I started a thread about my plans to convert my quail aviary to a chicken coop a couple days ago, but named it something like "what is the deal with chicken tunnels?". Figured I would start a new thread with a better name where I actually document my thought process (and actual process) of converting the "aviary" to a "coop". So this is that. Haha. First things first, here is a quick and dirty overview of what I am working with. This aviary is built under a second story deck attached to my house. I also plan to make a run directly outside of this coop/aviary that will be about 15 by 25 feet in size.
This current structure is.....
Just under 9 feet wide (think 9 feet along the side of my house)
7.3 feet from ground to roof.
6.6 feet "deep" (from wire wall to house siding).
I just Googled around a bit, and it seems that there are on average only about 30 days per year that are below freezing. I feel like that is on the low end of accurate, but who knows. Maybe there are just a ton of days that are in the mid 30's and I lump them in with the sub-freezing days. Just for context.
First question for the experts. If I plan to mount my nest boxes and roosts on the solid wall/my actual house, how much of a wind block do you think I need? I am thinking about closing off all of the wall opposite the doorway, 6.6 feet of wall. And then probably at least the 3 feet of width the door occupies, if not that entire second 6.6 foot side as well. I would leave something like a 1 foot wide strip of venting around the top of both sides. This would turn my coop into what is sort of an ugly step-child of the classic "Woods Open Air Coop". Sort of.....not really. But sort of. Haha. More like a "3 sides are closed off, one side is totally open" coop.
The 9 foot wide side faces directly south, but there is a 6 foot fence 25 feet in front of that wire, and a tree basically in front of the aviary. So there will not be massive wind blowing in. But a breeze would make it for sure. It seems walling off the short sides makes sense, but I am not so sure what I want to do for the wide 9 foot side. Would it be a waste of time and effort to leave the bottom 2 feet of the wide side open and then close off all the rest up to the roof? Imagine me slapping a couple sheets of 4 foot by 8 foot plywood across the mid-height of that wall of hardware cloth for example.
I want to keep it airy and want to be able to use this coop/aviary as a smaller run when the girls need to be kept contained, so I don't want to close it all off from natural light. I want them to be able to see out, and for me to see in. Also, obviously the less I need to close off, the easier and cheaper my conversion will be.
Thoughts?
This current structure is.....
Just under 9 feet wide (think 9 feet along the side of my house)
7.3 feet from ground to roof.
6.6 feet "deep" (from wire wall to house siding).
I just Googled around a bit, and it seems that there are on average only about 30 days per year that are below freezing. I feel like that is on the low end of accurate, but who knows. Maybe there are just a ton of days that are in the mid 30's and I lump them in with the sub-freezing days. Just for context.
First question for the experts. If I plan to mount my nest boxes and roosts on the solid wall/my actual house, how much of a wind block do you think I need? I am thinking about closing off all of the wall opposite the doorway, 6.6 feet of wall. And then probably at least the 3 feet of width the door occupies, if not that entire second 6.6 foot side as well. I would leave something like a 1 foot wide strip of venting around the top of both sides. This would turn my coop into what is sort of an ugly step-child of the classic "Woods Open Air Coop". Sort of.....not really. But sort of. Haha. More like a "3 sides are closed off, one side is totally open" coop.
The 9 foot wide side faces directly south, but there is a 6 foot fence 25 feet in front of that wire, and a tree basically in front of the aviary. So there will not be massive wind blowing in. But a breeze would make it for sure. It seems walling off the short sides makes sense, but I am not so sure what I want to do for the wide 9 foot side. Would it be a waste of time and effort to leave the bottom 2 feet of the wide side open and then close off all the rest up to the roof? Imagine me slapping a couple sheets of 4 foot by 8 foot plywood across the mid-height of that wall of hardware cloth for example.
I want to keep it airy and want to be able to use this coop/aviary as a smaller run when the girls need to be kept contained, so I don't want to close it all off from natural light. I want them to be able to see out, and for me to see in. Also, obviously the less I need to close off, the easier and cheaper my conversion will be.
Thoughts?
