Building a chicken house. Need advice

[romeoz13]

These are my thoughtS for the house. Please let me know if it's wrong or if I need to add anything. I'm getting a 8x12x9 ft gable style shed Monday. I want to insulate it and drywall it and paint gloss paint inside. The floor will have linoleum flooring. One window and a powered vent to take any fumes away. Bedding will be large pine shavings. 6 nesting boxes with hay. Roasting bars made from 2x4s. Run door will be 3 x2 ft. Outside run will be framed with 2x4s treated and be 8x10ft in length. 48" height chicken wire will be the outside walls of the run. Run floor will be sand so they can play about 8x7ft and grass 8x3ft so the duck can eat from the grass. We have 4 hens and 1 duck. We were thinking about adding two more hens to teach the others how to sit on a roosting bar. Any thought on anything would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[cavemanrich]

Sound like DELUXE ACCOMMODATIONS. My preference would be more more windows and natural vents that could be opened or closed as needed. The power vent is good, but running it all the time is noisy, In the summer having windows wide open with protective screens , is ideal in my opinion. Windows also provide the natural light . The other vents can be regulated to winter needs accordingly. Your run is not all that big so I suggest you ether cover with a net or light tarp to protect from raptors. GOOD LUCK WITH COOP When you have it all done then post photos of it.

 

[JesNflock]

X2 with what cavemanrich said about more windows and vents....more is good. Keep in mind when you are putting in the roosts that they are higher than nest boxes or you might find them sleeping in them instead of on the roosts. Can't wait to see pics when you get it finished! Have fun with it! ~Jes

 

[kmartinez]

Might consider hardware cloth vs chicken wire, if your area has predators or even a dog that can get into your property

 

[dheltzel]

Definitely go with hardware cloth or 2x4 welded wire (not much more expensive than poultry netting). Some small predators will get through (or reach through the 2x4 size wire), so it's not as good, but much, much better than poultry wire.

The grass area will be all mud in about a month, unless you protect it. If you search this site for "grazing frames", you can see some examples people have done.

I would not spend money finishing the inside of the shed, other than a coat of paint. For the floor, some people recommend "Blackjack" coating instead of linoleum. Again, search for that and you can decide if it's a better option for you.

Roosts should be installed so that the 4" side is flat for them to sit on. Normal construction puts them on edge for strength, but you want the wider surface for the birds. Consider making the roosts removable or movable to facilitate access for cleaning. It depends on the location of the roosts as to whether that is needed, but easier to do if you think about it beforehand.

Read the invention thread here, lots of good ideas, especially for feeders and waterers. If I had your setup, I'd build a large feeder into the wall that would hold 50 lbs of feed. Give it a high lip so they don't waste feed (make them reach down far for the food).

Water may be best done outside, especially in the non-freezing months. Get electricity there if you can, for supplemental lighting (I use waterproof outdoor LED floodlights from Amazon, and a digital timer from Harbor Freight). Also, if you have freezing in winter, you will want a heated dog water bowl for then. Plan the location and electric outlet while building, so all you have to do it buy and install it.

 

[romeoz13]

Taking some advice here. Going with the cloth hardware for run. Going to add a roof to the run. Adding complete sand in the run. No insulation. Going to add plywood inside so I can paint it to make it look nice and finished. Utherane coating on the floor. Adding three windows on the front, three on the side. One vent up top on front and back.

Now for the bedding. Large flake pine shavings. My house is 12x8 so at 96sq ft how much bedding will I need as in cubic ft. Plus how thick? Also I'm finding 5 cubic ft unpacked is running 12.00 at the local feed store. Is this about right? How often do I need to change it or do I only add to it and remove the yucky areas? Thanks

 

[aart]

Not sure what your climate is.....putting your location in your profile will help folks make more viable suggestions.

What the shed made of?
Adding plywood inside is probably an unnecessary expense and creates a place for vermin to reside.
If shed is metal and depending on climate and location, insulation can help with over heating.

Ventilation, Ventilation, Ventilation....check out the link in my signature.

If you use poop boards under your roosts you'll need less bedding on the floor and won't have to change that bedding as often.
Roosts should be at least a foot above the nests, so they don't sleep (and poop) in nests, and a 12-18" away from the wall.

 

[romeoz13]

I'm not going to do anything to the inside except paint. and a clear coat on the floor. going off what different people suggested. Also, what vents and how do I vent my shed. It's a 8x12 gable style shed. I have one window in the front, and two 8"x4" vents at the top on each side. Where else should I add vents and how? Thanks

 

[aart]

I'm not going to do anything to the inside except paint. and a clear coat on the floor. going off what different people suggested. Also, what vents and how do I vent my shed. It's a 8x12 gable style shed. I have one window in the front, and two 8"x4" vents at the top on each side. Where else should I add vents and how? Thanks

In Texas, I'd search open air coops.

advanced search>titles only> open air coop

 

[romeoz13]

Are you saying not to keep these chickens inside in Texas? I just spend 2,000 on a new shed and run. That would stink if I couldn't use it....I thought the chicks would have a better life if they had s nice cozy place to sleep at night.