Coop building plans, seeking critique and advice

[Ridgerunner]

I'm never opposed to more ventilation up high in winter but you should be fine with what you have. That's a lot more than many people have that do OK. It will not hurt anything if you do add more. I would not put a baffle on what you have. Depending in wind direction you might get rain or snow blowing in but the overhang should keep that manageable. Still, you will find out.

There is nothing wrong with having windows at roost height or below open in the hot summer. Winter is when it might be a problem. I think you will have plenty of ventilation with the windows closed but as usual more ventilation won't hurt.

Where is your run? Will water flow off the roof into the run? You might want a gutter and downspout.

How convenient is it for you to go from the coop to the run? I have a human door to enter the coop and another door to go straight into the run from the coop. That was convenient. But there was stuff in the way if I went from the coop front door to the run door. If yours are close that is not a big deal.

How convenient is it to open and close the pop doors? Looks like you may have two?

 

[ValerieJ]

I'm never opposed to more ventilation up high in winter but you should be fine with what you have. That's a lot more than many people have that do OK. It will not hurt anything if you do add more. I would not put a baffle on what you have. Depending in wind direction you might get rain or snow blowing in but the overhang should keep that manageable. Still, you will find out.

There is nothing wrong with having windows at roost height or below open in the hot summer. Winter is when it might be a problem. I think you will have plenty of ventilation with the windows closed but as usual more ventilation won't hurt.

Where is your run? Will water flow off the roof into the run? You might want a gutter and downspout.

How convenient is it for you to go from the coop to the run? I have a human door to enter the coop and another door to go straight into the run from the coop. That was convenient. But there was stuff in the way if I went from the coop front door to the run door. If yours are close that is not a big deal.

How convenient is it to open and close the pop doors? Looks like you may have two?

Thanks so much for the feedback!

We haven't designed the run yet, but it will be directly in front of the coop. The coop is 10' wide, so the run will be too, and then 12' long. I am perplexed about the roof line of the coop and how it will interact with the run roof. Gutters are a good option for rain run off, and we get a lot of that, but I have a feeling changing the pitch of the roof line is going to look funky. Then again, it's a chicken coop and run.

Yes there are two pop doors that I was hoping to leave open. The idea is to have a secure enough run that I don't have to close them. I wanted two doors because I want an isolation option. What hasn't been designed is the panels that would be used for that.

During the day they will be able to free range in the same area they do now. It's fairly secure. Then at the end of the day, I want to be able to toss a few meal worms into the secure run and lure them in. Then they can go into the coop from there when they are ready. And I don't have to go out when it's dark.

There is a door into the coop, and a separate one into the run. There will also be a gate directly into the run from the larger run.

 

[NHMountainMan]

I’m going on the assumption that the big door will remain shut, so I would have these two triangular vents (blue) so there’s always some flow from one end to the other, but above all the roosts. With the ventilation already planned, and the (possible) windows, I’d say there’s enough ventilation, but you can never go wrong making sure. If you add more vents, you should have them placed in such a way that they can be blocked off, in case it’s an extra windy night and the coop seems a little drafty. View attachment 1961635

I agree with the drawn blue area - I think cross ventilation in the gable area would greatly add to the ventilation. Baffles are a great idea!

 

[ValerieJ]

I agree with the drawn blue area - I think cross ventilation in the gable area would greatly add to the ventilation. Baffles are a great idea!

Thanks. I'm definitely adding the little cross vent windows with baffles.

 

[kiwi-chick]

@Henry&Friends your coop looks like mine, but mine has no vents and the door stays open day and night for ventilation.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'd put in working windows, it's an extra cost but a very easy way to add more ventilation if needed and they can be closed if necessary during nasty weather.

I have around 32 sq ft of ventilation (not including doors) in a 6x10 coop, so windows can provide quite a lot of airflow.

 

[perkolator]

My opinion - I don't think you technically need more ventilation, but a few windows that you can open/close might be nice. You already stated you're going to have 16sq ft of vent space between the dormer and F/R soffits, which I'd imagine is PLENTY and will definitely be enough to create draft with those two chicken doors at the bottom. If anything, I'd think you may want to make a panel/door that can open/close off that dormer up top in the middle of winter if it's windy.

How many chickens is this for? Do you plan to free-range them daily?
I ask because you mentioned only a 10x12 run space for a coop that appears like it will end up being around 10x10 or 8x10 (no dimensions in pics?). I have 16 chickens with approx 180sq ft of run and it's just barely enough space for them to hang out and not get in one anothers way

Lastly, if this was a coop for my birds, they'd ALL be perched up on that highest roost bar, not on any of the lower ones, lol.

 

[ValerieJ]

I'd put in working windows, it's an extra cost but a very easy way to add more ventilation if needed and they can be closed if necessary during nasty weather.

I have around 32 sq ft of ventilation (not including doors) in a 6x10 coop, so windows can provide quite a lot of airflow.

That’s an easy change. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[ValerieJ]

My opinion - I don't think you technically need more ventilation, but a few windows that you can open/close might be nice. You already stated you're going to have 16sq ft of vent space between the dormer and F/R soffits, which I'd imagine is PLENTY and will definitely be enough to create draft with those two chicken doors at the bottom. If anything, I'd think you may want to make a panel/door that can open/close off that dormer up top in the middle of winter if it's windy.

How many chickens is this for? Do you plan to free-range them daily?
I ask because you mentioned only a 10x12 run space for a coop that appears like it will end up being around 10x10 or 8x10 (no dimensions in pics?). I have 16 chickens with approx 180sq ft of run and it's just barely enough space for them to hang out and not get in one anothers way

Lastly, if this was a coop for my birds, they'd ALL be perched up on that highest roost bar, not on any of the lower ones, lol.

Thanks for all that info. The coop is 8x10. I have 12 chickens and that is a perfect number for us. They will free range every day in the orchard 4400 sf. It’s where they are now but I want a completely secure area included with their coop. Then I wouldn’t need to close the coop doors. I could call them into the little run late afternoon with some treats and they can go into the coop on their own when they are ready.

I could put the lower roost on the short wall, but I need to figure out how much space they need to fly down if they want to, so I was giving them the 10’ length for that.

 

[Henry&Friends]

@Henry&Friends your coop looks like mine, but mine has no vents and the door stays open day and night for ventilation.

i was going to save up for a better one, but I lost my job and now I’m Too broke good thing they don’t seem to mind, because I don’t think I’ll be picking up another job until I’ve graduated months from now