Coop too small?

[Auntiearielschickens]

I will definitely be adjusting as I go. Oofta is there a learning curve. I'm super intrigued about the siding and if it will catch the heat in the winter. I left the hardware cloth/ fencing from before on underneath it so it should be strong enough to withstand predators. I suppose it would be easy enough to swap for a darker color in the summer if it proves to be an issue then as well. My girls are loving the larger run space.

 

[BDutch]

Okay if anyone is still following along here is the result.. we enclosed the coop so it would have 4 SQ ft for 20 birds and the run is 10 SQ ft for 20 birds..I only have 14 chickens, but might as well. I did the clear siding on half, but I'm going to insulate it 3/4 of the way up I think. I chose that to let in the light/heat of the sun since it gets cold I wanted to utilize what I could. Not sure if that was actually a good idea yet. the coop has a dirt floor. I'm installing the apron now. Will it be an issue with the clear siding that predators can potentially see in the coop? What are our thoughts?!

I think the transparant polycarb is great during winter. Chickens love to look around and love to sit in the sun.
If it is attached with screw you can take it away again in summer to let lots of fresh air in for cooling.

But if you take it away you need hwc underneath the polycarb of course.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I think the transparant polycarb is great during winter. Chickens love to look around and love to sit in the sun.
If it is attached with screw you can take it away again in summer to let lots of fresh air in for cooling.

But if you take it away you need hwc underneath the polycarb of course.

This is a great idea. It's probably already fastened down now, but if you see a need for more ventilation/heat venting come summer, something to consider.

 

[Auntiearielschickens]

This is a great idea. It's probably already fastened down now, but if you see a need for more ventilation/heat venting come summer, something to consider.

That is a concern I had, but wasn't quite sure how to add more and keep rain/snow out. I'm gonna keep a close eye on it. My understanding is you can manage ammonia with additives like sweet pdz? Am I correct in that?

 

[3KillerBs]

That is a concern I had, but wasn't quite sure how to add more and keep rain/snow out. I'm gonna keep a close eye on it. My understanding is you can manage ammonia with additives like sweet pdz? Am I correct in that?

I'm afraid that's one of the known problems with A-frame designs.

It might be possible to extend the roof to shelter the vents. Here are two things that might help:
https://strousehomeinspections.com/blog/structural-roof-extensions.html
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...e-overhangs-eaves-of-a-shed-coop-house.76599/

Given chickens' delicate respiratory systems I wouldn't want to rely on anything other than generous amounts of fresh air to manage the ammonia.

 

[rosemarythyme]

That is a concern I had, but wasn't quite sure how to add more and keep rain/snow out. I'm gonna keep a close eye on it. My understanding is you can manage ammonia with additives like sweet pdz? Am I correct in that?

I have no experience with sweet PDZ but I know a lot of folks have, so hopefully someone will chip in on that.

I manage ammonia via ventilation. It's harder to climate protect ventilation with an A frame (lack of roof overhangs, lack of usable wall space as the "walls" are also the roof) so that's what's making it tricky to figure out where you can add ventilation without drafts, rain/snow getting in, etc.

 

[aart]

My understanding is you can manage ammonia with additives like sweet pdz? Am I correct in that?

It can help, I wouldn't rely on it solely tho.
It absorbs ammonia, not sure if it actually neutralizes it.
Moisture is another important reason for good ventilation,
especially in your climate with metal 'roofing'.

 

[Ridgerunner]

The specific gravity of ammonia is 0.59 compared to the SG of air of 1.0. That means ammonia is a lot lighter than air so it does not take much of a hole up high to vent ammonia. You still want to keep the coop dry so the wet poop doesn't generate large amounts of ammonia as it decomposes, don't let it get ridiculous. A wet coop floor causes other problems too.

It looks like the triangle at the top of your ends are open and covered with hardware cloth. That should give you enough ventilation. I don't especially like A-Frames though they are fairly easy to build and very stable. A-Frames are made for ridge vents if you need more ventilation and want to keep weather out. I don't think it would be that hard to change that to a ridge vent.

I don't think that clear siding will put your chickens at higher danger from predators because they can see them. I think they will know there are chickens inside from smell or sound. Interesting thought though. My concern would not be so much the strength of the plastic but it's brittleness and how it is attached. A coyote, big dog, or a raccoon might grab the end of it and pull the attachments out. Or if the attachments hold, will the plastic shatter around the attachment. The same kind of thing can happen with other siding, not just clear plastic. I'd consider furring strips screwed over the siding to provide stronger connections. I don't know if they are necessary or not, kind of depends on how they are attached. I do the same thing to attach hardware cloth when I can.

 

[Auntiearielschickens]

The specific gravity of ammonia is 0.59 compared to the SG of air of 1.0. That means ammonia is a lot lighter than air so it does not take much of a hole up high to vent ammonia. You still want to keep the coop dry so the wet poop doesn't generate large amounts of ammonia as it decomposes, don't let it get ridiculous. A wet coop floor causes other problems too.

It looks like the triangle at the top of your ends are open and covered with hardware cloth. That should give you enough ventilation. I don't especially like A-Frames though they are fairly easy to build and very stable. A-Frames are made for ridge vents if you need more ventilation and want to keep weather out. I don't think it would be that hard to change that to a ridge vent.

I don't think that clear siding will put your chickens at higher danger from predators because they can see them. I think they will know there are chickens inside from smell or sound. Interesting thought though. My concern would not be so much the strength of the plastic but it's brittleness and how it is attached. A coyote, big dog, or a raccoon might grab the end of it and pull the attachments out. Or if the attachments hold, will the plastic shatter around the attachment. The same kind of thing can happen with other siding, not just clear plastic. I'd consider furring strips screwed over the siding to provide stronger connections. I don't know if they are necessary or not, kind of depends on how they are attached. I do the same thing to attach hardware cloth when I can.

I never removed the hardware cloth/welded wire from the previous design. So under the clear siding is the hardware and fencing. So predators would have to get through both the siding then the wire. Which I'm sure is never impossible, but gives me some confidence in the strength. And then it's easy enough to replace the siding if necessary/ it cracks. I'm interested to see how it holds up over the winter here. I'll try to post an update.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I never removed the hardware cloth/welded wire from the previous design. So under the clear siding is the hardware and fencing. So predators would have to get through both the siding then the wire.

Excellent - I wouldn't trust the plastic to hold up as a sole barrier between chickens and predator, but the wire should do the job.