Finishing up my first run/coop for a new chicken keeper - Advice?

[MB13534]

3/4" should be ok. Some folks use very large stones around the base or cinder blocks, but all that does is improve the odds of predators/pests finding the edge of the apron.


Winterizing usually involves covering up some of the run walls to ward off snow, cold winds and rain. I don't winterize at all but I have generally mild-ish winters with no more than maybe 6" of snow, which I shovel pathways through, so the birds don't get stuck in the coop. Most chickens hate snow so if you do not clear out snow in the run or free range area they would most likely not want to come out, and that's when issues with limited coop space would become more pronounced.

Thanks for the insight! I'd guess I don't have any concrete plans of winterizing, but I'm prepared to organically make adjustments as necessary. It's portland maine, so some harsh storms. Will shovel as needed for sure.

 

[paintedChix]

So some snow load w/ possibility of needing/ wanting to stay in coop during winter storms.

I'll preface w/ I'm not a builder w/ wood. I like re-cycling, up- cycling & easy. I live in the south now & LOVE my open air hoop coops.

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BUT I've lived in the west & distinctly remember 2 blizzards that I'm really glad I didn't have birds in... 1982? thanksgiving or Christmas ? crippled CO. It wasn't far from house to barn w/ 4 stalls (but more than 4 horses, I think) - but we lost the shoveling battle & by time snow stopped we were tunneling under roof top high drifts to bucket water to the horses from the house. The "frost free" hydrant in the barn froze... Neighbors had to have feed, hay & some groceries airdropped in. Then in 1997, as moving from MT back to NC, a whopper slammed down out of Canada (IN April!!). We spent 5 days in a hotel... very little outside contact w/ family (they said OK, before power lost), friends or employers (no cell phones or google yet - we had CB radios in both vehicles). On the road again & as going south passed southern power trucks headed north to re-establish 100s of miles of power lines through at least 4 states......

There were storms in between, in various states & overseas, but those 2 .... are "imprinted"...

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Can you remove either the front, one end or the back of your coop to make it large enough to accommodate the number of birds you have w/ a little extra space? If so, then you can add in the ventilation that you need. When you build in the extended portion of the roof, you can extend it, so that the open ventilation is protected from the weather.

Unfortunately, since I'm not a builder, I have no other info as to best way to do that. Hoping others might chime in. There are a lot of designers & builders on BYC.

Edited to add - Alaskan has a great article on winterizing/building coops in cold/snow covered climates. Covers - ventilation, insulation, space, heat, water & outdoor runs here on BYC.

 

[aart]

I have an idea. Since the roof appears to have no purlins - How do you feel about replacing the roof with one that has long overhangs and open vented soffits?

This is a good idea as I don't see any support under the metal and it could cave in with snow load.
This could become moot if you put the coop inside the run, and put a decent metal roof on the run.

Portland Maine

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[MB13534]

Ok so based off some great feedback, this is what I have come up with so far.

I moved the coop into the run. (again, once the run is open to the gang, it will be fully enclosed with 1/2'' 19g hardware cloth with a corrugated metal roof.)

Pros:
-much more secure
-makes the coop more weather durable since it will be under two roofs now

Cons:
-have to enter the run in order to manage coop things
-the run will be a bit more difficult to maintain
-slightly less real estate for the girls

The other really big change was that I turned the coop roof into a float roof, significantly improving the ventilation. You cant see it in the pictures, but there is a layer of hardware cloth covering the whole length of the roof.

I removed the two small perches and replaced one with a 2x4 and the other with a 2x3

I added a sort of tile to the bottom of the coop to make it easier to clean, block bottom drafts, and make it so the wood wont absorb moisture


Let me know if I am missing anything else. Thanks all for your help!

 

[Yakisugi Coop]

Looks good to me. Nice job on adding ventilation. One idea: you’d have more room in the coop if you move the food and water to the run.

 

[MB13534]

Looks good to me. Nice job on adding ventilation. One idea: you’d have more room in the coop if you move the food and water to the run.

They just graduated from the indoors brooder to the coop. Right now they are limited to the coop unless we are monitoring. Ill be finishing up the run this week and will open that up, in which case I will have a different system for food and water under the coop, and the coop food and water will be removed. Thanks so much!!

 

[Jlachickens]

When you say negate the coverage of the apron, are you saying that the predetor might be convinced to go to the edge of the rocks and try to dig there (where the apron starts), instead of the wall of the run where the apron is most effective? Do you think 3/4inch is too big?

I have a fox giving his best effort to dig under coop, and around rocks into cement, the cement above the the foundation is on hardware mesh, and I have added big rocks, and cylinder blocks. They keep digging.