Check my plan for inside the coop.....

[TerryH]

Blinds inside would be a nightmare to keep the dust off. I think you will greatly enjoy having the light from your windows and your hens will adjust. I have used a heavy short panel curtain in lieu of a shade that I hung on cup hooks above the window at night mostly to keep our hens warm from the cold window. When I was in the coop I just took the rod off the big cup type hooks at the top of the window and moved the rod and curtain to cup type hooks on the bottom. The curtain was easy as pie to clean, just slide off the rod and wash it in a bucket and throw it over the fence to dry.

Our chickens now live in an old sheep shed that has been raised off the ground and now have wire bottoms. They are not intended for people to go into and are easy to clean out underneath from outside with a rake.

Are you going to paint the inside of your coop to make it easy to hose down?

Just to show you that we love projects as well, here is the kids guinea pig house from 25 years ago made into an outdoor nest box for the chickens.

Thanks for your reply! Love the nest box!!

I am sheeting the inside with OSB and everything will be painted and then linoleum installed on the floor and 12" up the walls. We'll be using the deep bedding method inside the coop.

 

[TerryH]

Might be the easiest solution.

But yes, you might be over reacting to the light being a problem, but you may not know until the birds ahve been in residnece for some time
....blinds can be put up later if it's problem.

Thanks for the reply! I know that there might be changes once the birds are in. Chickens are chickens after all, but I'd like to eliminate an much of that as possible. The issues with the roosts on the west wall are the automated pop door will be behind/under the roosts and poop tray so access would be more difficult and the ramp to get to the roosts would protrude out into the coop to about the edge of the door. The roosts on that south wall seems a much better and more efficient placement but I really don't want to risk the chickens not liking the roosts there.

Moving the roosts would also mean moving the nest boxes, the waterer and so on. I would not want to be in that situation with birds living in there if at all possible.

Decisions, decisions.

 

[TerryH]

Another thought might be for me to put a little section of privacy fence outside of those windows. Probably 6 lineal feet of fence would do the trick if I could get it placed just right. That would still allow air flow and some outside views. I had planned to landscape around the back of the coop and run anyway. Perhaps I just incorporate the section of fence into the landscape plan.

 

[Tika75]

What about shutters outside the windows? I have some wooden shutters in my house that also work as blinds. Those might work on the outside so you can let in light/air as needed and then be able to shut them if it is cooler.

Don't know if that would work. Just an idea.

 

[JackE]

Since you are going with a poopboard, why not just install the nestboxes under it. That would give you, and the chickens, more floor space. Instead of linoleum, check out the rubberized roof coat product, Blackjack #57. Linoleum can, and will fail, at some time in the future. Then you'll have to tear the rest of that crap smeared mess out of the coop and replace it. Blackjack becomes a permanent part of the floor. Totally seals any floor joints/gaps, along with the wall to floor gap. I've had this stuff down in my coop for over 6yrs now, and it looks like it did when I first put it in there. I got it from Lowes.

Also, I would not install any interior walls in the coop. All you are doing is giving any rodents, bugs, or who knows what, a nice hidden place to live. You want to be able to see every bit of the inside of your coop.

 

[TerryH]

Since you are going with a poopboard, why not just install the nestboxes under it. That would give you, and the chickens, more floor space. Instead of linoleum, check out the rubberized roof coat product, Blackjack #57. Linoleum can, and will fail, at some time in the future. Then you'll have to tear the rest of that crap smeared mess out of the coop and replace it. Blackjack becomes a permanent part of the floor. Totally seals any floor joints/gaps, along with the wall to floor gap. I've had this stuff down in my coop for over 6yrs now, and it looks like it did when I first put it in there. I got it from Lowes.

Also, I would not install any interior walls in the coop. All you are doing is giving any rodents, bugs, or who knows what, a nice hidden place to live. You want to be able to see every bit of the inside of your coop.

Thanks for the reply, Jack! I had considered putting the nest boxes under the poop board. Perhaps that is the best use of space. The poop board will be 36" deep. I was concerned that the nest boxes under the poop board might result in a difficult place to catch a chicken if she was to decide to get behind the nests.

I looked at the Blackjack product at Lowes. Seems simple enough to do that in lieu of the linoleum if that is a better choice. I can see benefit of waterproofing the substrate itself vs just covering it with linoleum.

I read lots of threads on the debate of covering or not covering the interior walls. I see benefits and drawbacks with both and I've debated this subject from the start. I'm obviously leaning towards covering them. It seems like it would be much simpler to clean if the walls are covered. I plan to caulk every joint and gap before priming and painting. I have a little more wiring to rough in and then it's decision time because covering or not covering the walls will be the next step once I work out the nighttime light issue.

 

[TerryH]

I tried faking what a piece of privacy fence would do tonight with a tarp and some 2x4's. That's not gonna work. It would have to be too big.

I'll move the roosts to the west wall. I'm going to try the faux blinds on the south windows. I'll make some HWC doors to go on the inside of the windows so the blinds will be in between the window and the HWC door. That will eliminate the possibility of a chicken becoming tangled in the blinds. We could just open the door and adjust the windows and/or blinds for whatever the conditions.

Really can't figure out anything else. Still open to suggestions if anyone has a different idea.

 

[aart]

Thanks for the reply, Jack! I had considered putting the nest boxes under the poop board. Perhaps that is the best use of space. The poop board will be 36" deep. I was concerned that the nest boxes under the poop board might result in a difficult place to catch a chicken if she was to decide to get behind the nests.

I looked at the Blackjack product at Lowes. Seems simple enough to do that in lieu of the linoleum if that is a better choice. I can see benefit of waterproofing the substrate itself vs just covering it with linoleum.

I read lots of threads on the debate of covering or not covering the interior walls. I see benefits and drawbacks with both and I've debated this subject from the start. I'm obviously leaning towards covering them. It seems like it would be much simpler to clean if the walls are covered. I plan to caulk every joint and gap before priming and painting. I have a little more wiring to rough in and then it's decision time because covering or not covering the walls will be the next step once I work out the nighttime light issue.

Why so deep? 2 roosts over it? I went with 24" deep, 1 roost centered and 8" above board.
No poop on walls, they do roost on the 2x2 edging.
36" might take up a lot of room, they need room to jump down...or ramps.

Linoleum...or probably vinyl? Look closely at the vinyl sheeting, some are backed with paper, some foam. Make sure they can bend sharply without cracking.
I went with a pretty heavy duty vinyl with foam backing as it was the only one that would bend without breaking so it would go up the walls without failing at the turn.
It's held up well for 2.5 years now, even lined the roost boards with it..which was a little less successful but serviceable.

Kinda like getting a sip of water out of a fire hose this chicken learning curve...sorry to deluge you with yet more info.

 

[TerryH]

Why so deep? 2 roosts over it? I went with 24" deep, 1 roost centered and 8" above board.
No poop on walls, they do roost on the 2x2 edging.
36" might take up a lot of room, they need room to jump down...or ramps.

Linoleum...or probably vinyl? Look closely at the vinyl sheeting, some are backed with paper, some foam. Make sure they can bend sharply without cracking.
I went with a pretty heavy duty vinyl with foam backing as it was the only one that would bend without breaking so it would go up the walls without failing at the turn.
It's held up well for 2.5 years now, even lined the roost boards with it..which was a little less successful but serviceable.

Kinda like getting a sip of water out of a fire hose this chicken learning curve...sorry to deluge you with yet more info.

Yes on the 2 roosts. I'm building for the capacity of the coop even though the flock is starting smaller. Planning on 2 - 2x4 flat side up roosts 8' long 12" apart and 6" above the poop tray with the first one 12" from the wall thus the wide poop tray. I'm planning on beveling the top of the poop tray edges to discourage them from roosting on the edge. Seems like them roosting on the edge might lead to considerable pooping outside the tray. There will be 5' to the opposite wall from the edge of the poop tray but I do plan on a ramp leading up to the roosts just in case that's an issue.

Yes on vinyl not true linoleum. I read on your coop page about the foam backed vs the super thin paper backed. I've found some remnants at a surplus place that say they are foam backed but I haven't actually been there to see them yet. Still debating on the roof coating vs vinyl deal. I see advantages and disadvantages to both. Leaning towards the vinyl though.

I am planning on lining the poop tray with some left over .040 aluminum sheet that I have on hand. Basically a tray within the tray.

There is certainly a lot of information to process. As with most things in life there are different ways and different opinions on every aspect of the whole chicken thing. Not necessary a wrong or right but just differing methods and processes. I'm trying to sort out what will hopefully work best for us and for our flock. I'm trying to be very mindful of my wife and her upkeep of the coop and daily chores tending the flock. I realize that there will likely be things that we have to change or modify one way or the other but I'm determined to get it as close to right as I possibly can the first time. I appreciate your input and comments!!

Terry

 

[aart]

Gonna break/fold over the edges of the aluminum?
..and attach that edge all the way along, I just tacked it about every foot or so and had to go back and add more fasteners.

When mine roost on the edge of the board, they are usually facing outward so poops land on board....
......and amazingly, tho they are often somewhat under the birds up on the roost, don't seem to get pooped on.
Have a few that like roost right on the board, back against the wall.