Does this shed have enough ventilation?

[christinefedje]

The shed in question. I live in North Dakota, so harsh winters but also summers that can get pretty hot and humid. Does this design have enough ventilation? I will have 4 hens.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I feel like it's a bit short inside for your climate.
The ventilation is at roost height so not great in bad winters.

Can you tell us what your must haves are for your coop?
Will they need to spend days closed in due to snow and cold?
Where do you want to keep food and water in the winter?

Those sorts of things make a difference.

 

[christinefedje]

I feel like it's a bit short inside for your climate.
The ventilation is at roost height so not great in bad winters.

Can you tell us what your must haves are for your coop?
Will they need to spend days closed in due to snow and cold?
Where do you want to keep food and water in the winter?

Those sorts of things make a difference.

That's true, I didn't think about the roost height.

Must haves, not much, just easy to clean. I love the idea of poop boards you can scrape off and sand substrate.

It will have an enclosed run with a roof attached, but I'm sure there will be days when it'll just be too cold and windy to be out.

I was planning on having the food in the run when I can, but obviously not if it's so cold they don't want to be in the run. I will get a heated waterer.

 

[21hens-incharge]

For your needs have you thought about a walk in coop?
You get brutal winters. I would not want to have to be in the weather while doing foot checks, mite checks, treating anything or gathering eggs.....especially if doors get frozen shut.

A 4x8 walk in coop requires 6 sheets of siding. A 6x6 needs just 7 sheets and is much easier to move around in.
Yes it would need 2 sheets of plywood for the floor BUT that 2'x8' leftover would be usable for a poop board or nest boxes.

For folks not really good at judging size I suggest laying out a 4'x8' rectangle then stand inside it and imagine the walls (those take up 7" in width with 2x4 framing). It gets tight really fast.

 

[21hens-incharge]

One other thought....
If at some point you decide no more chickens a 6x8 is a decent size garden shed.

 

[christinefedje]

For your needs have you thought about a walk in coop?
You get brutal winters. I would not want to have to be in the weather while doing foot checks, mite checks, treating anything or gathering eggs.....especially if doors get frozen shut.

A 4x8 walk in coop requires 6 sheets of siding. A 6x6 needs just 7 sheets and is much easier to move around in.
Yes it would need 2 sheets of plywood for the floor BUT that 2'x8' leftover would be usable for a poop board or nest boxes.

For folks not really good at judging size I suggest laying out a 4'x8' rectangle then stand inside it and imagine the walls (those take up 7" in width with 2x4 framing). It gets tight really fast.

That's a good point. My issue is lack of space and restraints from the city. Our backyard isn't huge and we can only have a total of 6 hens, planning on 4. It also can't be more than 7ft tall per the city (I don't know why).

 

[21hens-incharge]

It's probably so it doesn't interfere with neighbors views....

Whatever you decide draw it up on graph paper to scale. That will allow you to adjust it and tweak it without wasting lumber.

 

[rosemarythyme]

It's not bad ventilation for a smaller coop. For summer maybe it'd help to have something like removable wood panels for the clean out doors, so they're hardware cloth during the summer, and then you can cover them with wood during colder months.

I agree it's a bit tough in terms of vertical space for placing roosts as the vents are pretty much in line with the roost bars. Maybe you could put the ones on the end up directly in the triangle under the roofline (instead of framing out rectangles) and then place both roosts just above the nest box height, instead of having one higher?

With the run, will the coop sit inside the run, or just outside it? Will the chickens have access to the underside of the coop? That would allow you to provide climate protection for feed if you could put food down under there.

I mean I'd prefer a walk-in too (and my coop is stupidly tall, like 9.5') but since you have restrictions and limited space, having it elevated does give you a little more run sq footage if you utilize the space beneath the coop.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I looked a lot closer at your suggested coop from post 1.

It's not bad for 4 chickens. It would need a bit of modification for your climate. Maybe a ridge vent so venting is at highest possible point and in winter the roost level vents can be closed.

The nest box design will need adjusted since lifting a nest box lid covered in snow is difficult and it isn't water tight. My suggestion is to make the nest box access on the back of the nests.

I do understand the restrictions of a smaller yard and city codes.

 

[christinefedje]

It's not bad ventilation for a smaller coop. For summer maybe it'd help to have something like removable wood panels for the clean out doors, so they're hardware cloth during the summer, and then you can cover them with wood during colder months.

I agree it's a bit tough in terms of vertical space for placing roosts as the vents are pretty much in line with the roost bars. Maybe you could put the ones on the end up directly in the triangle under the roofline (instead of framing out rectangles) and then place both roosts just above the nest box height, instead of having one higher?

With the run, will the coop sit inside the run, or just outside it? Will the chickens have access to the underside of the coop? That would allow you to provide climate protection for feed if you could put food down under there.

I mean I'd prefer a walk-in too (and my coop is stupidly tall, like 9.5') but since you have restrictions and limited space, having it elevated does give you a little more run sq footage if you utilize the space beneath the coop.

Definitely planning on having the coop up on legs so I can utilize the space underneath it as part of the run. I was thinking similarly about moving the vents to the triangle portion of the roof.