Building a coop and run

[LindaNL]

Insulating the coop

 

[LindaNL]

Ventilation:
We ordered a shed with a ridge vent, but there were no soffit vents. So we made them ourselves.. There are 2 gable vents on the top as well.

 

[aart]

Snow Leaf blower can work.
You're insulating and venting coop like a house.
Chicken need outside air all year long!

ETA corrected Snow to Leaf

 

[LindaNL]

Ok, I'm getting nervous now! We've planned to put up the drywall tomorrow, but we might have to wait...
So, should we put some more wall vents in the wall underneath the roof (like 4 or something?). The shed is big for only 4 birds, so there should be quite a bit of fresh air we though (including the 2 wall vents, ridge vent and soffit vents)...

 

[rosemarythyme]

I can't believe this is for 4 birds... they're going to live like queens! Really nice job.

As far as vents, ridge vents will get covered in snow, so while they're a good idea, they're limited use in winter. So the soffits and gables will be most of your ventilation. Ideally you'd aim for 10% of floor space or 1 sq ft per bird (in your case, 10% is probably the bigger number) so get some measurements and double check the math. I assume the window facing into the run can be opened if needed?

 

[aart]

The rafter vent channels you have in there, covered with insulation, are for attics in heated residential houses, they help keep the roof cold so snow won't melt on the shingles, run down and create ice dams at the eaves.
This is not how to ventilate a chicken coop.

I suggest removing both the ceiling insulation and the vent channels and leaving the soffit vents as is.....Sorry.

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[Aunt Angus]

This. Is. Ridiculous. In a good way!


Shoot - can you come to California and build me a coop????

 

[Club cramahe coop]

Kinda makes me feel like I let my girls down lol with my coop. Lol. What a great coop and spectacular run area. I agree with others that you are over insulating. Also , please re consider drywall. Way too much moisture in there for drywall to survive.

 

[LindaNL]

This. Is. Ridiculous. In a good way!


Shoot - can you come to California and build me a coop????

California + Chickens + Building something = YES haha

 

[LindaNL]

Kinda makes me feel like I let my girls down lol with my coop. Lol. What a great coop and spectacular run area. I agree with others that you are over insulating. Also , please re consider drywall. Way too much moisture in there for drywall to survive.

We already got the drywall and payed for delivery We were planning to paint it. We can still consider using the drywall for a project inside the house and see if we can get plywood here somehow instead (without paying for delivery again). Thanks for the suggestion, never thought of that!
We did get 4 extra wall vents for the side of the coop, and are thinking of getting 4 more for the other side (not sure yet, don't want to create drafts).