Building a coop

[crazychicken-chickk]

Greetings all, I am wanting to give my flock an upgrade from their old coop. I currently have 12 hens and I still want enough room to grow my flock. I am looking to keep the cost relatively low, but I am fine with having to buy some materials. I have been looking through many styles of coops and I like the Carolina coop design. I am not the handiest person in the world, but I know my way around some basic power tools. I need my coop to be weatherproof and able to withstand harsh winters. Any suggestions, ideas, tips, and advice would be very helpful

 

[3KillerBs]

Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters in many aspects of chicken-keeping and it matters most when building their housing.

There are harsh winters and there are HARSH winters. And some places have both COLD winters and HOT summers.

Here is BYC's best article about cold weather chicken keeping: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

 

[crazychicken-chickk]

Where, in general, are you located? Climate matters in many aspects of chicken-keeping and it matters most when building their housing.

There are harsh winters and there are HARSH winters. And some places have both COLD winters and HOT summers.

Here is BYC's best article about cold weather chicken keeping: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

I am located in Colorado, and yes we do get both harsh winters and hot summers.

 

[3KillerBs]

I am located in Colorado, and yes we do get both harsh winters and hot summers.

So you'll probably want a roofed run, you'll need to build with snow load in mind, and you might even want removable panels to adjust the windproofing of both coop and run for the different seasons. (Some people use plastic shower curtains on the windward side of their run.

Soffit venting is good because it's protected from the weather. You might also consider a Monitor Roof^ since snow would block a regular ridge vent. Alternately you could use gable vents. GENEROUS roof overhangs will be your best friend, sheltering your vents from the weather.

Here's a diagram on summer and winter airflow. It's from an article on cattle barns, but the same principle holds.

^My Little Monitor Coop is for only 4 chickens, but the article shows how to frame a monitor. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/