Coop Math

[gimmie birdies]

I have a coop, that has porches, I made sunporches out of them.

 

[SueT]

tell my hens they only need 10" of roost space, lol. If I didn't improvise roost dividers , one hen would rule the entire 5 ft long bar.

 

[aart]

It's still being built, so I don't have pictures.

We like build pics!

 

[jvls1942]

now I am confused. which doesn't take a lot.
you say you are buying an 8x8 ft shed.
are you buying just the floor? or does it have sides and a roof ? that should tell you how tall it is.
just for me, I wouldn't have any coop that I couldn't stand up straight in with at leas a foot of head room. all of my coops are 8ft tall.
it is way less expensive to build your own coop.
If you are looking just for storage for a
snow thrower and a lawn mower, think of adding a lean to roof to the outside of the purchased coop. then you can have all the inside for the chickens .
....jiminwisc.....

 

[SueT]

If you are looking just for storage for a
snow thrower and a lawn mower, think of adding a lean to roof to the outside of the purchased coop. then you can have all the inside for the chickens .

Yes, good idea! Because you WILL be getting more chickens, of course you can move his stuff out later....or sooner.

 

[aart]

now I am confused. which doesn't take a lot.
you say you are buying an 8x8 ft shed.
are you buying just the floor? or does it have sides and a roof ? that should tell you how tall it is.

It's actually a wooden shed that's 6 feet high at the wall and 8 feet high at the peak.

 

[bruceha2000]

If I were to ditch the ladder type roost, how high would you suggest a horizontal bar to be? I know each chicken needs 10" to roost on average, so 70" of bar space is what I'd need, but how high off the ground? I plan on clipping a wing because I want my chickens to enjoy some time in our back yard without flying off, so they won't be able to go too high. Their new home will be 4' high.

I don't understand this. you said the shed was 8' at the peak. Are you talking about a 4' fence? I have not clipped wings, presumably it works though I've heard of people's chickens with clipped wings still flying pretty well.

Large fowl chickens need 12" of roost per bird. They won't use it all in the winter, they will want more in the summer. Unless my girls are really unusual, chickens will fuss on each other at roost time even if they have well more space than they "need". My roosts are at 4'. There is an 8' long roost at 2' high parallel and forward of a pair of 12' roosts at 4' high but not one bird has ever roosted on the 2' one in 5.5 years. They use it to stage the 4' roosts. I did eventually put a ramp starting in the middle of the 2' high roost going up to a perpendicular "roost" that was actually built to be a support for the broody buster. The chickens can all get up to the 4' roosts easily with or without the ramp but they come down kinda hard flying from 4'. Mine do have "runway" space to do so which is important.

The lawnmower, etc, might not be happy long term covered in dust. Does he know that?

Least of the concerns possible. They make things called "tarps" I have one that covers my garden tractor which is kept the barn, where the wild birds hang out and nest in the non winter months. And like chickens, they aren't all that concerned where they poop. If I were to use a shed like this for a coop I would most definitely make the dividing wall from wire so there is more air volume for the birds.

One thing I don't think has been discussed is ventilation. Not only because the inside of that metal shed will get HOT in the sun, ventilation is important year round, even when it is minus temps F. Spend time checking the ventilation threads, design it so you don't need to go back and figure out how to add more when it turns out there isn't enough. This is common because people are concerned their birds will be cold. Note this picture, taken when it was 10°F, the birds aren't even fluffed up. They do fluff when it is sub 0°F.

 

[AmazingRachel]

A 4x8 area, 32 sq. ft. Normally, the limit would be 8-10 for that amount of space. Chickens typically don't spend most of the day in the coop (only when it's really cold).
So I should be good with your 7.

 

[Creteloc]

I got the whole shed. I can't wait to get it built and do some interior designing.

 

[aart]

I got the whole shed..

Good for you!!

Is that a poodle or a doddle in your avatar?