Coop finally done

[MamaGantz3002]

So my coop is finally done and before anyone says anything yes I know I need to get hardware cloth for my pen. Money got a little tight for my family this past month. I will be fixing at so as possible, but everything is ready for my seven week old chickens and ducks. I am going to have them in there tonight and monitor how they do.

 

[Sally PB]

Can you cut another opening for ventilation on the blank wall?

Also, where are you located? Climate matters a lot with chickens. Advice appropriate for Michigan might not be for Florida or Alaska, for example. You can add your location (just the state is fine, or country, if you're not in the US) and then people can see it and give better advice.

 

[MamaGantz3002]

One blank wall will be the nesting boxes and my thermostat said it didn’t get above 75 in there I will add one if needed but I also am still waiting on the chicken coop door so that will also add more air flow and I am in Colorado I do have a across wind with both windows I have put in there as well

 

[Smokerbill]

One blank wall will be the nesting boxes and my thermostat said it didn’t get above 75 in there I will add one if needed but I also am still waiting on the chicken coop door so that will also add more air flow and I am in Colorado I do have a across wind with both windows I have put in there as well

In addition to ventilation helping keep the coop cooler, it's also needed to help the coop/poop stay dry, which prevents buildup of ammonia. Ammonia is hard on the birds' respiratory systems.

You didn't say how many chickens your coop will house, but it's generally recommended that there's at minimum one square foot of permanent venting per chicken, and more is better. When it gets really cold you can cover some of the vent openings if you think it's needed.

 

[MamaGantz3002]

In addition to ventilation helping keep the coop cooler, it's also needed to help the coop/poop stay dry, which prevents buildup of ammonia. Ammonia is hard on the birds' respiratory systems.

You didn't say how many chickens your coop will house, but it's generally recommended that there's at minimum one square foot of permanent venting per chicken, and more is better. When it gets really cold you can cover some of the vent openings if you think it's needed.

I do understand that the ventilation is there for them to keep dry and help make sure they don’t get it sick I have over 4sq ft and have four chickens at the moment will add more ventilation before adding more chicken my husband in putting in a vent fan this coming month to help with ventilation as well. But for now I am done and able to put my two chickens and two ducks into the coop to make room for more when my mom has chicken math lol.

 

[Yakisugi Coop]

It doesn’t look like you have winter ventilation. The existing holes won’t work for that in Colorado.

 

[Lor]

Nice job! I bet your happy to have that done.
What kind of ducks did you get?

 

[Acre4Me]

Nice! I like that you elevated the coop. When the ground is wet, the coop won’t be wet.

I see gaps in the horizontal boards -that adds ventilation too. With only 4 fowl, the ventilation is currently fine. A roof vent will be good to have too, for when the windows get covered during a storm or bad weather. Just make sure the vent is not blocked by snow cover.

It doesn’t look like the coop will be shaded by a building or a tree, so maybe it could get hot in the summer. Maybe something does shade it, which would be great. A few things can help add shade. Shade cloth on the south side. A vertical trellis of some kind for climbing things. I’d say birdhouse gourd has been a winner for us: large leaves, fast growth. But they are edible, and the chickens will eat them (no harm), so you would want to keep them away from the base and first few feet of the vine. We have also planted “Hyacinth bean vine” but, those are not so good for the chickens to eat the bean pod (edible to humans after a few long boils and rinses) so, we keep our chickens away from as much of the vine as we can, although they did eat some vines and they were fine. Potted bushes or trees along the hot/south side.

Putting a “regular” roof on also provides some heat insulation. Plywood with shingles. Rather than metal, although it looks like the current roof is plywood. Extending the roof out on all sides will also help shade the sides a little more. But, I’m not as familiar with CO weather, so I don’t know what your summers are like.

For winter, you’ll just want to keep in mind the prevailing wind direction, and avoid open ventilation on that side so snow doesn’t get in, and roost area isn’t drafty.

Good luck and enjoy your chickens and ducks!

 

[MamaGantz3002]

Nice job! I bet your happy to have that done.
What kind of ducks did you get?

We have one female mallard and a Indian runner

 

[Lor]

We have one female mallard and a Indian runner

I love ducklings. Have some coming this week.