Just thought I'd pop in and offer a few thoughts, though you've been given some great advice already. I would definitely heed what @aart has to say, she's very sensible and knowledgable of chicken tendencies.
I do agree with others that you might want to consider an opaque roof for the run area... unless the coop location is under some big shady trees. I have a semi-transparent roof on my coop/run and I really could do with quite a bit more shade, and I don't have near the heat you have in your climate. I put up a shade cloth over part of the open yard and it seems to have helped somewhat.
Though I don't have any experience with hurricane-proof structures, I would think you'd still want as much open ventilation as possible. Will your coop have lots of windows? Chickens will spend more time in a brightly lit area, and the ability to open many windows for a cross breeze would be invaluable, especially with such a large building that can trap the heat. The only time you'd want to protect your birds from window drafts at roost height is in the bitter cold. Depending on the direction of prevailing winds, some coop designs have full HWC walls open all winter even in very cold northern climates.
I use shavings in my coop (I can't achieve true deep litter) and since I have a poop tray under the roosts, the shavings remain in good shape for about a year. But I still scoop them out each summer and toss in a compost bin to finish composting and by the following spring it's all turned to beautiful garden soil.
Selecting Good Flock Roosters
Keeping A Rooster
Rooster Flocks
You might be better off keeping chickens for a couple years and experiencing how the flock works before starting a breeding program. The best breeders actually line breed and won't introduce new stock for several generations, if at all. It's really quite complicated, and you need to keep track of exactly who's who... blah blah... I don't know enough to advise, though I've researched quite a bit. But there's nothing wrong with barnyard mixes! And hens go broody when they feel like it, not when it's convenient for you, so having an incubator might be something to look into.
You can just as easily introduce young chicks to an existing flock without a broody mama to do it for you, it just takes a little prep. Many folks will say to wait until they're the same size as adults so they have a fighting chance in the pecking order, but that's just not the only (or best) way. I have integrated 2 sets of babies by 4 weeks old with zero issues and so have many other people. It's much less stressful for everyone involved to get babies introduced asap. The hardware cloth dividers you plan are a good idea... then at about 2-4 weeks you can make "chick doors" or passages that babies can fit through but big ones can't. This lets the chicks mingle with the flock but are able to run back to safety if necessary and eat and drink in peace. Small chicks really aren't seen as a threat to the adult's resources like bigger newcomers would be, and this lets the chicks grow and integrate with the flock practically unnoticed. My brooder is under the poop tray and I use 2 types of dividers during the integration process. The "graduate divider" with 3.5" spaces has been very effective.
Oh, this reminds me that the removable poop boards you were considering might be waaay too large to handle, as I think someone else mentioned. My 3x3 board is almost too heavy for me to maneuver, I just leave it in place. So you might want to make access doors you can reach inside to scoop, or even try using fabric poop hammocks instead. You could even rework your design to move the brooder area under the roosts to utilize wasted space, starting the 1st roost at about 2-3' high. My brooder/integration design was inspired by many others here on BYC.
Integrating at 4 weeks old
Start Raising Your Chicks Outdoors
You Certainly Can Brood Chicks Outdoors
Coop Brooder and Integration
You may not need 16? nest boxes, that's enough for around 50-60 hens. But if your flock grows over the years you might use them... looks like you have enough outdoor space!! The boxes with eggs already laid in them will be the most appealing for others to lay in, sometimes there will be a squawking waiting line for the favorite nest even though many other boxes are available (I have an EE that gets really mad and loud if someone is in her nest box when she wants to use it). Sometimes 2 or 3 birds will even get in the same one at the same time. Go figure. I've seen other people build longer boxes to accommodate those hens that like the "community" style, while others can have their privacy in smaller boxes. Just be sure to collect eggs daily, or maybe twice daily if the eggs stack up in one place. You can also try to entice chickens to use other boxes by placing golf balls or ceramic eggs in those areas.
Well, I think that's it for now. Sorry my post was so long.
I do agree with others that you might want to consider an opaque roof for the run area... unless the coop location is under some big shady trees. I have a semi-transparent roof on my coop/run and I really could do with quite a bit more shade, and I don't have near the heat you have in your climate. I put up a shade cloth over part of the open yard and it seems to have helped somewhat.
Though I don't have any experience with hurricane-proof structures, I would think you'd still want as much open ventilation as possible. Will your coop have lots of windows? Chickens will spend more time in a brightly lit area, and the ability to open many windows for a cross breeze would be invaluable, especially with such a large building that can trap the heat. The only time you'd want to protect your birds from window drafts at roost height is in the bitter cold. Depending on the direction of prevailing winds, some coop designs have full HWC walls open all winter even in very cold northern climates.
Sanitizing the floor twice a year would be detrimental to this method. The whole point to deep litter is to let micro organisms come in and create a magical little ecosystem while also providing your birds with extra nutrients, and this takes months to get going. You only need to scoop it out once (maybe twice) a year but never remove all of it, so to jumpstart the next batch of fresh litter. The only thing with this method is apparently the floor base can start to deteriorate after about 5 years or so (but maybe the epoxy would prevent that) and it does take dedication and good understanding of how it works. Deep Litter FAQ
I use shavings in my coop (I can't achieve true deep litter) and since I have a poop tray under the roosts, the shavings remain in good shape for about a year. But I still scoop them out each summer and toss in a compost bin to finish composting and by the following spring it's all turned to beautiful garden soil.
All that depends on the rooster's attitude and breeding purpose. And all roosters are not created equal. A roo will not get exhausted servicing too many hens. He'll pick his favorites and mate them to his liking, sometimes leaving others untouched. But there's no real guarantee what he'll actually end up doing. Some roosters are gentlemen and others are real a-holes to both hens and humans. You want to make sure you have a nice tempered rooster before breeding him. A large flock with a few roosters can get along as long as there are enough hens and enough territory. Here's some articles that may give more insight (apologize if you've already read them):
Selecting Good Flock Roosters
Keeping A Rooster
Rooster Flocks
You might be better off keeping chickens for a couple years and experiencing how the flock works before starting a breeding program. The best breeders actually line breed and won't introduce new stock for several generations, if at all. It's really quite complicated, and you need to keep track of exactly who's who... blah blah... I don't know enough to advise, though I've researched quite a bit. But there's nothing wrong with barnyard mixes! And hens go broody when they feel like it, not when it's convenient for you, so having an incubator might be something to look into.
You can just as easily introduce young chicks to an existing flock without a broody mama to do it for you, it just takes a little prep. Many folks will say to wait until they're the same size as adults so they have a fighting chance in the pecking order, but that's just not the only (or best) way. I have integrated 2 sets of babies by 4 weeks old with zero issues and so have many other people. It's much less stressful for everyone involved to get babies introduced asap. The hardware cloth dividers you plan are a good idea... then at about 2-4 weeks you can make "chick doors" or passages that babies can fit through but big ones can't. This lets the chicks mingle with the flock but are able to run back to safety if necessary and eat and drink in peace. Small chicks really aren't seen as a threat to the adult's resources like bigger newcomers would be, and this lets the chicks grow and integrate with the flock practically unnoticed. My brooder is under the poop tray and I use 2 types of dividers during the integration process. The "graduate divider" with 3.5" spaces has been very effective.
Oh, this reminds me that the removable poop boards you were considering might be waaay too large to handle, as I think someone else mentioned. My 3x3 board is almost too heavy for me to maneuver, I just leave it in place. So you might want to make access doors you can reach inside to scoop, or even try using fabric poop hammocks instead. You could even rework your design to move the brooder area under the roosts to utilize wasted space, starting the 1st roost at about 2-3' high. My brooder/integration design was inspired by many others here on BYC.
Integrating at 4 weeks old
Start Raising Your Chicks Outdoors
You Certainly Can Brood Chicks Outdoors
Coop Brooder and Integration
You may not need 16? nest boxes, that's enough for around 50-60 hens. But if your flock grows over the years you might use them... looks like you have enough outdoor space!! The boxes with eggs already laid in them will be the most appealing for others to lay in, sometimes there will be a squawking waiting line for the favorite nest even though many other boxes are available (I have an EE that gets really mad and loud if someone is in her nest box when she wants to use it). Sometimes 2 or 3 birds will even get in the same one at the same time. Go figure. I've seen other people build longer boxes to accommodate those hens that like the "community" style, while others can have their privacy in smaller boxes. Just be sure to collect eggs daily, or maybe twice daily if the eggs stack up in one place. You can also try to entice chickens to use other boxes by placing golf balls or ceramic eggs in those areas.
Well, I think that's it for now. Sorry my post was so long.
....but thanks.
