New Chicken coop

[Windrider]

Why the need for such big overhang? Why not just cover the vents with metal flashing/drip edge?

you want to be protected against wind-blown rain and snow.

I honestly don't know if Seattle rain always comes straight down, but I would guess you have days when it blows sideways somewhat. I have an open air coop, which is like a covered run with roosts and nest boxes, and I am noticing with this month's rain that the runoff is splashing back into the run after hitting the ground. My coop/run is too small for gutters to be practical, so I'd like longer roof overhangs and will probably rebuild this spring.

For larger coops, leaving soffits open is the standard way to get ventilation up high where it is needed. Having long overhangs is just a no-brainer way of protecting it, you justly leave the rafters long when building.

The type of gable vent Dick posted would likely be too small to be anything but supplemental ventilation, with the soffits doing most of the work. Aart has some good pics of soffit ventilation and can explain it well.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Venting a chicken coop is more like venting a bathroom or a kitchen than venting a house. and unlike your home, you can't rely on a powered fan to exhaust smoke or hot, moist air air, its all passive. That's why so many of us recommend big overhangs and square feet of weather protected ventilation per bird - because it facilitates the passive exchange of dry clean outside air with warmer, moister, ammonia laden inside air - which is good for odor, yes, but its also good for your bird's health. Chickens did not evolve in inclosed spaces, their respiratory system is surprisingly fragile.

Similarly, we humans have a very narrow range of comfortable temperatures - much of our house design is with the idea of keeping the outside out, and conditioned air in. Chickens, otoh, tolerate a FAR wider range of temps, particularly cold temps (its the down jackets they can't take off) - its far more important that they get outside air (as long as its not drafting in ways that penetrates those nice down jackets) than it is that they stay "warm".

20F is not "cold" to a bird. You aren't protecting them from that. You are protecting them from moist air freezing on their toes or combs, causing frostbite and you are protecting their lung and airway from inhaling heavily ammonia laden air. Dry clean in, wet chemicals out.

and fwiw, I average over an inch of rainfall each week. I can't imagine not having big overhangs - and would make them bigger in places, if I rebuilt or was starting from scratch.

 

[Alex S]

i looked into vents like this when i was figuring out how to vent my coop and keep the rain out but quickly found out that my square footage of ventilation was cut down to square inches.
View attachment 2941652

Good point.

This is the rafter on the chicken coop plans,

I Could just extend this 4'2 foot rater to be 5 feet to give some overhang. If I do more than 5 feet I would have to buy twice as many 2x4s

 

[The Duck Dad]

Hey everyone! I'm thinking of building a new, and nicer chicken coop this spring and was wondering if anybody had some good plans for a 10 chicken coop that you can walk into. Would that be considered a medium or large chicken coop?



Thanks!
(It also snowed today and my Orpingtons did NOT like the snow. Now its 20 degrees and I had to put a heat plate under the waterer)

i am actually gonna build one tomorrow. here is my idea.

https://wokokon.com/chicken-tractor/

 

[Alex S]

The plans require 5 2x4s, Each 10 feet

They go on the coop like so,

 

[The Duck Dad]

i am actually gonna build one tomorrow. here is my idea.

https://wokokon.com/chicken-tractor/

it's gonna be 16' long, 8' wide and 8-down to-6' tall.

 

[Alex S]

it's gonna be 16' long, 8' wide and 8-down to-6' tall.

Make sure it's not too heavy to move by hand!Or if your gonna go big, build it on a trailer so you can move it via Pickup truck or tractor

 

[aart]

I Could just extend this 4'2 foot rater to be 5 feet to give some overhang. If I do more than 5 feet I would have to buy twice as many 2x4s

I assume you are currently planning on buying 10' 2x4's?

Planning a design and the needed materials is like a jigsaw puzzle where the picture keeps changing. Takes some doing.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Good point.

This is the rafter on the chicken coop plans,
View attachment 2941653
I Could just extend this 4'2 foot rater to be 5 feet to give some overhang. If I do more than 5 feet I would have to buy twice as many 2x4s

Too much work. Forget the birds' beak, use 2x4x10s cut in half, at minimum for a few inches of overhang, or 2x4x12s cut in half for a bit over 1' in overhang (I'd go that route). and use hurricane ties where it sits on the tops of the walls. That will give you almost 3 1/2" of vertical height for free air flow, and a nearly 2' wide opening - a little more than 1/2 sq ft free ventilation between each rafter pair, on each side. That's 4 sq ft of the desired ventilation at the roof lvel in your 8x8 building. A combination of windows and/or gable vents will have to do the rest. Or frame it in 2x6s for .85 sq ft per opening and you basically have all the ventilation you desire.

If you do the metal roof, as I previously suggested, 5/4 x 4 purlins on top of your 2x4 rafters splits the difference - you'd have about 6 sq ft of venting above the tops of the walls. That's an excellent start.

 

[Alex S]

I assume you are currently planning on buying 10' 2x4's?

Planning a design and the needed materials is like a jigsaw puzzle where the picture keeps changing. Takes some doing.

OHH I just looked at the plans again. I wouldn't need to extend the rafters! I just wouldn't need to cut down the plywood as much. It also gives me more flexibility over how much overhang I want