Coop Progress

[sals_chicks]

Just a place to document my coop (& eventual run) progress. Humble beginnings so far. The base is built, and 2 of the walls are framed (but not yet attached.) Footprint is 4x8 and it will have 3 nesting boxes for 6 chickens in our urban garden. We are using a combination of 2 coop plans we purchased because we wanted the orientation slightly more custom and wanted larger windows... I'm already trying to decide what color to paint it and can't wait to move it outside!! More updates to come!

 

[WhySayWhat]

Look like a great start! Remember that when all put together, that's going to be super heavy. Take it to the final spoat in pieces or have a plan and a backup plan for moving it when it's too heavy to pick up!

 

[sals_chicks]

Look like a great start! Remember that when all put together, that's going to be super heavy. Take it to the final spoat in pieces or have a plan and a backup plan for moving it when it's too heavy to pick up!

Oh yes! Not planning to attach any walls, or build the roof until its outside in its final spot. It is still snowing a lot here in NH, so it may be a few weeks until that can happen, so this is just a head start!

 

[jthornton]

The construction looks real sturdy, I assume the nest boxes are in the close end with the tapered roof? If so you will want doors to collect eggs with a bit of overhang on the roof to prevent rain and snow from getting in.

Think a lot about daily maintenance (cleaning poop) as it's not tall enough to stand up in if the garage is 8' tall. So all the clean up will be from the outside?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/coop-design-errors.73357/

Sweet PDZ is so much better than scraping poop from boards...


JT

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

As a cold-winter person you'll want to read this article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cold-weather-poultry-housing-and-care.72010/

Ventilation is key even in the winter. Make sure that you have at least 6 square feet of 24/7/365 vents -- best located above the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

What kind of roof are you putting on? You'll want venting at the top and the bottom of the roof slope and there are several ways to accomplish this.

I strongly recommend that, whatever your plans say, you should make your nests open as a front drop-down rather than a top-lift lid. It's incredibly difficult to prevent those hinged lids from leaking.

We remodeled the boxes on my first coop because of this:

 

[sals_chicks]

Thanks for the thoughtful advice! The plan is a full gable roof with ridge vents as well as additional vents high on the gable walls. There will be 2 actual windows as well as 2 flip up windows for extra ventilation or summer airflow as well.

Although it’s a lifted coop, I should be able to fully stand in it for cleaning and on the back side 2 large doors will open French-style for easy cleaning too. With those open, I can pretty much reach every wall. May just need a step stool to get up there, but we do plan to cut the legs down a bit in its final resting place.

Thanks @3KillerBs we are going to consider a front access door for the nesting box (rather than top access.) I think we should be able to easily adjust the plans for that!

Any advice on whether or not to paint the interior? I’ve read glossy paint can help make cleaning easier? Trying to decide if it’s worth it?

Here’s todays progress!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Any advice on whether or not to paint the interior? I’ve read glossy paint can help make cleaning easier? Trying to decide if it’s worth it?

I guess it depends on how detailed you want to be in cleaning. The reality is painted or not, the inside is going to get dusty over time. Some folks like really getting in there and cleaning it thoroughly. Others (like me) use a leaf blower to remove some surface dust, sweep out the bedding, and that's "clean." Since I don't bother scraping off poop on walls, painting the indoor walls doesn't really add anything.

 

[3KillerBs]

Any advice on whether or not to paint the interior? I’ve read glossy paint can help make cleaning easier? Trying to decide if it’s worth it?

I didn't bother. It's a chicken coop -- it's going to get dusty, get poop on it, etc.

When I clean I use a broom to knock down the cobwebs from the wall and ceilings then shovel out bedding. Except in extreme circumstances it should never be necessary to wet-clean a chicken coop.

 

[jreardon1918]

We have a 4x8 raised coop. With gable vents and a ridge vent. The ridge vent requires a snow rake to remove snow. We also have two windows open 365 days a year. If you can, leave the soffits open, that will really give great ventilation while allowing you to close the windows during snow and rain events. large roof overhangs are also a great feature.

 

[sals_chicks]

We have a 4x8 raised coop. With gable vents and a ridge vent. The ridge vent requires a snow rake to remove snow. We also have two windows open 365 days a year. If you can, leave the soffits open, that will really give great ventilation while allowing you to close the windows during snow and rain events. large roof overhangs are also a great feature.

Great idea! Thank you! Would you do this in addition to the gable vents, or in replacement of?