Feedback on Home Depot coop plans.

[KWVT]

I’m looking to add a second coop and have been looking at the one on Home Depot’s blog. Has anyone built this coop?

http://blog.homedepot.com/free-plans-for-an-awesome-chicken-coop/

If so, I’m hoping for some feedback.

1. How many birds do you have in it?

2. What’s your climate? If it’s cold, did you insulate at all and if so how?

3. Does it have enough ventilation?

4. Along those lines, making the assumption that they roost on the supports as part of the coop vs a separate additional roost, does the ventilation on the bottom roof section blow directly on the chickens? (aka is it drafty?)

5. Is it easy to clean in your opinion? What bedding do you use?

6. Is there anything about it you did or would change? (Additional ventilation, window of some sort, etc.).


I’m thinking of pairing this coop with a run similar to this thing from TSC: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...e=20180328-_-LPOTS+LP-_-Universal+Chicken+Pen

 

[aart]

@jthornton built that....then made a LOT of changes.

 

[jthornton]

I built one based on the photo but not the actual plans. The plans are junk, no vents everything in the wrong place etc. If you take that basic shape and add longer overhangs, HC covered the upper part and made doors that open from both side for cleaning it works for a roost only. Also some overhangs for openings in the upper ends covered with HC You still need a covered predator proof run for your nest box and feeding stations.

I still need to add HC to sides and put longer tin on top. The roof is too low as well.


This door style works best and as you can see the only thing in there is roosts.


JT

 

[lazy gardener]

I suggest that you build a shed style 4 x 8, walk in. IMO, this should be the minimum sized coop ad would do ok for any flock of 6 birds or less. Required ventilation: at least 10% of floor space or 1 s.f./bird. for the smaller coop/flock, I'd go with the latter.

 

[KWVT]

I have an 11x12’ shed that I converted to a roughly 11x6’ coop and the rest storage. I’m looking at a raised coop (and therefore a lower ceiling) to help keep heat in the winter. Maintaining temp in the winter was difficult in my coop with high ceilings.

I’m looking at adding some bantams and I was looking at this as an extra coop for the bantams. The plans are for a 4x8’ with nesting boxes added on one end. It has ventilation along the roof line of all parts of the roof (like a soffit vent) which would obviously need hardware cloth. I would add gable vents and I’m debating about windows too.

Any ideas for other coop plans that would be easier to regulate temp in the winter?

 

[jthornton]

In winter you want to have draft free ventilation not regulate the temperature... chickens come with built in long john's.

JT

 

[KWVT]

I understand that ventilation is needed. That’s why I was asking whether people with this coop had ventilation issues.

This past winter was cold. I’m sorry, but -25+F inside the coop is too cold. We had frostbite issues, etc. (and, yes, I was monitoring the humidity and it wasn’t too humid).

Maybe I’m way off base, but even with ventilation, if the chickens had a smaller space, the heat their bodies put off would have kept things more comfortable. Other people in my area had coop temps in the 20s and 30s without heat while mine was -20. I’m not aiming for 40 degrees, but at least 0 would be nice.

Do people in cold areas like Alaska have 6’ tall coops?

 

[bjmoose]

When I looked at it, I wondered where the sleeping roosts are?

 

[KWVT]

When I looked at it, I wondered where the sleeping roosts are?

It looks like they are built in as part of the supports. You can see it on the plans.

 

[bjmoose]

It looks like they are built in as part of the supports. You can see it on the plans.

Lengthwise? Or crosswise? The lengthwise frames don't look to have nearly enough headroom to my eye.