coop design questions

[junior67]

We have the same coop. We located the attached to the front. It is functional and prevents rain and snow from getting in the open windows. We always leave the windows open as I think the design needs more ventilation. The whole back of our coop opens to allow for easy clean out. Which we do a couple times per year.

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?

 

[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]

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.

Thanks. My husband is in HVAC so we can get the vent covers no problem. So you feel it is better to have both then? I wasn't sure if there would be more ventilation with just HW cloth but then saw that most have the vent covers so started thinking maybe that keeps the elements out of the coop.

 

[jreardon1918]

Thanks. My husband is in HVAC so we can get the vent covers no problem. So you feel it is better to have both then? I wasn't sure if there would be more ventilation with just HW cloth but then saw that most have the vent covers so started thinking maybe that keeps the elements out of the coop.

If your overhangs prevent most of the rain/snow, I would leave them off. The original design was just the louvers. We later decided that the HW cloth would further protect a weak point.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

You really don't need a big coop. Birds don't spend time in the coop unless you make them. There is a persistence with this forum to repeat and add quantity to some random number of 4 square feet per bird in a coop. That number makes little sense unless you intend to lock birds in for extended days or weeks. And if you plan to do that I'd want more space than that random 4 sqft. You plan on a covered run so all is well. That run should be large as this is where chickens are when awake if you open the coop early morning every day. Put the money in the run and save on the coop. Big runs and small coops is how I manage. We all have management styles to fit our needs. Those that don't let birds out of coop until noon or keep in coop for weeks of winter obviously need much more space in the coop. To them I say a random 4 sqft per bird is not enough! To you I say 4 sqft is far too much if you keep feed and water in run and let the birds out every morning. Coop size is to your management style not random numbers that really mean nothing.

The two things people forget when building a coop are 1) ventilation and roof pitch, 2) providing depth under all openings for planned depth of bedding. You'll see a lot of coop builds with door opening at floor height then they realize error when putting in bedding. As to venting your coop- Why have a roof at all if there is one on your run? Keep coop in run, use 2x2's 16 inches on center to brace walls top of coop and cover with 1/2 inch hardware cloth. Voila! No dickering with venting and more savings on coop to put into bigger run.

I use an auto door, the dimensions are only 1 foot wide by 14 inches tall. You look at a 10 plus pound cock and think "there is no way he is getting in there". They do and without effort. My layer nests are external for ease of access to eggs with my small coops. The hole I cut is 9 inches tall for those nests. I've got big fat hens that enter those with ease. Nest box itself is 3 foot long with two dividers. So the hole cut on coop wall is 9" tall by less than 3 ft. The box with dividers is mounted to wall lower than the access hole from coop to provide 3 inches of hay. Sides of that nest box slop from 14 inches to 12 inches. Plywood top on hinges to coop wall. About the easiest nest box that does not impede on coop space and mimics a dark, secluded, safe place to lay eggs. They "get it" when it comes to where to lay an egg as it's the natural type of place they would lay them. If you go the route of a small coop provide a large access door for ease of grabbing birds and cleaning out the coop. And to this end my coops are on stilts. I'm using a coop that is 4 feet tall or less and I'm not getting on my knees to shovel it out. Stilts and large access door makes for ease of wheel barrow right there under opening and you have enough space to dig out the bedding and drop into it without any bending of back.

 

[3KillerBs]

There is a persistence with this forum to repeat and add quantity to some random number of 4 square feet per bird in a coop.

This is not a "random number" but standard animal husbandry advice dating back at least 100 years.

Poultry for the Farm and Home

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Okay, it's not random, it's double the agricultural recommended minimum. Certainly is arbitrary though if management style is not unaccounted for. And that is the point.

Let's put it this way- The suggested minimum space from agricultural sources is 2 sqft per bird. My management style, with happy and healthy birds is even less than that. The caveat is my birds are never left in coop. It's sole purpose is predator secure area for roosting and access to laying boxes. The winter run area on the other hand is darn close to 5 sqft per bird. This is the covered area that's not covered in snow. Come Spring to deep snow they have the entire 80x100 foot fenced area with shrubs and trees.

Again, it is how you intend to manage the birds as to what is needed for space. I and others quite successfully maintain small coop with large runs. The other method is to coop birds for extended periods even over winter and provide feed and water in the coop. Well this becomes what I have for a winter "run". My experience is 4 sqft per bird will lead to behavioral problems if multiple cocks are kept. As in it's not enough space. But to keep cocks is yet another management that has different requirements. So as we start to look at what a person has for birds, intends to do with birds, intends to manage birds and so forth we can easily see there is no one number that fits all. The only place I've ever seen the number 4 is here on BYC. It's over stated and incredibly misunderstood.

 

[3KillerBs]

it's double the agricultural recommended minimum.

Which is for intensively-managed, "factory farm" situations which include debeaking, forced ventilation via fans, and other such interventions that do not apply to backyard conditions.

 

[aart]

My management style, with happy and healthy birds is even less than that.

Yes, you are one of the few that go with less space, most can't manage it tho.
We see way more scenarios where lack of space causes major issues,
that's why more space is recommended.
I agree that the 4/10 rule is arbitrary (tho it's not a bad place to start),
that won't keep folks from repeating it.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Better that a recommendation be given for "too much" (truly, "excess" or "above minimum") space which is suitable for most than to suggest the bare minimum adequate to intensive farming practice. Your own example, "The winter run area on the other hand is darn close to 5 sqft per bird" is evidence, your covered run and house is essentially an open air coop design with nesting boxes, and is closer to 6 or 7 sq ft per bird in total. Its merely a matter of how you choose to label things.

I agree that your house and run work best as a system, and that yes, if you have a covered run, you need not necessarily have a covered house under said run - but the intent of most new posters here asking questions is to get by with the absolute minimum in materials and building skills, particularly in the current economic climate. Suggesting they cover a moderately sized run with 2x6 framing 16" oc is $20 - $25 per board for a 12' width, ties and screws or nails plus almost $1 sq ft in hardware cloth and a method to secure them. At those prices, I can put up steel roofing - but we are both rapidly exceeding the available budget of someone looking to build absolute minimums for their small collection of birds - the most expensive eggs they will ever eat.

Accounting for depth of bedding is another valuable observation - part of thinking of coop design as a system, and coop and run together as a system.