' coop only has one window but the ventilation openings let in a lot of light.

How high off the floor would you say for the roost bars?

The way I determine roost height is to figure the top of the floor, including bedding. Then install the nests. Then make the roosts noticeably higher than the nests or any other place you don't want them to sleep. If the roosts are directly over the nests 6" should be enough. If they are a bit away, figure at least 12".

I have two other considerations. As mentioned, the higher they are the more landing space they need so they can fly down without banging into things like nests, walls, or feeders. Also, speaking of ventilation, you do not want a cold wind hitting them on the roosts in winter so I want them to be low enough that they are below any vents open up high. The way you have yours they will be at the top of the opening for the nest, well above the bottom, so they should be OK. Just don't cut the ventilation opening under the run roof too low.

Personally I like mine higher than 26". I integrate a lot of chicks every year since I hatch and raise them to eat. When I integrate my younger chicks they try to avoid the older ones. One way they do that is when I go down there in the morning to let them out, I usually find the adults on the coop floor while the juveniles are on my 5' high roosts. They are high enough above the adults that the adults cannot peck them. It is a safe place for them.

 

[rosemarythyme]

The back side and left are where I get the prevailing winds. It blows quite a bit since I live at the top of a hill. I could also cut holes on the right side (facing the run) towards the back and front.

I'd favor cutting a vent into the right side so you're using the run roof to protect the ventilation. Probably won't need to worry about covering it (especially if you can get it up high right under the roof) just wire mesh.

The other two spots you already have marked, I would go ahead and use the salvaged windows there as planned. It'll bring in light and some ventilation when open, but also give you the option to close up if needed due to wind storms.

Was going to have three 4’ bars (side to side) roughly 1’ apart in the back half of the coop.

Aim for closer to 14-16" apart. In a perfect world the birds will all sit quietly on the roosts, in reality you'll likely get at least one that likes to harass others that get too close.

 

[Aocskasy]

Does it get below -20 F in your part of Connecticut? That's kind of the cut-off where you need to start doing things because of the cold.

It typically doesn’t go below zero often in regards to ambient air temperature, however we do get an occasional night that might approach -20 with the wind chill. I’m thinking that if I add the additional ventilation facing the run (winds typically blow from the left and back of the coop would prevent temps inside from dropping that low.

The water issues can be real but there are ways to get around that. My concern is more about being able to see inside before I blindly stick my hand in there. I'm not that worried about a hen being in there, I'm thinking more about how your heart really gets pumping when you grab a snake that's in there eating an egg.

New Fear Unlocked. I wasn’t even thinking about snakes in the nesting boxes. I was starting to lean towards a front opening since my daughter could use it but perhaps I’ll just get her a small step stool to use when collecting eggs. The roof of the nesting box is going to be metal panel. Any suggestions on how to keep water out of hinge gap?

Personally I like mine higher than 26". I integrate a lot of chicks every year since I hatch and raise them to eat. When I integrate my younger chicks they try to avoid the older ones. One way they do that is when I go down there in the morning to let them out, I usually find the adults on the coop floor while the juveniles are on my 5' high roosts. They are high enough above the adults that the adults cannot peck them. It is a safe place for them.

I could add a roost up higher but it would most likely be in the draft from the ventilation openings. Also, I have two Brahmas and have read that they can’t roost too high because of their size and potential injuries from hopping down. Is it feasible to trust that chickens using a high bar would move if there was a draft and that my larger girls would just stay on the lower options? Sorry for all the questions, didn’t quite realize the level of detail and thought involved in completing this build. I am loving all the learning I’m doing on this site though.

 

[rosemarythyme]

It typically doesn’t go below zero often in regards to ambient air temperature, however we do get an occasional night that might approach -20 with the wind chill.

Wind chill isn't a factor inside a coop as long as the winds aren't blowing right in.

 

[Ridgerunner]

New Fear Unlocked. I wasn’t even thinking about snakes in the nesting boxes. I was starting to lean towards a front opening since my daughter could use it but perhaps I’ll just get her a small step stool to use when collecting eggs.

I've only seen a snake in a nest as it was eating eggs once during the day, a black rat snake. I have had three eat fake eggs at night. The risk of finding a snake in there is really low but not zero. I don't know what else might be in there, there are other critters that eat eggs that could enter through your pop door. I just like to see where my hands are going.

The roof of the nesting box is going to be metal panel. Any suggestions on how to keep water out of hinge gap?

I do not have external nest openings, I prefer to go inside my walk-in coop to gather eggs so I don't have experience with that. I've seen photos where someone used rubber material over the hinge and caulked above it on the sloping lid to keep water out. Others put an awning above it but that won't stop blowing rain from hitting the wall above it and water running down.

I could add a roost up higher but it would most likely be in the draft from the ventilation openings. Also, I have two Brahmas and have read that they can’t roost too high because of their size and potential injuries from hopping down. Is it feasible to trust that chickens using a high bar would move if there was a draft and that my larger girls would just stay on the lower options?

You do not want the roosts to put them in a breeze, then wind chill comes into play. Plus it ruffles feathers so they lose their insulating ability. Can you count on your larger girls staying low? No. Will they move if they get cold? Within reason. They can't see very well in the dark but mine move better than I expected. And if a breeze hits them they can turn their front into the wind so the way their feathers lay streamlines them and the wind does not ruffle their feathers. They can stick their head under a wing to protect it. They are not quite as helpless as many people suspect, they can sleep in trees after all. But when we confine them and limit their options we need to help them out.

I don't have the oversized chickens like Brahma, just standard dual purpose like Orpington, Rocks, and Delaware. I also do not feed them a high protein diet so mine don't grow to be big for their breed. And I have a big landing area when they fly down from the roosts. I don't worry about them hurting their legs or joints when flying down from the roosts. That can be a legitimate concern. Even if you plan on integrating in the future having the roosts down low where the adults can reach is not the end of the world. It just means the young have one less safe place to go. People manage that all the time. I integrate a few times a year, integration is pretty important to me.

I know that photo is what you are thinking of, you haven't done it yet, so that opening at that level is not there now. I'd leave the roosts low enough that you can cut a hole in the side next to the covered run to give you more ventilation in the winter without putting them in a breeze. There are "ideal" conditions and there are conditions "I deal" with. Very few of us have actual ideal conditions. I don't.

Sorry for all the questions, didn’t quite realize the level of detail and thought involved in completing this build. I am loving all the learning I’m doing on this site though.

You are on a journey, hopefully a fun one. You will get a lot of conflicting information and suggestions on here. We all have different experiences, different goals, and different conditions. There is no one way that works for everyone where every other way is wrong. That is actually part of your problem. There are so many different ways that can work that you have too many options to choose from and usually not a great deal of experience to evaluate them for your unique circumstances.