4x4 coop build

[Amka]

Hi all,

This is the progress of my coop build, I'm just about finished and about ready to put the chicks in. I posted on this thread earlier.

We got them on March 19 from our local country store. I can't believe how fast they've grown. The chicks currently live in the garage.



We hope none are roosters, as we will need to cull them in our city.

As you can see, they get on the hard foam sheets we put up as a partial roof to prevent much heat from leaving. My husband was really worried about how cold it gets. He's really worried about them being outside, I have to remind him that tiny birds live outside in the winter. Because the garage lights automatically turn off after a while, we also put in a regular, not hot light that is itself timed for daylight. I'm now worried a bit about how much we've had the heat lamp on them, and I'm raising it slowly. But I guess it's not much worse than summer. Is there such a thing as "cold shock" when we put them out? Should we put the warming lamp in the coop for a while still? Lows still dip into the upper 30s F, but not for long. I am worried that they are getting too big and need to get out to the coop. I expect to be able to do it tomorrow.

For the record, we have both hot summers and cold winters, ranging from teens to low hundreds Fahrenheit.

In a previous thread, I noted how worried I was about the size of the coop I chose to build. The plans said I should be able to fit 6 chickens in it, and had an "optional" 4x8 run attached. Some of you good people also noted how much ventilation I needed, especially in winter.



The soffits are open. Should I cover them with hardware cloth? I cut a 4" diameter hole on both sides at the top for extra ventilation. I can cut more holes. I'm also thinking of building a cupola. After seeing the roofing nails go through, we decided we should use the insulation foam sheets to cover them. I guess it will add roof insulation as well, which will be nice in the summer as well as the winter.

I have to show y'all my misstep. I was in the process of putting in a roost and caged in the level! lol It's out now. I always read about roost height but is there a head room requirement above their height?



The chickens will have constant access to the run, It is fully covered with chicken wire. Including under the coop, it is 80 sq ft. In a few weeks, we'll be able to open it up so they can run through more of the yard, fencing away from the lawn and vegetable garden. That will be about 25'x25'. How many hours a day do I need to give them access to this? My husband is a tech freak and we will install cams in the coop and run.

Anyway, I'm super excited and we love our chickens and want them to be happy.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Get them fully weaned off heat, then move them out without the heat. They're old enough to go without it but because they haven't been acclimated to outside temps you want to do that first. How hot/cold is it in the garage right now?

Soffit vents are great, and yes you should cover them in hardware cloth. The 4" vent hole isn't going to add much though, so I'm concerned in the summer heat that you're going find that more ventilation is necessary - you can consider putting in more now, or add it if it becomes a factor later on. A working cupola would be a fantastic addition regardless.

As far as roost height, if the level is where the roosts are supposed to go, they're probably too high up for the amount of floor space you have - birds need landing room in front of the roost that increases in proportion to height of the roost. They also need... maybe 12" or more above the roost for head room, as they fly/jump up onto the roost to land.

 

[3KillerBs]

Yes, you need to acclimate them to the outside temperatures. If they're well-feathered then 4 weeks is a good time to do this.

This is my 4x4 coop so you can see how I arranged nests and roosts: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

 

[3KillerBs]

P.S. Caging the level is better than what happened to my mother-in-law when she was helping my father-in-law build their house back in the 70's.

He somehow dropped the level on her head!

We actually have that level as a sentimental, family artifact.

 

[Amka]

Get them fully weaned off heat, then move them out without the heat. They're old enough to go without it but because they haven't been acclimated to outside temps you want to do that first. How hot/cold is it in the garage right now?

Soffit vents are great, and yes you should cover them in hardware cloth. The 4" vent hole isn't going to add much though, so I'm concerned in the summer heat that you're going find that more ventilation is necessary - you can consider putting in more now, or add it if it becomes a factor later on. A working cupola would be a fantastic addition regardless.

As far as roost height, if the level is where the roosts are supposed to go, they're probably too high up for the amount of floor space you have - birds need landing room in front of the roost that increases in proportion to height of the roost. They also need... maybe 12" or more above the roost for head room, as they fly/jump up onto the roost to land.

Thanks for the advice! In the garage, it is about 64*F right now and has been down to 50*. In the brooder itself, it ranges from 75* to 65*. I just moved the warmer up some more.

I will put in more holes and build that working cupola. BTW, there are also 2'x2' and 18"x18" windows.

I think they have at least 14" and they have about 34" in front of them and ahead of them.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thanks for the advice! In the garage, it is about 64*F right now and has been down to 50*. In the brooder itself, it ranges from 75* to 65*. I just moved the warmer up some more.

Given their age (6 weeks if I'm correct?) you can be a little more aggressive with lowering temps. Give it maybe 2-3 days with the heat lamp further away, and then they should be fine in garage without added heat. After a few more days you can either crack the garage door (if it's safe) to let in some cooler air to push down the temps in there, then they can probably go out from there.

 

[Amka]

This is my 4x4 coop so you can see how I arranged nests and roosts: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

Your arrangement is great, that was super helpful, thanks! I'm going to consider the placement of my roost a bit more. Is it okay for a roost to be in front of a window?

And that's a great story with the level, love that your family has kept it.

Given their age (6 weeks if I'm correct?) you can be a little more aggressive with lowering temps. Give it maybe 2-3 days with the heat lamp further away, and then they should be fine in garage without added heat. After a few more days you can either crack the garage door (if it's safe) to let in some cooler air to push down the temps in there, then they can probably go out from there.

There is a cat someone lets out at night that likes to come into our yard, so I don't think cracking the garage is a good idea. Before I put them out, I'll stick a heat lamp in the coop and take the temp there overnight, see how warm it gets in there for acclimation.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Your arrangement is great, that was super helpful, thanks! I'm going to consider the placement of my roost a bit more. Is it okay for a roost to be in front of a window?

Roosts can be in front of windows, but the main thing is to check if that adds drafts to the roost location. I have a roost sandwiched between 2 windows but neither one faces the predominant wind direction so I've only had to close them for a total of maybe 5 days during big storms, in the last 3-4 years.

There is a cat someone lets out at night that likes to come into our yard, so I don't think cracking the garage is a good idea. Before I put them out, I'll stick a heat lamp in the coop and take the temp there overnight, see how warm it gets in there for acclimation.

Agreed with the cat concern.

As far as heat, at 6 weeks they can handle 30s, but they need to be acclimated to it is the main thing, which is why I'm thinking of how to best do so with your set up.

Other thing you can try is once they're off heat in garage, move them out during day time into the coop, for maybe 2-3 days, and then you can just leave them in there after that. That'll give them some exposure to outside temps but in a more gradual way.

Or you can put a small cardboard box in the coop and fill it with wood shavings or other soft bedding, so they can huddle together in there to stay warm, though you may find they don't need it at all. But it'll give them options.

 

[3KillerBs]

In the brooder itself, it ranges from 75* to 65*. I just moved the warmer up some more.

Can you arrange your brooder so that one end is totally unheated?

My 2 week babies have been living with access to ambient air on one wall and their heat plate on the other in temperatures down as low as the upper 40's.

One of our highly experienced members always recommends arranging a brooder so that there is always one place warm enough and always one place cool enough. As long as they can get warm (and know where to get warm), and aren't being chilled by a cold wind they buzz around in the cool areas and warm up when they need to.

(I have both the lamp and the plate because plates often don't work well below about 50F and we had an unseasonable cold snap at Easter when these babies hatched. It hasn't been plugged in since they were 4 days old when the temps went back up to normal).

Your arrangement is great, that was super helpful, thanks! I'm going to consider the placement of my roost a bit more. Is it okay for a roost to be in front of a window?

Yes, as long as it doesn't cause a draft that ruffles their feathers while they're sitting on the roost.

I'm a big advocate of open air coops in any place where the climate permits because fresh air is healthy. But they do need to be out of the wind.

Before I put them out, I'll stick a heat lamp in the coop and take the temp there overnight, see how warm it gets in there for acclimation.

That might be a good idea -- but just barely take the chill off, don't try to keep them warm-warm. Their feathers can do that job with a little acclimation.

And keep it over in one corner so that the other corner stays cool to help them adjust as they move in and out of the warm area.

 

[Amka]

Again thanks to all of you for the help! I thought I'd posted an earlier reply I wrote, but I guess not. We turned the warming lamp off, chickens had a field trip for a few hours outside, we had a cold spell, then moved the chickens permanently outside. Weather got into the 70s, then we had another cold spell where it almost got to freezing and the chickens are doing great! They are learning to climb up into the coop around bedtime, but we still need to put some of them up there before we close the door. I am also trying to show them the roost. Now we are going to cover the run for shade, and when I get some fencing up to protect the vegetable garden, they'll be able to free-range about 45' x 25' area of yard.