Coop Ideas - Flooring, Size, and Position relative to run

[tori729]

Ventilation is needed all year round, not just summer. Blocking off ventilation means more ventilation needs to be added elsewhere. I'm not convinced there is a way to have 12 sq ft of open ventilation if you cover up the floor - and if the floor is going to be covered up, why risk having wire on there in the first place?

So what would you suggest for ventilation? I think he is putting vents on all sides of the top roof eaves - if we make it bigger and do that would it be enough?

 

[GCrumb]

Thanks this is great! I think if we end up with unhappy chickens especially if I add more, we might just put together a kit if we need more space.

You may find that used shipping crates are cheap and easy to find where you are, especially since you're in a coast state. Add legs, put a hinge and latch on one side for access, a ramp and pop-door, some vents, paint the outside and clad the roof. The crates that motorcycles come in seem like a really great size.

My chickens are weirdly fond of those plastic nest-boxes that just hang on a wall. With those and the crate-style building (with the frame on the outside) it'd be very easy to sanitize or de-mite, compared to other wooden coops.

 

[tori729]

You may find that used shipping crates are cheap and easy to find where you are, especially since you're in a coast state. Add legs, put a hinge and latch on one side for access, a ramp and pop-door, some vents, paint the outside and clad the roof. The crates that motorcycles come in seem like a really great size.

My chickens are weirdly fond of those plastic nest-boxes that just hang on a wall. With those and the crate-style building (with the frame on the outside) it'd be very easy to sanitize or de-mite, compared to other wooden coops.

Thanks! I looked on Marketplace and couldn't find anything. We are about the furthest away from the coast as you can get in SC though so there's that.

 

[tori729]

Please don't take this the wrong way but if this guy is claiming to be a coop builder I'd find someone else to help you....he doesn't know a thing about what chickens need.

So I was able to have him expand the coop to 6x6 yay!

 

[tori729]

Alot of things concern me about this project one being the cloth covering the run. It might , might keep a not very hungy hawk out but if a racoon gets up there it will fall through and let the buffet begin. This happened to my neighbors and how I attained their lone survivor out of 6.
Please , please read the Predators and Pest posts and you will find out a lot from other folks losses and how to prevent them.

Thanks! I've been reading a lot about predators. I'm not sure what more I can do other than making a fully wood framed run which would be smaller and more expensive than sticking with what I have. We plan to have some kind of framing for the netting so it won't just be lying on there. (We are using bird netting for the top) And they will be in the coop closed in at night at least.