Adaptation of the "Ultimate Backyard Chicken Coop"

[Aunt Angus]

It will be sitting on concrete deck blocks. Not flooding really. Just a fairly constant wet. Keeping it up off the ground will help keep it from staying too damp.

Are you planning a covered run? That will help with the constant rain. If that it included in your plans, forgive me. Tiny phone + bad eyesight = hard to see details.

 

[Zerandise]

Are you planning a covered run? That will help with the constant rain. If that it included in your plans, forgive me. Tiny phone + bad eyesight = hard to see details.

Yes all will be covered!

 

[Zerandise]

12" is big enough for a chicken to crawl under but not really big enough for them to use.

Also, there will certainly come a time when a chicken lays an egg under there or even goes under there to hide after being injured or even to die and you won't be able to get to it.

They will have a hell of a time squeezing through the hardware cloth.
They wont have access to it. Had i wanted to give them access i would have raised it to at least 24".

 

[Zerandise]

Since all the chat seems to be about the raised section I will assume that the plans themselves look viable (other than my drafting issue in the nesting area).
I was really hoping to get some input on if the venting is enough and if the vertical heights are enough to keep the girls happy and healthy.

 

[Aunt Angus]

It seems like your ventilation is ok. Rule of thumb is 1 sq ft per bird, and you are beyond that. Just make sure it's predator-proof.

And I always say plan for more chickens. Always. I started with 4. I am now up to 20 - with 5 ducks, too. My first coop was 4x8, but now I'm up to 10x10 with a duck house, and I am adding another coop. Lol!

 

[Zerandise]

It seems like your ventilation is ok. Rule of thumb is 1 sq ft per bird, and you are beyond that. Just make sure it's predator-proof.

And I always say plan for more chickens. Always. I started with 4. I am now up to 20 - with 5 ducks, too. My first coop was 4x8, but now I'm up to 10x10 with a duck house, and I am adding another coop. Lol!

Sadly we have a 5 hen limit! Racoons and cats ate my local preditors.

Thanks much for the notes on ventilation. Much appreciated.

I am just about using every foot I can without going over the bylaws. My wife will 100% make sure I don't

The future home of the coop and run. Run will be 6x10 covered.

 

[Windrider]

Will your bylaws let you have long roof overhangs? That was the main thing I focussed on in your plans. In your climate you are going to need those overhangs to protect the ventilation from rain. I can't tell if you really meant for the rafters to stop at the wall or if you just didn't illustrate the roof.

Man, if I lived in the PNW, I'd have like 24" overhangs even on the run! Remember that rain falling off the eaves will splash into the run without a good overhang.

 

[Zerandise]

Will your bylaws let you have long roof overhangs? That was the main thing I focussed on in your plans. In your climate you are going to need those overhangs to protect the ventilation from rain. I can't tell if you really meant for the rafters to stop at the wall or if you just didn't illustrate the roof.

Man, if I lived in the PNW, I'd have like 24" overhangs even on the run! Remember that rain falling off the eaves will splash into the run without a good overhang.

Yes big overhangs all the way around!



I dont have the roof in the plans.

The run will butt right against the roof. There a 12" overhang on all sides with 24 on the best box side.

 

[3KillerBs]

Yes big overhangs all the way around!



I dont have the roof in the plans.

The run will butt right against the roof. There a 12" overhang on all sides with 24 on the best box side.

If you want to collect eggs in the rain without getting wet and your nestsl are external you might want 3 feet of overhang.

 

[rosemarythyme]

One of my fave set ups. All good advice here. The hardware cloth also keeps out things like rats and snakes.

And rabbits! When we had the coop moved in (and I was still fixing up the fencing on the run) a rabbit took to hiding under there, so that definitely drove home the importance of excluding anything from getting underneath the coop.

Since all the chat seems to be about the raised section I will assume that the plans themselves look viable (other than my drafting issue in the nesting area).
I was really hoping to get some input on if the venting is enough and if the vertical heights are enough to keep the girls happy and healthy.

Haha sorry I was only commenting on what I saw that made me go "huh?" - so vents are 4" x 5.5' front and back, plus a removable panel on one (two?) sides near top? So if the removable panels are closed you're at 3.67 sq ft of ventilation. For max 5 birds you want to be closer to 5 sq ft, so I'd consider making those front and back permanent vents more like 6" tall, and that'll take you over the 5 sq ft. The removable panels will still be a good idea for hotter weather. Or depending on how you plan on building it, instead of making them removable, top hinge them, so you can prop them open whenever you want but don't have to hassle with removing and storing panels (plus a top hinged panel provides extra weather protection).