are these plans going to work?

[Mrs. Green Thumbs]

For the coop I'm going to build a frame, cover it with plywood and paint it with water proof paint. It will be 6 feet wide, 4 feet tall, and 4 feet deep. I will mount 2 thick dowls to hold the 2 plastic bin's that will be nest's that I can remove via the roof... that will be set on an angle with 2 hinges on the front of the coop so I can stand behind it, lift and clean or harvest the egg's. The door for the hen's I want to have an easy way to close off so I'm still working on that. The run will be 6 feet wide to meet up to the coop, about 12 feet long, and 4 feet tall. I plan on building a frame and then creating the same type of lid action for the run as the coop for easy cleaning and food and water refilling. Will this be adequate for a max of 4 hen's (if all 4 of my chicks turn out to be female)? Oh and we live in a zone 9/10 in central coast california so I'm not too worried about insulation but if I should be please let me know. I plan on drilling holes on the north and south facing sides and covering them with chicken wire for ventilation as well. Wood floor, the coop will be up on cinder blocks. And any other tips would be very VERY appreciated!

 

[SunnyDawn]

Sounds fine for a mild climate like yours. Make sure the vent holes are large enough. The humidity can be a real problem if you don't have enough venting. Also I would use a sturdier wire than chicken wire over vent holes. Racoons are a problem in your area and they can tear through chicken wire easily, also snakes can get through chicken wire holes (although getting out after eating a chick is hard). Make sure the roof can be secured well so coons can't lift it up. Other than that it sounds fine. Does the roof have shingles? We used composite shingles on ours over tar paper. This keeps the roof in good shape for a long time. Otherwise the plywood top will warp and decay over time.
Good luck with your new chicks!!!

 

[Mrs. Green Thumbs]

We will begin building next week, right now it's planning and working out any kinks... The chicks are still way too small to be out doors so yah we got time.

just not much of it lol. Thanks for the input. ANy other suggestions?

 

[teach1rusl]

The biggest downside to having a coop where your only access is by lifting up the lid (especially to gather eggs) is RAIN. It would bite to have to collect eggs in the rain, because then the bedding gets damp/wet.

When you say drill holes, exactly what does that mean? I'm picturing drilling a bunch of 1/2 inche holes all over the sides...lol. In a warm weather area, I think you'd do better to cut out a large area (one on each end if possible to take advantage of breezes) and cover THAT with hardware cloth....JMO. For adverse weather, you can always hinge a board to come down and cover each "window."