Could use some input please (pics)

[Kim_1970]

Hi all

I have started cleaning out the coop that was here on the property we just moved to.
The nesting boxes have packed solid aged poop in them. I have to get a scrapper to get it all cleaned out.
I plan to knock a wall out of a few of them so I have some larger, some smaller. I have some white wire shelving that I am going to use as a ramp up to the nesting boxes. The board in front of the nest boxes is removable so I can take it outside and scrub if needed.

Here is the nesting boxes:

There is an old boarded up area in there where a window used to be. It measures something like 23 x 45. I plan to get a replacement window to put there but that wont happen for a few weeks yet.
DH is a carpenter but is busy at the moment and wont be able to help me for about 2+ weeks I think.
Is it ok to house the chickens in here with the window like it currently is? And when I do put in the replacement window, should I leave this "wire" on the inside for safety from predators, etc?

I am so confused about ventilation. What is enough but what is too much? What is good ventilation but wont be considered drafty? LOL
The roof and wall do not meet tightly so there is in my uniformed opinion there is ventilation. Is this sufficient? Is this good or bad?
Here is a shot of where the roof meet the wall.

Also on the ventilation topic, where the front of the coop meets the roof, it is not air tight either as seen in this picture:

I am concerned that if I add more vents, it will be too much. I am not sure if this is enough or not. The entry area of the coop is facing south if that has anything to do with it. (winds and such. I live on the eastern shore of MD in a quite windy area).

Also, the right side wall (east wall) has holes drilled into it. Too drafty? Ventilation?
The wall was reinforced somewhere down the line with some plywood. But the top of the plywood is open between the wall and the plywood. Its only about a 4" opening but I am going to use the little cuts of 2x4 that I have to seal it off so no birds jump up there and poop in between the walls or get stuck in there or anything.

Here is a picture of the door opening. No door sadly. I am going to have DH build a human door here and to the lower right of the door is where I think I will have him put the chicken flap door. Or should I put it on the left side so when they enter, they are entering under the nesting box area which is on the left wall (west wall)?

Last questions for now...
Where would be the best place to put my roosts? I was thinking the back wall.
I want to build something like these that I saw here on BYC using the pans underneath for easier cleaning.
The floor of the coop is dirt and I am going to go to the lumber mill and get shavings to put on the floor.
Also, there is no light in there at this time but I do plan on running a light in there. I read florescent inst good? Is this true? What is the preferred lighting for inside coops?

 

[happyhensny]

Nesting boxes - take the front board off, scrape away any debris and then I would spray with a mild bleach solution all over, cracks, etc. To kill anything that may be living!

Window - Leave the fencing on - will keep out most predators. As long as you will be putting in a window soon it should be fine otherwise, if your area is not too cold you could cover it with a piece of plexiglass or plastic sheeting to let in some light.

Any areas where the inside/outside meet should not be large enough for an animal to get in. Ventilation is great but keep the holes small enough so that a possum, coon, etc will not be able to fit. Keep this in mind too for where the ground meets the walls.

I would not worry about the holes in the wall. They are small and nothing can fit through. We frequently get in the negative digits here in winter and our coops have "imperfections" like this and they really do not impact the draftiness at all. Just enable better ventilation.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Kim_1970]

My nesting boxes are about 40" off the ground.
Do I need to lower them or does this sound about right. I will have larger sized breeds like Autralorps.

Does the roost need to be build higher off the floor than the nesting boxes to encourage them to roost there and not on the nesting boxes?

Thank you again for all your assistance!

 

[briteday]

My nesting boxes are stacked on the floor, 3 high. So some are right on the floor and the highest ones are about waist high. Some girls like the bottom boxes and some of them like to nest higher. I don't have any problem with sleeping in the nests currently.

My first RIR's I got as point of lay pullets and the guy who raised them didn't have a roost in the dog run where he was keeping them, no coop. So they were a pain at night wanting to sleep in nests rather than roost. Since I have been raising my own birds I give them some low roosts to start in the brooder boxes even before they move to the big girl brooder out in the copp shed. Then I have more slightly higher roosts for them out ther. When they are finally big enough to run with the hens I go out every night and make sure the newbies have found spots on the roost poles with the hens, otherwise I PUT them on the roosts nightly until they do it themselves. I don't mind nesting on the floor (we have silly silkies too) but nest boxes are not ok.

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
Those sound really high for nesting boxes. Most folks go about 24" high. IMO, you should lower them. My roosts aren't even 40 inches high...lol. And yes, you definitely want your roosts higher than your nesting boxes.

Kim - I'm geographically challenged. Which direction does your prevailing winds come from in your area? If possible, place your pop door on a side other than the prevailing wind side, especially winter time wind. How warm are you guys now at night time? If you're in the 30s/40s at night, I'd almost go ahead and knock out that plywood, as happyhens suggested, just staple up some cheap clear plastic (lowes has cheap, clear drop cloths). The welded wire or whatever is up there is great as long as it's not too cold. That would keep you for a few weeks.

Appx. what is each opening up there where the wall "doesn't meet the roof"? I can't tell whether those are 2" x 16" gaps at each place??? That will help let us (and you) know whether ventilation is good, plus if it's a very large opening, you will really need to nail some wire up there to prevent predators from entering. So it could be good or bad, depending. You definitely want to make sure your ventilation is plentiful, because I've read often about uninsulated metal roofs sweating quite a bit if vent. is not adequate. And then you end up with moist air...not good for chicken health.

I would NOT like the holes in the walls personally, if they're at roost height or below. If they're ONLY way up high, then my only concern would be water coming in with rain and high winds. I would finish putting some cheap plywood on the studs there, like somebody started.

 

[Kim_1970]

Hi thank you for the input and help, it is very appreciated.

The gaps are about 2" x 22" up by the roof. These spaces actually vent up to the attic. For a clearer picture of what I have to work with this is the whole structure:

To the left is the hay area for the horses, in the middle is my DH's workshop. The Doors above the double workshop door is the attic. The front right door is a small room that will be a tack room for the horse equipment. Behind that little room is the chicken coop. Unfortunately the ONLY walls that are exposed to the outside is the south wall that has the run attached and where the people door is. The other side (east wall) that has the window is bordering electric horse fencing.
So the only option I have for a pop door wall is the south wall. However, our winds and nasty storms usually come out of the north east.

I am going to lower the nesting boxes and instead of one long row, make one on top of the other, in case some like to nest low, others nest a little higher.

My DH has suggested putting a gable vent on the east wall, way up top to assist with ventilation. The main issue I see is I have no cross ventilation. The north wall is about 11 or more ft high.

Since the roosts are going to be on the side where the holes in the walls are, I will fill them in too.

At night right now we drop down around 30-40 degrees. The coldest it really gets here at night in the winter low teens. I have lived here for about 8-9 yrs and have yet to see it get below zero at night.
We are on a little peninsula and when the main land Maryland gets hit with tons of snow, we usually only get a dusting. This years snow accumulations were way out of the norm for us, as they were for most of the country.

Do you think these vents and the gable vent will suffice?

 

[patandchickens]

I did a page on ventilation, link in .sig below, that you might find useful.

Cross-ventilation is only desirable in warm weather (although it certainly IS desirable in warm weather and MD can get good'n'warm, so it would be helpful if you could make provision to allow it). In cold weather, it works best to have only vents on top of the downwind side be open. Assuming they are large enough, air will go both in and out of them at the same time, and no draftiness.

As far as how much ventilation: there is no such thing as too much vents, although there can be such a thing as having too much ventilation *open* at a given point in time. So I always suggest knocking yourself out and building a LOT, then you can just close down what's unneeded in wintertime and have all of it at your disposal in summer

To just deal with air-quality issues, somewhere between 1 sq ft per chicken and 1 sq ft per 10 sq ft of coop floorspace is usually adequate; but you are likely to need more than that to cope with summer heat.

Your 2"x22' gaps (preferably screened with hardwarecloth - baby raccoons and possums are *sneaky*) that open to the attic will actually be pretty good ventilation, at least in winter. It is good to be venting to a protected area like that, buffers temperatures and winds! You will need more in summer; I'd suggest cutting more vents as large as possible on any other available walls.

The south wall *is* where you want your popdoor, it will be best sheltered from the weather there.

If your tackroom adjoins the coop, be aware you will get horrendous amounts of fine greasy white chicken-dust all over your tack and stuff unless the shared wall is pretty close to 100% airtight.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat