All great ideas! Thanks for the input. We drew and redrew and redrew again but we started building on Saturday and it's coming along. Still trying to decide if we want the whole run covered. The hen house is off the ground so there's some covered space but in the process of buying supplies we acquired 3 more chicks so now I'm worried we won't have enough covered space.
Chicken math has struck again - started building...poof! More birds!
Not sure where in central TX you are, but I'm outside of Wimberley. My henhouse has: rear wall...enclosed with vents at the top. Side walls...lower half enclosed, upper half (8' tall) chicken wire. Front wall...non-existent (wide open into run). Run...side "walls"...lower 2' metal roofing, 2' of hardware cloth, upper two feet+ chicken wire. Front...recycled bi-fold door (slatted), hardware cloth and chicken wire. House and run are both roofed with metal roofing. Plenty of ventilation, but also good protection inside the whole coop from heavy breezes and most of the rain.
Can we build it right on the ground or should we put it on a concrete slab?
This coop (first) is directly on the ground, so it's one continuous "floor" - no need for ramps and ladders except inside the coop to get to the nesting boxes. I use dead cedar branches as roosts and to assist in climbing to the boxes, and in the run for their climbing enjoyment. Just a note...the new coop is planned for being 2' off the ground, primarily because the chicken area seems to pool a lot when it rains.
The first one has a 'sky light' made from a piece of plexiglass. I LOVE this idea, but got to thinking maybe I don't want more sunlight beaming in with our warm climate?
The birds love the sunlight, especially during dust bathing and just simply to sunbathe. You'll catch them spread-eagle lying in the sun and watching you work on their creature comforts.
While we're mostly hot it does get cold in the winters with a few freezes each year but mostly 30's and 40's. Do we need to insulate?
Not in my opinion - that ocassional freeze we get aroiund here doesn't usually contain high winds that are extremely cold...just solid cold. As long as the kids have a breeze-protected enclosure - and unless they'r under about 5-6 weeks of age and not feathered out, they'll be fine.
Do we need a heating lamp?
I only use a heat lamp in the henhouse brooder to keep babies warm - the older birds are generally fine without it. However, we're also talking comfort/happy birds - nothing wrong with providing a little extra warmth for them when the temps drop. The new coop - finalizing the drawings right now - will have one in it just for that reason. And just in case we get a repeat of the winter we had a couple of years ago!
Do we need a pop door or could we leave the entry from the run to the house an open arc even in the winter?
If your run is completely secure - if there's such a thing - from predators, the need for a pop door is pretty much non-exstent...like I said, my current coop is wide open in the front...no wall. However, the new coop will have henhouse pop doors for added protection, and an enclosed - the bottom half - house...again, primarily for protection more than anything else.
I use large pine shavings on the house floor, mixed with a little DE, and hay in the nesting boxes. Keep in mind that, as said above, the birds don't much care, as long as they can roost at night. Also keep in mind that these are my opinions, and are based in things that have been working for me, and which fit my tastes. I would suggest that, as you get started with this very enjoyable project, that you go through as many of these coop threads as possible, and take a look at the many different coops built by other members! That's where I've gotten dang near all of my ideas...and the new coop is going to reflect many of those ideas.
and hope you have great luck and many hours of enjoyment with your new project!
Have a great day, and God bless!
