Building coop and run, have a few questions.

[Lpsouth1978]

Hello, I am new to keeping chickens and am in the process of building my first coop, we hope to complete the build this weekend. We already purchased 12 chicks last weekend and have them in a brooder to grow while we complete the coop. I am learning that the coop may be a bit small for 12 chickens, but I suspect we will have at least a couple roosters in the bunch, so the number will likely go down just a bit.

The coop has 4'x8' internal dimensions. the nesting boxes are external of these dimensions, "hanging" off the back of the coop. There will be 6 - 12"x16" nesting boxes (I know we don't need that many, but wanted to maximize the space and materials). The coop is raised 24" off the ground and stands 8' tall at the highest point. We will likely have ventilation around most of the top (where the roof meets the walls, and will be cutting "sky lights" in the roof. These will be covered with hardware cloth and the roof will be covered in clear corrugated plastic.

The run will be 8'x16', and will be completely covered in hardware cloth. We are in AZ, so snow is not a concern, but heat IS! We will be covering the top and upper portions of the run with a shade cloth to try and keep temps more comfortable.

Now for the questions.

- What do you all recommend coating the floor of the coop with. We had thought about linoleum, but then I have seen that the chickens will likely just rip it up. Would an exterior paint work for this instead?

- How can I ensure the girls stay cool in the CRAZY summer heat here? It regularly gets to 110+ in the summer. We will, of course, have plenty of water available to them, but cool water is NEVER available in the summer here. It comes out of the tap hot.

- Considering that the girls will not be confined to the coop, do you think that it will be suitable for 10-12 birds? I know it is generally too small, but they will only lay eggs and roost in it.

- Do wee need to add grit to the food in the brooder? How about in the run when they get there?

- Anything we may have missed?

I appreciate the help and look forward to learning from all of you. I will also post pics of the build and the chicks later this week, just won't be able to get any until Friday.

 

[Idaho Chicken Bungalow]

For the floor can you use the paint people use on cement? Not sure of the fumes. I have paint coated flooring in my coop from the manufacturer of my coop.

 

[kimfry71]

Hi! I have a 4 x 8 coop with 2 long roost bars going the length of the coop & 2 short roost bars crossing them. I've got 4 roosters & 14 hens sleeping comfortably in it - they free range daily & only sleep in it. Plenty of room.

The only time you need grit is if you're feeding chicks something other than their starter feed - it's finely milled & digestible without it. If feeding veggies, scratch, etc.. they should have a dish of grit in the brooder.

I use shavings on my coop floor, but am considering getting a rubber mat like they use in horse stalls, so I can hose it off & not worry my plywood floor will rot. I wouldn't paint it, the fumes will bother the chickens. I only painted the exterior of the coop.

You can get solar powered or plug-in fans to circulate air in the coop when it's hot. You can also freeze bottles of water for the chickens to lay next to in the run - takes awhile but they'll figure out what they're for I sometimes add ice to the waterer if it's real hot. I buy hydro-hen (electrolytes you mix with water) from tractor supply and they really like that in the summer heat. Shade is a big deal, give as much as you can & be sure the coop is well-ventilated.

I hope I've been helpful - enjoy your new coop & your chickens! It's a fun building project.

 

[Percheron chick]

The main thing you are missing is you do not want a traditional 4 walled chicken coop in the south. It even gets too hot for my chickens in Colorado and I will remove one wall on my coop come spring. Get on the AZ and TX threads and look at their builds. Open aviary styles. Wire walls. One or 2 solid walls to block the monsoon rains. Corregated roofing is good for light but it creates a ton of heat.

 

[Happily Retired]

Hello, I am new to keeping chickens and am in the process of building my first coop, we hope to complete the build this weekend. We already purchased 12 chicks last weekend and have them in a brooder to grow while we complete the coop. I am learning that the coop may be a bit small for 12 chickens, but I suspect we will have at least a couple roosters in the bunch, so the number will likely go down just a bit.

The coop has 4'x8' internal dimensions. the nesting boxes are external of these dimensions, "hanging" off the back of the coop. There will be 6 - 12"x16" nesting boxes (I know we don't need that many, but wanted to maximize the space and materials). The coop is raised 24" off the ground and stands 8' tall at the highest point. We will likely have ventilation around most of the top (where the roof meets the walls, and will be cutting "sky lights" in the roof. These will be covered with hardware cloth and the roof will be covered in clear corrugated plastic.

The run will be 8'x16', and will be completely covered in hardware cloth. We are in AZ, so snow is not a concern, but heat IS! We will be covering the top and upper portions of the run with a shade cloth to try and keep temps more comfortable.

Now for the questions.

- What do you all recommend coating the floor of the coop with. We had thought about linoleum, but then I have seen that the chickens will likely just rip it up. Would an exterior paint work for this instead?

- How can I ensure the girls stay cool in the CRAZY summer heat here? It regularly gets to 110+ in the summer. We will, of course, have plenty of water available to them, but cool water is NEVER available in the summer here. It comes out of the tap hot.

- Considering that the girls will not be confined to the coop, do you think that it will be suitable for 10-12 birds? I know it is generally too small, but they will only lay eggs and roost in it.

- Do wee need to add grit to the food in the brooder? How about in the run when they get there?

- Anything we may have missed?

I appreciate the help and look forward to learning from all of you. I will also post pics of the build and the chicks later this week, just won't be able to get any until Friday.

I have a coop very similar to what you are planning. My floor is plywood with peel and stick linoleum tiles. I did this for ease cleaning as well as protection of the plywood. With the litter covering the linoleum the issue of the hens pecking at it has not been an issue for me. Occasionally I will re-arrange the litter to keep the tiles covered. Beware though until you have three or so inches covering the floor you will have them running around and slipping on the tiles. While it is comical it may result in injuries.

I am in Central Texas not far from San Antonio so our heat index gets up there pretty high. I have 24 sq ft of ventilation along the top of the coop which helps with the heat in the coop and moisture. We almost always have a light breeze. In addition I have frozen blocks of ice that I put in their watering can every afternoon to help cool them down along with a change of water. Whether or not this is effective I couldn't say but I feel good about at least trying to help them.

I started my chicks on grit when they were about 4 weeks old and before I introduced them to anything other than their normal feed. I just put out a separate feeding dish with the grit and they took what they needed. I have stopped with the grit since they are now out and about in their dirt covered run although every once in a while I will hold out a handful to see if they are interested and just let them take what they want.

Looking at my "almost adult" 9 Barred Rocks in their 8x8 coop I personally think that 10-12 in half my space would be tight. During your "3 day monsoon" season they may be relegated to the coop and they will probably be miserable. And what about roosts? Minimum would be 10 feet of roosts, preferably 12 feet or more.

Be careful about the skylights and make sure they don't let any moisture in. When used bedding gets wet it makes for the most gawd awful stench you can imagine. When my waterer leaked I was in gag suppression mode until I got it all cleaned out. And then the flies it drew. Didn't have a serious fly problem until that incident and now as of last count I have over a gazillion and a half and still counting. With the Arizona heat and sun I would seriously reconsider using the clear plastic roofing. You would be surprised how much light the ventilation openings let in. I might opt for white roofing.

Sorry about the long winded response but not sure if I could consolidate it any. Let me know if you would like pix of my coop to help you see what I am talking about.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

These will be covered with hardware cloth and the roof will be covered in clear corrugated plastic.

I strongly advise against using clear material in ANY part of your setup in your climate. The greenhouse effect should never be underestimated.

The run will be 8'x16', and will be completely covered in hardware cloth. We are in AZ, so snow is not a concern, but heat IS! We will be covering the top and upper portions of the run with a shade cloth to try and keep temps more comfortable

- How can I ensure the girls stay cool in the CRAZY summer heat here? It regularly gets to 110+ in the summer. We will, of course, have plenty of water available to them, but cool water is NEVER available in the summer here. It comes out of the tap hot.

Here is my article on hot-climate chickenkeeping: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

I second the advice to go to your state thread and get info from the people who know your climate best.

Ventilation is #1. This is my article on coop ventilation: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

I'm in a less extreme area than you are and I find that unless I can put the coop into DEEP natural shade surrounded by green stuff I need at least double or triple the normal suggestion of 1 square foot of ventilation per adult, standard-sized hen just to keep the coop under 100F on a 90F day.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

Welcome to BYC.



I strongly advise against using clear material in ANY part of your setup in your climate. The greenhouse effect should never be underestimated.





Here is my article on hot-climate chickenkeeping: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

I second the advice to go to your state thread and get info from the people who know your climate best.

Ventilation is #1. This is my article on coop ventilation: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

I'm in a less extreme area than you are and I find that unless I can put the coop into DEEP natural shade surrounded by green stuff I need at least double or triple the normal suggestion of 1 square foot of ventilation per adult, standard-sized hen just to keep the coop under 100F on a 90F day.

Thank you for the info. I have actually already read through both of those articles. Unfortunately, we do not have any shade trees or structures to help with cooling. We can certainly still make some changed to the coop, like swapping out the clear plastic for the roof and putting a white plastic instead, and/or removing some/all of a wall and replacing it with hardware cloth to accommodate better cooling. I may also need to add a misting system around the perimeter of the run.

Luckily, things are starting to cool here, so we have some time to figure out the cooling of the run, but need to make changes to the coop now, while it is still being built.

I have a coop very similar to what you are planning. My floor is plywood with peel and stick linoleum tiles. I did this for ease cleaning as well as protection of the plywood. With the litter covering the linoleum the issue of the hens pecking at it has not been an issue for me. Occasionally I will re-arrange the litter to keep the tiles covered. Beware though until you have three or so inches covering the floor you will have them running around and slipping on the tiles. While it is comical it may result in injuries.

This is good info. We are planning on a deep bed of shavings, but would like easy clean up of the floor and protection from rotting.

Looking at my "almost adult" 9 Barred Rocks in their 8x8 coop I personally think that 10-12 in half my space would be tight. During your "3 day monsoon" season they may be relegated to the coop and they will probably be miserable. And what about roosts? Minimum would be 10 feet of roosts, preferably 12 feet or more.

Most of our "monsoon" storms seem to be short downpours. It will rain buckets but is usually done in 30-60 minutes, and usually in the evening. The winds are Typically much more damaging than the rains. We are also planning plenty of roosting space, probably in the 18-20ft range, using several roosting bars.

Be careful about the skylights and make sure they don't let any moisture in. When used bedding gets wet it makes for the most gawd awful stench you can imagine. When my waterer leaked I was in gag suppression mode until I got it all cleaned out. And then the flies it drew. Didn't have a serious fly problem until that incident and now as of last count I have over a gazillion and a half and still counting. With the Arizona heat and sun I would seriously reconsider using the clear plastic roofing. You would be surprised how much light the ventilation openings let in. I might opt for white roofing.

I think that if we build a lip around the skylights and seal (Caulk) them properly, we can keep rain from entering the coop through the sky lights.

Thank you all for the help and recommendations!! Keep them coming.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I agree about looking into a more open-air concept and to avoid clear plastic on the roof due to your climate. If you go with a fully open concept combined coop/run set up, that would address space concerns about a 4x8 coop being too small as the entire space would serve as both coop and run (and in that case, the coop floor would most likely be dirt with litter of your choice on top). Something more like this: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/

For protecting a wood coop floor, paint should work fine (exterior paint, porch paint, barn paint). I use Black Jack 57 which is a rubberized sealant but I don't know if it would have any issues performing in a hot climate, if that's something you're interested in the technical sheet is here: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1426/5084/files/TDS_BJ_6080_H18.pdf?373

As far as grit, I figure chicks are going to get into and eat stuff, whether it's dirt or bugs or bedding, so safer to provide grit from the start. When they are very young I sprinkle just a tiny pinch on top of their feed every few days. Once they're bigger (6-8 weeks or so) and ready for larger grit, I stop adding any to the food and provide a hanging parrot cup in the coop for them to pick out grit as they need it.

 

[Lpsouth1978]

I agree about looking into a more open-air concept and to avoid clear plastic on the roof due to your climate. If you go with a fully open concept combined coop/run set up, that would address space concerns about a 4x8 coop being too small as the entire space would serve as both coop and run (and in that case, the coop floor would most likely be dirt with litter of your choice on top). Something more like this: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/

For protecting a wood coop floor, paint should work fine (exterior paint, porch paint, barn paint). I use Black Jack 57 which is a rubberized sealant but I don't know if it would have any issues performing in a hot climate, if that's something you're interested in the technical sheet is here: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1426/5084/files/TDS_BJ_6080_H18.pdf?373

As far as grit, I figure chicks are going to get into and eat stuff, whether it's dirt or bugs or bedding, so safer to provide grit from the start. When they are very young I sprinkle just a tiny pinch on top of their feed every few days. Once they're bigger (6-8 weeks or so) and ready for larger grit, I stop adding any to the food and provide a hanging parrot cup in the coop for them to pick out grit as they need it.

Thank you for the info. We are now looking at how we can change the plan and leave the front wall out and make it an open air design. We already have the main structure of the coop built, including the floor, walls, and nesting boxes, and have the exterior wall board on the back wall. We were planning on getting the remaining exterior wall boards, trim, roof, and run completed this weekend, and should still be able to. I think we may need to extend the walls into the run in order to ensure the coop stays dry during rain storms, especially during monsoon season. This would likely make the covered (with wood) portion of the build 8'x8' and the open (wire covered) portion 12'x8'. Or maybe we will keep the open portion 16'x8' as originally planned and just give the chickens more space.

 

[saysfaa]

It doesn't really need to stay completely dry. You probably see many places saying how important it is that they stay dry and I agree - for cold climates. I assume your monsoon season is not while it is near freezing or below?

A little rain blowing in will dry quickly in your climate, I think, because it does in my cooler, fairly humid climate. It does help to have a thick layer of bedding or litter. Chickens are quite weather resistant. Besides, they should be able to get out of the rain if they want to, without the extended sides. I would go with the more space instead.

If I understand correctly, you are making the coop and run both secure from predators? Then you don't need a division between the coop and the run.

What is the advantage of a skylight?

I think exterior paint works well for the floor. I used Blackjack 57 because I thought it would would be better but I can't see any advantage to it over the paint. I do like the blackjack better on some of the rougher areas of my walls and foundation (mine are very, very rough; I don't think it would be applicable for most construction techniques).

I think linoleum would work too but be more expensive (although, the cost of paint had gone up a LOT lately; maybe linoleum remnants hasn't?)

So, 8 x 20 for about 10 hens? Is that right? 160 sq ft so 16 sq feet per hen. That is a little more than the 4' (coop) plus 10' (run) that is recommended as a minimum. If they can (or will) use under the coop, they can have a little more. Mine don't like going under the shorter areas much but evidently other flocks have not minded. Either way, that is enough to usually work. Adding some "clutter" - anything that will break up the lines of sight, will help it work better. Some saw horses with a panels attached to one or both sides works pretty well. There are lots of options.