Central Texas Metal Coop?

[Whiskeymike]

Hi folks, I’m brand new to the site and chickens, and looking for some guidance on using metal for building a coop. I do metalwork for fun, and I’m not much of a carpenter. I have access to some unique tools like welders, a CNC plasma cutter, tube benders/rollers, brakes for bending sheet metal, etc.. so I have a propensity to make my coop out of metal tube, sheet metal, etc.. but with the exceptions of roofs & mesh, I see very little metal being used in coops. Do you think that’s because of accessibility of wood to most people? Or are there problems with metal like too hot, sanitation, etc?

Assuming that metal is okay, can you point me to designs/plans/features you would recommend for adaptation out of metal? These are the things that are important to me or I like.

Would like to day range 3-4 days a week.
My focus is egg laying and would like to have 8-10 hens, but would like to overbuild to support 12-14.
Anything I can do to reduce cleaning, maintenance, and health of birds, I’d rather put the effort/money into the
1. So for instance, can you use a metal grate below roosts to automatically clear/collect poop? Is there a floor gutter that can be incorporated into the design to be able to wash out the coop with hose/pressure washer?
I don’t know if I should do sand, deep litter, shavings etc., in which parts. Any guidance is appreciated.
I will be composting the waste if that matters.
Any benefit to having trays in the bottom that can be pulled out and taken to compost pile? Or hinged walls where it can be opened and provide open access?
thanks

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The only possible drawback in addition to cost is that in Texas it could retain a lot of heat. Big ventilation will be a big deal which can cut down on material since you can replace solid surfaces with hardware cloth. You could even consider an open sided building.
What most people won't tell you is that oxygen/fresh air is even more important for the health of chickens than predator protection, fresh food and water.
I've started using metal for all my doors and am about to add metal to reinforce corners.
I've had raccoons rip siding off of a coop and chew a hole in a door to kill chickens. The last wood intrusion I had was last week when coyotes chewed a hole in a building and ate the two cockerels in there.
I'm a fair carpenter but I'm glad I learned to weld as metal work makes me a much more versatile builder. I also learned to plastic weld a couple years ago.

 

[Alaskan]

The only possible drawback in addition to cost is that in Texas it could retain a lot of heat. Big ventilation will be a big deal which can cut down on material since you can replace solid surfaces with hardware cloth. You could even consider an open sided building.
What most people won't tell you is that oxygen/fresh air is even more important for the health of chickens than predator protection, fresh food and water.
I've started using metal for all my doors and am about to add metal to reinforce corners.
I've had raccoons rip siding off of a coop and chew a hole in a door to kill chickens. The last wood intrusion I had was last week when coyotes chewed a hole in a building and ate the two cockerels in there.
I'm a fair carpenter but I'm glad I learned to weld as metal work makes me a much more versatile builder. I also learned to plastic weld a couple years ago.

X2

If you are going with metal in Texas, I would go with a design like this(yeah, I know this photo is of a wood building...but that shape and design):

 

[Alaskan]

Put the perches and nestboxes in the back more sheltered half.

You could even make the back wall top have a huge window or vent that you could close during winter storms, but have open all summer.

 

[Whiskeymike]

Wow, that design would be so simple. Being in Texas, is wind not a concern? I had heard that protecting them from breezes was so important.

do you think the gable roof is important? I like the aesthetics of a shed roof with a large overhang.

is there a name for this style coop? What’s the best floor material for this style?

 

[Fluffyflufffluff]

Hi folks, I’m brand new to the site and chickens, and looking for some guidance on using metal for building a coop. I do metalwork for fun, and I’m not much of a carpenter. I have access to some unique tools like welders, a CNC plasma cutter, tube benders/rollers, brakes for bending sheet metal, etc.. so I have a propensity to make my coop out of metal tube, sheet metal, etc.. but with the exceptions of roofs & mesh, I see very little metal being used in coops. Do you think that’s because of accessibility of wood to most people? Or are there problems with metal like too hot, sanitation, etc?

Assuming that metal is okay, can you point me to designs/plans/features you would recommend for adaptation out of metal? These are the things that are important to me or I like.

Would like to day range 3-4 days a week.
My focus is egg laying and would like to have 8-10 hens, but would like to overbuild to support 12-14.
Anything I can do to reduce cleaning, maintenance, and health of birds, I’d rather put the effort/money into the
1. So for instance, can you use a metal grate below roosts to automatically clear/collect poop? Is there a floor gutter that can be incorporated into the design to be able to wash out the coop with hose/pressure washer?
I don’t know if I should do sand, deep litter, shavings etc., in which parts. Any guidance is appreciated.
I will be composting the waste if that matters.
Any benefit to having trays in the bottom that can be pulled out and taken to compost pile? Or hinged walls where it can be opened and provide open access?
thanks

All of those seems fine. sand on the other hand is very difficult to manage. not unless you have unlimited resources. you'll just replace it when needed.

 

[Alaskan]

Wow, that design would be so simple. Being in Texas, is wind not a concern? I had heard that protecting them from breezes was so important.

do you think the gable roof is important? I like the aesthetics of a shed roof with a large overhang.

is there a name for this style coop? What’s the best floor material for this style?

Blowing wind in Texas is really only an issue if it is a hurricane or tornado...but it is a big state, depends on where you are.

My baby sis is in the hill country and her coop is a simple shed roof with huge overhangs. Her coop has a concrete floor in the back 3 sided shelter, and crushed rock/gravel in the front half. Her coop has a concrete edge under the fencing to keep out digging critters.

Her coop though, the back three walls, are NOT solid floor to ceiling. Hers are solid only maybe for 3 feet, then wire up to the roof. The coop is under a huge live oak, and between the house and barn, so isn't hit too badly by storms. But yes, on occasion the rain blasts in sideways and the poultry get wet.

However, she hasn't ever lost a bird due to the weather.

Texas is...Texas. even "cold" days in the hill country dont stay that way for long.

Blasting winds and wet chickens up here in Alaska would kill them all, no doubt. It depends on where you are.

Sorry I have no good photo of my sister's coop.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Wow, that design would be so simple. Being in Texas, is wind not a concern? I had heard that protecting them from breezes was so important.

do you think the gable roof is important? I like the aesthetics of a shed roof with a large overhang.

is there a name for this style coop? What’s the best floor material for this style?

I for one have no idea where the oft beleaguered warning about drafts got its start but I think it is just short of nonsense.
First of all, aren't chickens outside all day? Haven't they lived outside for a million years or more? Is it never windy outside during the day? Chickens can roost in a tree till taken by a predator. How does one keep a draft out of a tree? Why would a draft become so dangerous for them at night?

 

[igorsMistress]

I second the 3 sided coop with open front. Ours is set up this way and it's great for summer temps. I think the metal would retain a lot of heat if it gets direct sun so shade would be important. Our coop has a sloped flat roof with overhang, the gable style isn't necessary.

FWIW I feel like my chickens appreciate a place out of the wind/rain to rest. If they didn't they wouldn't seek cover from it during the day. A place inside to stay warm and dry at night without being eaten by a predator is the reason I built a coop. Otherwise, why not just let them sleep out in the yard and save the expense?

 

[David61]

Shade, build in the shade.
Drainage, keep it dry. Clean up by raking dry poop on dry ground.
Use a poop board under the roost.
Open your mind. If you can lay out steel you can lay out wood.
I have a powder coated aluminum roof panel and steel siding. I could have used steel poles and angle iron just as easy as 4x4s and 2x4s.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/10x6-roofed-with-a-8x20-run.1325133/The only thing I would have done different is put a 2' or larger over hang all the way around. I'm adding that to the sides now.