Coop vents/roosts/nesting boxes

[Sunnymommy]

I am thinking through the measurements on the plan for the coop we are going to build. It is 4'x8' and four feet tall. But I read to put the nesting boxes a foot off the floor and make them a foot tall and then put the roosts a foot above nesting boxes which is already 3 vertical feet. So if a chicken is about a foot tall doesn't that put their heads at the ceiling for roosting? Also I read about how important it is to have venting at the top to pull out heat in summer and moisture in winter. It gets pretty hot and pretty cold here. So wouldn't this design put the vents at the level of the birds and leave them in a draft? Do you close vents in winter for heat? Would we ever want vents closed? Can I have too much venting? What if we just raise the coop roof and put in hardware cloth all the way around? A lot of questions! I am hoping we can adjust the coop/run design so we don't wish later that we had changed something. But it's tough not really knowing what we are doing! Just reading so much online...

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I am thinking through the measurements on the plan for the coop we are going to build. It is 4'x8' and four feet tall. But I read to put the nesting boxes a foot off the floor and make them a foot tall and then put the roosts a foot above nesting boxes which is already 3 vertical feet. So if a chicken is about a foot tall doesn't that put their heads at the ceiling for roosting? Also I read about how important it is to have venting at the top to pull out heat in summer and moisture in winter. It gets pretty hot and pretty cold here. So wouldn't this design put the vents at the level of the birds and leave them in a draft? Do you close vents in winter for heat? Would we ever want vents closed? Can I have too much venting? What if we just raise the coop roof and put in hardware cloth all the way around? A lot of questions! I am hoping we can adjust the coop/run design so we don't wish later that we had changed something. But it's tough not really knowing what we are doing! Just reading so much online...

Its too small, go big size matters.

Good luck

Gary

 

[sawilliams]

How many chickens? what general area are you? what are the highest and lowest temps average?

 

[wamtazlady]

I'm not sure where you read these "shoulds" but they are not carved in stone. For instance, my nesting boxes are even with the floor, but on the outside of the coop. Your 4 by 8 size is good if you are only keeping about 8 birds. Sides of my coop are 4 feet but the peaked roof goes up higher and has a foot overhang to keep snow and rain out. The 2 by 4's used for roosts are 22 inches above the floor. The roof vents are just under the eaves at about 5 feet above the floor. The hardware covered vents are open year round, even when the temperature was -22 F. To keep a chicken warm you need to vent the moisture from breathing and pooping out to keep the chicken dry. A dry chicken is a warm chicken. The birds don't get a breeze on them because they stay in the lower part of the coop. The window in the side of the coop does get closed in winter as it it even with the roost. There are probably 10-12 square feet of vent area for the 6 by 8 foot coop designed for 12 birds.

I remember my first year of having chickens in winter. I worried so much that they'd get cold with the open vents when it was below 0 in Montana. Took a chance and decided to believe all the members here who said they didn't heat their coops in winter, did leave vents open, and had healthy chickens.

Here is a really great article about winter water that you should read.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/diy-chicken-waterer-3-compared
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/diy-chicken-waterer-3-compared
Good luck.

 

[Sunnymommy]

How many chickens? what general area are you? what are the highest and lowest temps average?

8 chickens. In Iowa - 0-100 degrees

 

[JackE]

I have basically the same temp range as you. The whole front wall of my coop is open year round, and the birds have no problems with it. Unless you have some kind of exotic, thinly feathered bird, don't worry about the cold, they can handle it, easily. One thing, about your nest boxes. If you put them a foot off the floor, guess where the chickens are going to lay their eggs. That's right, UNDER the nest boxes. That's what they'll do. Ask me how I know.

 

[Sunnymommy]

Thank you! That is an awesome waterer comparison.

 

[Sunnymommy]

I have basically the same temp range as you. The whole front wall of my coop is open year round, and the birds have no problems with it. Unless you have some kind of exotic, thinly feathered bird, don't worry about the cold, they can handle it, easily. One thing, about your nest boxes. If you put them a foot off the floor, guess where the chickens are going to lay their eggs. That's right, UNDER the nest boxes. That's what they'll do. Ask me how I know.

They are leghorns. Thank you for the note on nest box height! So maybe just 6" up off the floor. And then if I raise the 4x8 plywood sheet roof by 6" that would leave that gap all the way around the coop at the top from 4-4.5' for venting and not worry that I don't have a way to cover it. That would be 12 sq ft of venting. What size is your coop? It only has 3 sides, really?

 

[JackE]

They are leghorns. Thank you for the note on nest box height! So maybe just 6" up off the floor. And then if I raise the 4x8 plywood sheet roof by 6" that would leave that gap all the way around the coop at the top from 4-4.5' for venting and not worry that I don't have a way to cover it. That would be 12 sq ft of venting. What size is your coop? It only has 3 sides, really?

My coop is 8X16'. It's a 100+ yr old open-air design, known as a Wood's coop. And yes, it is a three sided coop (That's the coop, in the avitar). Of course, the open wall is covered with hardware cloth. Just can't have anything jumping in there. Chickens thrive on fresh air, and this design gives it to them. Coops like these were used up into Canada. About the nest boxes. I have my boxes sitting on a couple of concrete blocks. They are about 6 inches off the floor. I had to block off the space under there with a piece of plywood, 6"s, because some of the chickens would still cram themselves under there, and lay eggs. Some of then really like a dark cozy hidden space to lay an egg.

 

[3riverschick]

Hahaha. it's really kind of amusing how far chicken will go to find a dark place to lay an egg .Especially when we have lovely nest boxes ready for them !
Karen