coop design questions

[aart]

The windows will be able to be closed and will only be used for ventilation/air during the hotter months.

What will you do for winter ventilation?
Will the soffits be open?
Will you have something between the metal roofing and the purlins supporting it to prevent condenstation?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I can try to convince my husband for an 8x8 coop. But would think about the same cuts as 4x8 as that is the size of plywood so wouldn't have to cut that at all with a 4x8 coop. I already shocked him with 8 chickens after he said we should get chickens (in his head he was thinking 4 but I wanted certain breeds so got 8. haahaa) and the size of the coop. I had thought of making it a bit bigger. Oh I was planning on having the coop about 2' off the ground and making it so under it as part of the run. would an 8x8 be too heavy to do that? Run I had already debated on making bigger but need to figure out exactly where we are putting it in the yard. We had a spot we were going to put it (where our current shed is that is falling apart and we are taking down and moving) but then it would face away from the house and I don't want that. so now need to talk to him about a different section to put it in or just putting it facing the other way....... Once the snow is gone we can get out there and measure and plan exactly where and get to clearing and building since we only have till sometime in May to get it built by as my chicks come April 8/9th!

I have a raised coop that's 8x12, supported 3' off the ground on some 4x4s. I have ducks, they nest on the ground, so the "under" is their spot. Its a 4x8 sheet a 4x4 sheet and a 4x8 sheet for the floor, in the shape of a "U" so I can walk in, and nothing is more than 4' away (ok, corners are closer to 5' - but still easy to roll in a wheelbarrow, and rakie in the spent bedding)

That said, I sometimes have to gather duck eggs from under the house (daily, in fact), and 3' isn't comfortable if you have to get on hands and knees - as I do. Its a mistake i won't be making in the new coop (10x16) I'm building. 2' off the ground basically ensures you won't be able to get at anything under the house - even reaching in with a rake becomes uncomfortable, due to the shallow angle to reach the center. In my view, its wasted space. Better to take the coop all the way to the dirt, and use the ground as flooring.

Yes, you need to use slightly more expensive lumber at ground contact, but everything else about the build goes easier, it allows a walk in design (which IS nice), you can use deep litter/cold composting (which I favor), and you don't need lumber for a floor, which saves on both plywood and framing up joists.

 

[aart]

just thought of 1 more question. if we do a walk in coop just on the ground we should put the hardware cloth under the coop/dirt correct? how far down should it go? Then just shavings over the dirt? I would think that would be harder to clean out than a coop with a floor.......

You could raise a walk in coop.
Mine is on piers to avoid property taxes, was built before I bought the place.
See my Coop Page.

Better to do an apron around the outside of coop if you want it on the ground.
Good examples of anti-dig apron installation.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wire-around-coop.1110498/#post-17093528
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208

 

[jreardon1918]

how high up is your coop? From what I can see it looks like your chickens have access under it do you have any issues with cleaning under it? or eggs being laid under or a chicken that is sick under it? Trying to decide if I should block off under ours once we build it or build it at ground level or exactly what I want to do. So will be nice to hear from someone that has it up any issues that they would have or if they would change it. Helps that you don't live that far from me either (from reading your articles) so we have about the same weather.

Also the ventilation above your nest boxes look like they have vents on them. are vents better than just wire? I was going to do bigger triangle ones there with 1/4" hardware cloth covering them but see a lot of people have vent covers on them so was wondering if that was better to keep out rain and snow from blowing in on the chickens in the coop?

The coop is about 2' elevated. We don't clean under the coop. So far we have not had to rescue a chicken from under the coop or grab an egg. That could just be luck. Were I do redo the under, I would have hinged or removable sides. To allow easier access.

The gable end vents were something from Home Depot. On the inside there is HW cloth. between the vents and the overhang, we do not get rain/snow coming in.

 

[junior67]

I fear I too contributed to the drift. I will do better. Sorry. J

unless I missed it I only saw your answers to my questions and some ideas to help me with my coop build. Either way as I said not a big deal.

 

[junior67]

Well good thing I was already talked into an 8x8 coop even though my husband didn't know the size was changed. We just added 2 EE to our order so now will have 10 chickens. So they wouldn't have fit in the 4x8 that we originally planned on. I promised it would stay at 10 for "this year" Haahaa.

 

[aart]

Is there a way to keep rain from blowing in an open hardware cloth window?

Top hinged glazed windows

Do those sketches include the correct window dims?
It'e really worth the time to figure out the windows now.
Plan your wall studs around window size...might need a header.
Cry now or cry later.

Am in the middle of my own project right now so won't be able to look closely until this evening.

 

[rosemarythyme]

what if we hinged the plexiglass? (can you do that?????) so we can open it that way? then have a lock on the bottom of it to close it up?

Just put the plexi in a wood frame (aka make a window) and then top hinge the wood frame to the coop. You can use chains, latches, a stick for propping open, etc. to open it up.

 

[junior67]

Ok we decided we are doing a fly rafter on the one side of the roof that has no covers so we can open that side up fully as well. So above the door the gable area will be pretty much fully open and matching on the other side. We got the windows cut, chicken door in, need to still hook it up the auto part, and human door is in. We brought a few of the babies out to see it today. They mostly hung out on our laps or arms. Haahaa.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Will have to take a pic once I get the poop boards and roosts done before we finalize that window on if it can open or just be a solid window that can't open.

If it's up to you, do a window that can open. The 1 sq ft per chicken is the recommended minimum (I'm at 3 sq ft per bird), come summer your flock might be happy to have more.

Also so you can see how I'm set up:

There's another window mirroring this, to allow ventilation across the roost area.