Sydney Acres
Songster
Really Beautiful Pen!! I build mine the same way, but not nearly as pretty.
I am in Stanwood, WA, just north of you, so we get the same temperatures and other weather conditions. Your privacy fence will cut down on some of the wind if it comes from that direction, but the chickens will still need some protection from drafts. I would strongly recommend putting a small house inside the pen, not for predator protection but for comfort against the weather. If it's not a windy night the chicken-sized door can be left open. How big the house is depends on how many chickens and what size they are. You don't want it too big or they won't be able to generate enough body heat to heat the space, and you don't want it so small that it's crowded. The house you have in there now may work with some modifications, or you can build a new one.
I once tried to built an amazing chicken coop, but it was so complicated that I never finished it. The foundation and a portion of the floor still sit in place after several years. Now I just keep things simple, and can build a nice chicken house in an afternoon. I first build the base out of pressure treated 2X6s, just a rectangle of whatever size I want, with the 2" edge on the ground. There is no floor. Then I put on a simple interior frame made of 2X4s with a sloping roof. The frame is attached to the INSIDE of the pressure treated rectangular base. Then plywood sides (ideally treated the week before with Thompson's Water Seal, but that doesn't always happen) are attached to the frame, with the bottom of the plywood sitting on the top of the rectangular base. Then holes are drilled in the sides for perches. Then a hinged or removable plywood front with a small pop door or pass through opening (chicken sized), and a solid plywood back. The roof is last, overhangs all edges by ~4 inches, and is hinged at the back (the back is taller than the front, so that it slopes and the chickens can't roost on it). The back of the house is placed up against the side of the pen, so that the chickens can't roost on the peak, and any space between the back of the house and the wall of the pen is blocked off so no birds get stuck behind there. The top of the house can be propped up any amount that is needed for adequate ventilation (because it's hinged) and you don't need to worry about predator security because the house is inside a predator-proof pen. The front of the house is either hinged or removable, so it fully opens for cleaning. I typically place 6-12 inches of aspen shavings on the dirt floor of the house to keep it warm and to absorb the droppings (I really like the idea of a dropping board, but haven't been able to fit it into this design well, as it's too small). If I have a problem with the ground being wet, I attach a thick plastic sheet to the bottom to act as a ground liner so the shavings don't wick up moisture. If I have a problem with rodents in the area, I attach 1/2 inch hardware cloth to the bottom so the rodents don't nest in the shavings.
There are a lot of options for roofing the run-- anything from heavy duty clear plastic laying on 2X4 welded wire to clear plexiglass to corregated (sp?) tin to beautiful colored metal (I recently put a beautiful "evergreen" colored metal roof on my 18X26 foot run -- a lot easier to do than I thought). With as much rain as we get here, I would strongly recommend that you use a sloped roof instead of a flat roof. I tried to do a simple flat roof once and eventually replaced it. It's fairly easy to extend the height on one side of the run with 2X4s to slope the roof. Or with as pretty as that pen is, I'd probably spring for the standard center peaked roof, which isn't that difficult. Either way, I'd extend the eves of the roof out 8-16 inches beyond the vertical walls in all directions, and put in gutters that drain into slightly lower ground. It sounds like a lot, but it's really not that much more work and will make a HUGE difference in the long run. Again, I tried it without eves and without gutters, and will never do that again. I would cover the entire pen, not just half. Whatever you don't cover will become a mudhole, even if you do put bedding down, so it's a lot healthier to keep everything dry from the start.
If you get a lot of wind, sideways rain, or the occasional snow drift, you can add something to one or more sides of the pen. I have my pens set up with tarps attached to the top of each side that I can roll up or let down, just like the old fashioned window blinds. Whenever you roll the tarps down, be sure that they get properly attached not just on the top, but also on the sides and bottom, as the wind can really whip them around. I just use zip ties -- quick and easy, and cheap enough to cut off without regret when it's time to disconnect them. If covering more than two sides of the pen, be extra sure that there is enough ventilation in the house and pen -- cold and drafts can make a chicken miserable and eventually sick, but lack of ventilation is even worse.
Your feeding, watering, and nesting areas would ideally be outside of the small house. The house is strictly for roosting at night, which is why it can be so small. A few outside perches for resting during the day would be ideal.
Good luck with your new flock. I'm sorry that the ducks didn't work out for you. Hopefully the chickens will do better. I'd love to have some Moscovy ducks, but am concerned that they're so fun that they'd become pets. And I've reached my pet poultry limit.
I am in Stanwood, WA, just north of you, so we get the same temperatures and other weather conditions. Your privacy fence will cut down on some of the wind if it comes from that direction, but the chickens will still need some protection from drafts. I would strongly recommend putting a small house inside the pen, not for predator protection but for comfort against the weather. If it's not a windy night the chicken-sized door can be left open. How big the house is depends on how many chickens and what size they are. You don't want it too big or they won't be able to generate enough body heat to heat the space, and you don't want it so small that it's crowded. The house you have in there now may work with some modifications, or you can build a new one.
I once tried to built an amazing chicken coop, but it was so complicated that I never finished it. The foundation and a portion of the floor still sit in place after several years. Now I just keep things simple, and can build a nice chicken house in an afternoon. I first build the base out of pressure treated 2X6s, just a rectangle of whatever size I want, with the 2" edge on the ground. There is no floor. Then I put on a simple interior frame made of 2X4s with a sloping roof. The frame is attached to the INSIDE of the pressure treated rectangular base. Then plywood sides (ideally treated the week before with Thompson's Water Seal, but that doesn't always happen) are attached to the frame, with the bottom of the plywood sitting on the top of the rectangular base. Then holes are drilled in the sides for perches. Then a hinged or removable plywood front with a small pop door or pass through opening (chicken sized), and a solid plywood back. The roof is last, overhangs all edges by ~4 inches, and is hinged at the back (the back is taller than the front, so that it slopes and the chickens can't roost on it). The back of the house is placed up against the side of the pen, so that the chickens can't roost on the peak, and any space between the back of the house and the wall of the pen is blocked off so no birds get stuck behind there. The top of the house can be propped up any amount that is needed for adequate ventilation (because it's hinged) and you don't need to worry about predator security because the house is inside a predator-proof pen. The front of the house is either hinged or removable, so it fully opens for cleaning. I typically place 6-12 inches of aspen shavings on the dirt floor of the house to keep it warm and to absorb the droppings (I really like the idea of a dropping board, but haven't been able to fit it into this design well, as it's too small). If I have a problem with the ground being wet, I attach a thick plastic sheet to the bottom to act as a ground liner so the shavings don't wick up moisture. If I have a problem with rodents in the area, I attach 1/2 inch hardware cloth to the bottom so the rodents don't nest in the shavings.
There are a lot of options for roofing the run-- anything from heavy duty clear plastic laying on 2X4 welded wire to clear plexiglass to corregated (sp?) tin to beautiful colored metal (I recently put a beautiful "evergreen" colored metal roof on my 18X26 foot run -- a lot easier to do than I thought). With as much rain as we get here, I would strongly recommend that you use a sloped roof instead of a flat roof. I tried to do a simple flat roof once and eventually replaced it. It's fairly easy to extend the height on one side of the run with 2X4s to slope the roof. Or with as pretty as that pen is, I'd probably spring for the standard center peaked roof, which isn't that difficult. Either way, I'd extend the eves of the roof out 8-16 inches beyond the vertical walls in all directions, and put in gutters that drain into slightly lower ground. It sounds like a lot, but it's really not that much more work and will make a HUGE difference in the long run. Again, I tried it without eves and without gutters, and will never do that again. I would cover the entire pen, not just half. Whatever you don't cover will become a mudhole, even if you do put bedding down, so it's a lot healthier to keep everything dry from the start.
If you get a lot of wind, sideways rain, or the occasional snow drift, you can add something to one or more sides of the pen. I have my pens set up with tarps attached to the top of each side that I can roll up or let down, just like the old fashioned window blinds. Whenever you roll the tarps down, be sure that they get properly attached not just on the top, but also on the sides and bottom, as the wind can really whip them around. I just use zip ties -- quick and easy, and cheap enough to cut off without regret when it's time to disconnect them. If covering more than two sides of the pen, be extra sure that there is enough ventilation in the house and pen -- cold and drafts can make a chicken miserable and eventually sick, but lack of ventilation is even worse.
Your feeding, watering, and nesting areas would ideally be outside of the small house. The house is strictly for roosting at night, which is why it can be so small. A few outside perches for resting during the day would be ideal.
Good luck with your new flock. I'm sorry that the ducks didn't work out for you. Hopefully the chickens will do better. I'd love to have some Moscovy ducks, but am concerned that they're so fun that they'd become pets. And I've reached my pet poultry limit.
Last edited:
