So our current coop was already on this property and it's rather old and somewhat dilapidated. It's getting us by fine right now, but when it gets a bit colder I want something more substantial. Also, when we start hatching we'll want something bigger.
I can get a free wooden shipping crate from CL locally for free pretty much any time (there is a moving company near by that gets them in every so often and always gives them away). The crates are 4'x7'x7' and almost entirely plywood construction. From what I can tell in the pictures, looks like there are some 2x4's for structural support.
Now that you know the size, and may have a good idea about how heavy it is, maybe you could answer some of these questions:
And for those who find it relevant, my basic plan for the coop is to have 3-4 nesting boxes (inside, not "hanging out") with an access door on one of the long sides of the crate, clean out door(s) on the opposite long side, the pop door on one of the small ends, and a way to push the tractor from the opposite small end. I'm gonna try to get my hands on a piece of metal for a slanted roof, but might use plywood for a slanted roof. I will put chicken wire around gap under roof for ventilation. Going to put a couple 2x4s going across to hang feeders/waters from, and will put at least 3 perches at varying heights.
Thanks for any suggestions!
I can get a free wooden shipping crate from CL locally for free pretty much any time (there is a moving company near by that gets them in every so often and always gives them away). The crates are 4'x7'x7' and almost entirely plywood construction. From what I can tell in the pictures, looks like there are some 2x4's for structural support.
Now that you know the size, and may have a good idea about how heavy it is, maybe you could answer some of these questions:
- Tractor, or not? We would like to make a large tractor out of it. I am not sure if we should put wheels on only 1 end and have a wheel barrow design, or put wheels on all corners. I feel like with a long enough "handle," we could get enough mechanical advantage for the wheel barrow design to work pretty well. Thoughts?
- What kind of wheels? I notice most people use those 7" lawn mower wheels, 2 per corner, mounted on bolts with lock washers. Do you think this thing would be heavy enough it would make those thin wheels dig into the ground? Should we use wider wheels? Lowe's has them available, they are heavy and $13 per wheel and they have to mount onto something about as large as a 4x4 or bigger. I'm thinking these larger wheels will up our cost and add a considerable amount of weight.
- "Open" floor design? The coop we're currently using has a hardware cloth floor supported on some joists, and I love the ease of cleaning it. I know some people in colder climates use a drop in plywood floor over the wire floor in cold months. Do you think this would be necessary in a climate where, most winters, we have freezing nights for a total of about 7 days throughout winter? We're in SE Alabama and our winters are so mild, it practically never snows. If it does snow, it's still warm enough that it melts when it hits the ground. I want to do a wire floor on the shipping crate coop, do you think I need something more insulative for winter?
- What about floor joists? If I use a hardware cloth floor, I want to be sure I put enough 2x4 joists under it for support to avoid sagging. The coop we're using right now has it's wire floor sagging a bit where whoever built it used supports running only one way. They are also about 2' apart in some places. I was thinking of doing a grid of supports and having the "spaces" be about 2'x2'. I certainly don't want to use too much wood under there or I'll be making things harder on myself as far as cleaning. So, what do you think? How far apart should my supports be? It may help to mention that I have RIR's, which can get rather hefty.
- How many will it house? For chickens who free range all day long on a considerable amount of land, never are kept in a run, in the coop only at night, how many chickens could I put in a 4'x7'x7' coop? It's footprint will be 4'x7', but I am leaving the full height of 7' and plan to put at least 3 roosts in there, 4' long each. I am thinking something like 15 birds, does this sound about right?
- Enough ventilation? I'm planning on a 7' long, 0.5' high space under the high side of a slanted roof. Does this sound like enough ventilation, regardless of the open floor? The ventilation would extend down the short sides of the crate as well, the height of the space decreasing until it reaches the "back" corner. Again, they will only be in the coop at night, under normal circumstances.
And for those who find it relevant, my basic plan for the coop is to have 3-4 nesting boxes (inside, not "hanging out") with an access door on one of the long sides of the crate, clean out door(s) on the opposite long side, the pop door on one of the small ends, and a way to push the tractor from the opposite small end. I'm gonna try to get my hands on a piece of metal for a slanted roof, but might use plywood for a slanted roof. I will put chicken wire around gap under roof for ventilation. Going to put a couple 2x4s going across to hang feeders/waters from, and will put at least 3 perches at varying heights.
Thanks for any suggestions!
