4x8 Coop: What do you think?

[house_hippo]

Hi all,

I am in the process of designing my new coop, which will be inside an 8x8 shed divided in half, with a 4x8 coop and a 4x8 feed/bedding storage space. I was hoping for some opinions on what I've designed, and suggestions for where things could be improved.


Some background:

• My flock is is currently composed of 9 silkies (who do not roost) and 2 orpingtons. 6 of the silkies are unsexed youngsters, so a few will likely be roosters and therefore rehomed.
• I live in a place where -30°C weather and 30°C weather are both common, as well as pretty extreme winds
• I really really dislike exterior access nestboxes (unpopular opinion, I know)

Things that can't/won't be changed:

• Steel roofing with a ridge vent, and gable vents on both ends
• Milk crate nestboxes (I am open to placement suggestions, but need at least one box low to the ground for my silkies)
• Pop door orientation
• Electrical outlets and lighting in the coop (smart bulbs to mimic sunrise/set times, outlets for heated waterer and wifi camera)

I'd love to hear all of your opinions. Good, bad, and ugly. And if you have a similarly sized coop, I'd really appreciate photos of your setup.

I am following these plans for the coop/run:

And these are some admittedly unskilled 3D plans for how I was hoping to arrange the coop:
(I forgot to include the door between the storage area and the coop)

From above:

Thanks in advance, all help is deeply appreciated

 

[Byrd gal]

I think with a window ventilation should be fine. The roosting bar is 4 ft long?

 

[cavemanrich]

And these are some admittedly unskilled 3D plans for how I was hoping to arrange the coop:

Your drawings are EXCELLENT I noted where I think you should have a top hinged window. (or whatever kind you get) Top hinged has advantage of being open in the rain, and no water gets inside. The interior of window frame should have hardware cloth, for predator protection.
The ventilation at the eves is good. The ventilation at the complete gable should also be open. Hardware cloth on all open areas.
You should have people door on back side of storage portion. Then a small access door into coop area from storage. I also suggest you build the roof overhang about 12 inches if you can. Keeps weather out from interior of coop.
If you are going with milk crate egg boxes,, use them with opening on top, and nesting material half full. A milk crate on side is only good for small chickens. A chicken needs to stand to lay an egg.
Place nesting containers under your poop shelf. Make the poop shelves with a perimeter board, about 2 inches high. Use Sweet PDZ as a medium in that shelf. easy to sift out the Chicken gumdrops.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

 

[Lemon-Drop]

What’s the total dimension of ventilation? General guideline is 1ft each. Make sure to cover with quality hardware cloth.

I think a little more roosting space would be beneficial, too. Generally 1ft each for that as well.

Otherwise looks pretty good!

 

[house_hippo]

I think with a window ventilation should be fine. The roosting bar is 4 ft long?

I wasn't planning to add a window, since the only good options seem to be really expensive. I'm not allowed to build this coop unless it matches the house & garage, so having large openings with hardware cloth or using old repurposed windows aren't options.

What’s the total dimension of ventilation? General guideline is 1ft each. Make sure to cover with quality hardware cloth.

I think a little more roosting space would be beneficial, too. Generally 1ft each for that as well.

Otherwise looks pretty good!

The vented ridge creates a lot of ventilation, I'm not sure on dimensions though. Also I only have two chickens that roost. My silkies refuse to use roosting bars even if they are practically on the ground.

 

[house_hippo]

Your drawings are EXCELLENT I noted where I think you should have a top hinged window. (or whatever kind you get) Top hinged has advantage of being open in the rain, and no water gets inside. The interior of window frame should have hardware cloth, for predator protection.
The ventilation at the eves is good. The ventilation at the complete gable should also be open. Hardware cloth on all open areas.
You should have people door on back side of storage portion. Then a small access door into coop area from storage. I also suggest you build the roof overhang about 12 inches if you can. Keeps weather out from interior of coop.
If you are going with milk crate egg boxes,, use them with opening on top, and nesting material half full. A milk crate on side is only good for small chickens. A chicken needs to stand to lay an egg.
Place nesting containers under your poop shelf. Make the poop shelves with a perimeter board, about 2 inches high. Use Sweet PDZ as a medium in that shelf. easy to sift out the Chicken gumdrops.

WISHING YOU BEST,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and

View attachment 3085687

I mentioned in another comment but the window or other large openings aren't really possible given my circumstances.

My nestboxes are already assembled and in use, and my Orpingtons use them without issue, even on their side. They won't use the taller nestboxes that are built-in to my current coop. That's why the nestboxes were one of my "non-negotiable" features, they are one of the few features of this coop that work well for both chickens and humans.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Just make it 4 times that size. You will need it.

 

[house_hippo]

Just make it 4 times that size. You will need it.

If I could, I would. I don't have the time or energy for more chickens though, so having a space limitation is probably for the best.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Any possibility of making the coop space a little larger and storage a little smaller? Or did you already calculate how much space your supplies currently eat up?

The vented ridge creates a lot of ventilation

Will the ridge vent work even with snow/ice? Unfortunately I don't have experience with extreme cold climates to know what type of ventilation is best to suggest for your set up.

 

[house_hippo]

Any possibility of making the coop space a little larger and storage a little smaller? Or did you already calculate how much space your supplies currently eat up?


Will the ridge vent work even with snow/ice? Unfortunately I don't have experience with extreme cold climates to know what type of ventilation is best to suggest for your set up.

I can make the coop slightly larger, but even if I store my feed in stacking totes, I need most of that space for storage. And of course I lose some space by having to have an open walkway through to the coop.

The ridge vents are on my house and garage, they are pretty standard here with steel roofing. If it did build up, I could just brush the snow off of the roof.