Coop with lots of vent

[davidcho]

Hi,

A friend of mine built a coop for my two chicks.
It does have a roosting bar in the back crossing the coop from left to right. Kind of long for two. Might turn it around so that it runs from front to back on the right side.
I am yet to build a nesting box and find a place to put it.

It has lots of ventilation. However, it could cause draft, right?
Could it be better to block the right side where the roosting bar will be repositioned?

By the way, I live in Northern California and it gets hardly below 32F in Winter.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Looks great. Don't worry about drafts. I don't subscribe to the no draft philosophy after seeing chickens sleep outdoors all winter down to zero. How do you control drafts under those conditions? You don't. Bless you for providing ventilation, your birds' tiny respiratory systems will thank you.
I like an external nest box so it doesn't eat up floor space. Wherever you place the nest and roost, put them in such a way that the chickens don't walk under the roost to get to the nest so they won't track feces into the nest.

 

[davidcho]

Looks great. Don't worry about drafts. I don't subscribe to the no draft philosophy after seeing chickens sleep outdoors all winter down to zero. How do you control drafts under those conditions? You don't. Bless you for providing ventilation, your birds' tiny respiratory systems will thank you.
I like an external nest box so it doesn't eat up floor space. Wherever you place the nest and roost, put them in such a way that the chickens don't walk under the roost to get to the nest so they won't track feces into the nest.

Thanks for your reply.
If I can ignore drafts, I'd rather keep the current design intact and find a place to put a nesting box. My chicks are only 6 wks old so I have plenty of time till they start laying eggs.
I like the idea of having an external nesting box. My chickens can have more room in their coop.
I have to do some research on outdoor nesting box and where to place it.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You'll need to extend the roof in front to keep rain out.
I'd put the nest box on one of the sides. It needs to be lower than the roost or the birds will sleep in the nest.
Check out the pictures in the learning center. There are tons of ideas for coops and nest boxes.