Coop Questions...

[TheBajan]

Hello all,
We have mapped out a location and I've designed the coop but before we get too far along, I wanted to run my plans by more experienced chicken people. The coop and (indoor) yard will be located in the Northwest corner of our Pole Barn. I've attached a photo of the foundation. We are covering it with plywood and also vinyl flooring. It will be a total of 8' x 24'. The actual coop building will be 8'x 8' opening to the yard that is 8'x16'. The yard portion will also have a built in dust bath that is 3'x6'. Part two of this build will be to enclose an outside yard accessible form their inside yard. It will be 10'x20' on the north side of the barn and continue around the west side at 10'x25'. We will also be burying cage wire around the perimeter of the the entire coop and both the inside and outside yards.

A couple of questions regarding the coop itself...

1. This will be a walk in hen-house. I'm planning to have the ceiling height at 10' on the west wall sloping down to 8' on the east wall. Is that too tall? Is there any advantage in making it shorter vs. taller?
2. Space per bird- we will house 24 birds. We have 27 but 5 of them appear to be roosters and we won't be able to keep more than 2 roosters so three will be re-homed. Is this enough space for them? Total coop space of 64 square feet inside the building and the interior yard is twice that amount at 128 square feet.
3. Ventilation- I have a window planned (24"w x 36"h) on the east wall that faces the inside of the barn. Higher up by the ceiling on the west wall (the exterior wall of the barn), I am planning to have a window that is 48"w x 12"h to bring in fresh air. This is the only wall that is an exterior wall. My question is should I also have ventilation holes or windows in the north and south walls as well? The south wall will have the nesting boxes and the north wall will be where the door to the coop is at. It's also where they enter the inside yard.
4. Lighting- We are going to have a light in the ceiling of the 8'x8' hen-house portion. The barn already has enough lights to take care of the yard portion. I've noticed that often people use red light bulbs in the coop. Is there are particular advantage to this vs. normal light bulbs?
5. Food n water- I'm planning to have a couple of water stations set up in the yard portion of the coop as well as a couple of food stations. Should I also have food and water located within the coop building itself?
6. My last question (for now) is regarding painting the coop. Is it a good idea to paint the interior of the coop a lighter color such as white or should it be more muted tones line beige or gray? I want to be sensitive to colors because I know the chickens are responsive to color and I want them to feel peaceful. Thoughts? Does it matter or am I just over-thinking this?

 

[Plsc]

Great questions! I’m starting a build today so will be watching this one!

 

[TheBajan]

Bumping thread. Does anyone have advice?

 

[jthornton]

You only need the red heat lamps for the baby chicks. This is inside a barn?

JT

 

[TheBajan]

You only need the red heat lamps for the baby chicks. This is inside a barn?

JT

Yes, it's inside of a pole barn.

 

[jthornton]

I would just cover the structure with 1" x 2" welded wire fencing or 1" x 1". Roof and windows are not needed inside.

JT

 

[Alaskan]

You only need the red heat lamps for the baby chicks. This is inside a barn?

JT

excellent point!

x2

 

[Alaskan]

to answer your questions. ..

1. taller is better, more air exchange. I know some people say you need small to keep it warmer... but I really think that only applies to those living on the -20F and way colder for months at a time set

2.a bit tight on space. I like lots of sheltered snow free space for my chickens in the winter, to reduce potential problems. I aim for 9 square feet per bird. 4 is the minimum.

3.I think the ventilation sounds fine... but keeping it all open to the barn interior sounds good too.

4. red light us usually for heat. Skip that, you don't need heat, but you will want light in the depths of winter.

5. lots of food and water stations are good to help reduce bullying problems. If the inside run is sheltered from the elements I would leave the feed and water in there

6. paint color is really for you, and painted wood lasts longer and is easier to clean. So, I have no input as far as which color.

 

[TheBajan]

to answer your questions. ..

1. taller is better, more air exchange. I know some people say you need small to keep it warmer... but I really think that only applies to those living on the -20F and way colder for months at a time set

2.a bit tight on space. I like lots of sheltered snow free space for my chickens in the winter, to reduce potential problems. I aim for 9 square feet per bird. 4 is the minimum.

so are you saying that the coop itself which is 8 by 8 should be offering 9 square feet per bird or are you saying that that includes the coop and the inside yard area which is a total of 8 by 24?
thank you by the way for your thoughtful answers.

 

[Alaskan]

so are you saying that the coop itself which is 8 by 8 should be offering 9 square feet per bird or are you saying that that includes the coop and the inside yard area which is a total of 8 by 24?
thank you by the way for your thoughtful answers.

the 9 square feet per bird is for covered snow free sheltered area. So it could be the coop plus a sheltered run.