coop in garage?

[GoodEgg]

Hi all,

I was looking at a site today that gave me an idea. It talked about building a coop inside the garage.

It does get cold here, but not as cold (or for as long) as many places. However, having a concrete floor, and a warmer space, and especially the electricity already run, all sound like nice advantages. Not to mention much more secure predator-proofing (the main reason I need a decent coop).

We have a detached concrete-block garage with a concrete floor, and electricity. We store some things there, and have a cat living in it, but don't use it for the car. My daughter wants to set up her ping-pong table there and have friends in to play, along with doing some projects out there (nothing that would cause fumes or hurt the chickens).

I'm wondering if it can be a good idea to take advantage of this and build a coop inside the garage. There's no way to cut a door, so I would have to use the existing window and remove the screens to allow access. They are wide jalousie (maybe misspelled) windows, I'm not sure of the dimensions of the opening. It would be several feet wide, but each pane is not more than about 12" tall, if I remember correctly. They open on a slant, so they might not open that far. Also, the chickens will have to go UP to go in or out ... perhaps 30" off the floor/ground. It *might* be possible to remove the panes of glass and replace with something else, but that would probably make for a less secure door, as well as adding expense.

Does anyone have any experience, or opinions/advice about this? I so appreciate the help I have received so far. Learning so much, and looking forward to getting chicks next month or so.

Thanks!

 

[BeckyLa]

Having recently lived where you are, I know very well the climate in your area. Since you plan on have more than one or two birds, cold will never be a problem for you. Chickens are far better suited for cold than they are for heat. If they get chilly on one of those few nights that it may drop into the teens, they just snuggle together and keep each other warm. Your biggest concern should be heat. Chickens cannot tolerate very high temps. I lost one of my girls last year to heat. In my opinion, it would not be a good idea to build your coop in the garage unless it is under some of those hugh oak trees to provide plenty of shade and you left all the doors and windows open all the time in the summer. Your girls will need lots of shade, bushes and stuff, and lots and lots of water once the temps hit 90*. hth

 

[GoodEgg]

Thank you very much Becky. Sorry to hear you lost one to heat.

There is shade over the garage, and I could open windows on 3 sides. I can't open the door, because of the cat.

Could they just spend the night inside? But maybe it's not such a good idea. I planned to let them roam in the daytime, but if we are gone I might want to close them up, and I"m sure it would be hot in the garage.

I was looking forward to easy cleaning, and easy predator control, not to mention being able to put lights on them in the winter, if that's really necessary.

If they NEED a break from laying in winter-time, I don't mind at all letting them take one. I'm thinking to keep them through 2 years, hopefully, at least.

Many of the types I am looking at talked about being able to lay through winter, but I'm wondering if that means with lights.

Anyway, thank you so much for the reply. More to think on!

Guess I'll have to plan more to build regular coop in the yard.

Thank you!
trish

 

[BeckyLa]

Here's an idea. You might think of building your coop out of wire in the garage. By making a strong wooden framework and using 1"x2" welded wire or hardware cloth (do not use chicken wire) and putting fans in the windows during hot weather they might stay cool enough. Especially since the garage is shaded by trees. You could build it to include the window for them to use as a pop hole so they can free range the yard and yet go into the coop to lay eggs and eat. hth

 

[urbanagrarian]

It sounds fine for the chickens, but chckens create a lot of dust, so the ping pong table will probably be coated in dust and any supplies for projects will have to be covered or they will get very dusty also. I used to move my hens into the garage for our cold New Englans winters, because my old coop was a littly drafty. I got tired of the dust so I recently build a new coop that is draft free so they can stay out all winter. They will only go into the garage during severe blizzards from now on.

Joan
http://urban-agrarian.blogspot.com/

 

[Kambi]

Many people feel worse about cold than heat for their animals but a good cold tolerant breed does well in the cold. However, chickens don't like wind and they don't like to walk in the snow.

Not to be a walking commercial ( I hope this is allowed) but I have a Henspa and I love it and my six girls love it

. I could even wheel it into my garage if I wanted to (but it has no floor because it is a chicken tractor). We had subzero temps here in Ohio and then a blizzard a week ago and they did fine. Two are still laying, even without a light. The roof is plexiglass to let in natural light . Because you can move it, I keep it under trees in the heat and out in the open areas in the spring, winter and fall.

It is pricey, but I am carpentry-challenged and even my friends' husbands are impressed by this coop's design. It took my 13 yr old daughter and I only 2 1/2 hours to assemble it.

 

[MadAngler]

In my opinion, it is a very bad idea to have a coop in the garage. I had a dog kennel brooder in my garage for a few weeks. There was dust EVERYWHERE. All of my tools and stored stuff is still covered with dust. I will never put my brooder back in the garage. I think a coop would be much worse.

Also, I don't think you have anything to worry about in terms of cold weahter. Chickens survive for months in temperatures well below zero. A few evenings of slightly chilly weather will not affect them. Think of all your native birds. They don't all fall out of the trees when the weather gets chilly.