Small Garage Coop Design. Help!

[TimAndAndrae]

It was still Upjohn when I moved. I grow up in the HVAC business. Now I do computerized environmental control of greenhouses.

I'm thinking a 4 by 8 coop 3 to 4 foot tall will house 4 hens and have enough ventilation for the winter with a 2 by 3 opening at the end of one of the 8' sides. The house would extend 4' into the garage and be high enough off the floor to fit the hood of the car under it.

In the summer, screen over the 4' wide access door that would be centered on the opposite wall of the window.

 

[PapaChaz]

don't forget the smell, chickens do a LOT of their bathroom duties on the roost at night, gonna enclose that in a garage huh??? LOL

 

[TimAndAndrae]

I've been in many houses that the cat box smelled much worse than my coop. My coop's main winter vents are into the porch between the coop, the sewing barn and my wood shop. The only time I've had an odor problem is if I didn't clean the poop boards for a week. Everything is a trade off.

 

[Trefoil]

So I could have the whole thing closed up inside the garage with just that window open? I think the roof of the garage will protect it from snow. From where the snow is laying, it doesn't seem to be building up much where I would have the run. I think I'd probably cover the run, too, to make sure to keep the moisture out of the coop.

I'm in Grand Rapids, where chickens will be legal in May! (I used to live in NJ!)

If you cover your run with anything that isn't transparent, the coop will be dark. The larger your coop it, the easier it will be to keep clean, and if you use a poop board under the roost, it really helps.

I'm thinking a 4 by 8 coop 3 to 4 foot tall will house 4 hens and have enough ventilation for the winter with a 2 by 3 opening at the end of one of the 8' sides. The house would extend 4' into the garage and be high enough off the floor to fit the hood of the car under it.

In the summer, screen over the 4' wide access door that would be centered on the opposite wall of the window.

4 x 8 won't give you any room for chicken math ( adding a chicken) the screen door in summer is a good idea. Don't use chicken wire, it isn't safe against predators.

 

[CedarWaxwing]

I like this plan. I don't really need to fit any more cars in the garage -- it's a pretty big garage and I only have one car anyway

I'm still kind of stuck on the ventilation issue. I don't really want the coop vented into the garage . . .

I really like the idea of screening the access door! That way I can let some air in sometimes but not have everything covered with dust all the time.

I will take some pictures this weekend of the space.

 

[TimAndAndrae]

How well vented is the attic above the garage? If it is very well ventilated you might be able to vent the coop in the summer to the attic. You would be venting moist air so you wouldn't want to do this in cold weather as it would condense on the underside or the roof and possibly rot the roof boards.

 

[CedarWaxwing]

So here's the garage. Obviously will have to move some stuff out

 

[CedarWaxwing]

I hope no one minds if I bump this!

 

[aart]

Your'e still going to need ventilation....either into the garage with filtration to contain dust or pierce the garage walls.
Will be difficult to use the window for a pop door and ventilation, you will need pop door to be meshed but still impenetrable by predators.

 

[Alaskan]

the roof line makes me think you will want a bit of roofing installed over the run. Otherwise, all of the rain and snow will roll into the coop.

I would be maybe tempted to leave the window as is, and completely open up the next 'bay' between the studs.

I would keep the bottom 2 feet solid to hold in bedding and keep out mud splatters. Then a pop door with wire on both sides of it, and wire up to the roof.


The coop would include the window and the next door bay that is almost all wire.