Coop location - do I need to have a visual from the house?

[Jake H]

P.S. You'll really like RIR's. They can get a little assertive and aggressive with each other, but they are striking to look at and tend to have interesting personalities. A very well rounded, strong bird.

Are they too assertive/aggressive to have around kids? I have two daughters (3.5 year old and 8 months). When going through the breeds it seemed like they'd be a good fit, but if they could be an issue with our kids we may need to look at a different breed.

 

[Latestarter]

OK, IMHO I would lean more toward New Hampshire as a breed over the RIR. The RIR can be really aggressive. The NH was developed using RIR stock along with some other breeds and it looks similar to the RIR but is a MUCH mellower bird. They were my best layers, even in winter, are good heavy birds if you're considering meat and dual purpose. They were friendly and good natured, good all around foragers if you want to let them clean up any bugs in your yard, and just all around a pleasure to have.

Generally speaking, hens aren't a danger/aggressive issue with children. If you plan to have a rooster though, you'll want to pay very close attention when it is anywhere near your kids. Though many are very friendly, all it takes is a second for one to "snap" and attack and they can do some pretty serious damage with beak and spurs.

As for the coop, I go for middle of the yard where tree shades in the summer, leaves fall and sun warms in winter, visible from the house so you can check anytime you desire from inside. Orientation is important for airflow and to keep those cold winter winds from blowing snow into the coop. Ventilation is important (can't be overstated) and solves many common problems associated with coops. If you're going to build from scratch, I would recommend a Woods style coop
http://www.wideopenpets.com/1924-open-front-chicken-coop-design-fresh/
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924003138272;view=1up;seq=13
You can adjust the size to fit your needs and it is a proven excellent cold weather coop.

Hope you'll keep us posted as you proceed and good luck!

 

[Latestarter]

Oh, and just as an aside:

Greetings and welcome to BYC! So glad you joined us. There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Please make yourself at home!

 

[lazy gardener]

Since you asked, I've never met a RIR that wasn't a foul tempered domineering old biddy in relation to the rest of her flock.

 

[Chullicken]

Are they too assertive/aggressive to have around kids? I have two daughters (3.5 year old and 8 months). When going through the breeds it seemed like they'd be a good fit, but if they could be an issue with our kids we may need to look at a different breed.

Oh heavens no, once they form a food association you won't be able to get them to stop following you around! They are known for inner flock aggression, not human. There are exceptions of course.

 

[Jake H]

Thanks for the tip on the coop! I am building it myself and from scratch, but I have a limited skill set with building. I've made some furniture and know my way around basic woodworking, but I've never built a structure so I'm a little nervous about the complexity of building a coop. Do you know of any detailed (materials list/step by step instructions, etc) plans for the Woods style? The site is great information but I think I need a little more details for actual building. The other coop I've been looking at is the Palace Coop (https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-palace.62943/)
but I'm not sure how well it fares in the ventilation department.

 

[Latestarter]

I don't really have a parts list as that would really be totally dependent on what size or dimensions you choose to go with. If you can draw out a picture of the base dimensions and build the floor (elevated) either on sunken piles or concrete piers, or even on the ground if you want a dirt floor, then it's simply framing out walls with windows/door and putting up headers/rafters and sheathing the roof. I've never built furniture but feel that would be a heckuva lot more complex than putting up a basic building.

 

[Latestarter]

The first coops I built were not woods coops but were built elevated on sunken PT 4x4s. If you follow the link in my signature it shows progressive pictures of the construction. It would be done the same way but the shape would be different to conform to the woods design of open front. You should be able to draw one from the other.

 

[Jake H]

Ok great, thanks Latestarter!

 

[Chullicken]

Thanks for the tip on the coop! I am building it myself and from scratch, but I have a limited skill set with building. I've made some furniture and know my way around basic woodworking, but I've never built a structure so I'm a little nervous about the complexity of building a coop. Do you know of any detailed (materials list/step by step instructions, etc) plans for the Woods style? The site is great information but I think I need a little more details for actual building. The other coop I've been looking at is the Palace Coop (https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-palace.62943/)
but I'm not sure how well it fares in the ventilation department.

That to me is a very complicated coop build just looking at it. May want to set your sites a bit lower, not that you can't do it. Just a lot of little pieces snuck in that particular model.