First Coop design....

[Mike_g]

Hello all,

I’m looking for input into the design of our first chicken coop. It should be a good family project. We are looking to build ourselves. I’ve done interior remodeling (stud framing, wiring, drywall) a few times, and a little roofing, so I think the carpentry should be OK to tackle. First, a little background and design constraints:

We live on a rural acreage in NE South Dakota with not much wind protection. It can be minus 20 to minus 35 degrees F here, and often have winds around 40 mph during winter. Not uncommon to have 0 degrees F and 20-40 mph winds during January blizzards. Summers can be warm, with 90 plus degree heat, up to a bit over 100 occasionally.​

We have a neutered male Great Pyrenees, about 2-3 YO. He is pretty mild mannered, except when the neighbor dogs are out and running on our yard – he barks a lot in those instances. Our thought is to introduce the dog to the chicks early on, with the goal of the chicken coop being housed inside of the dog kennel. We’d plan to make his house part of the coop if possible.​

We’d probably have dog’s house sealed off from the rest of the coop, so as to keep drafts down (great pyrenees need big door opening).​

Not sure how many chickens we’d want. I suspect around a dozen initially, and possibly more later. I’ve heard it’s better to build the coop a little too big, to allow for growing number of chickens.​

Our yard has areas which are wet from snowmelt runoff in the spring, and areas which collect more snow, etc. We’d like to be able to move it seasonally, further in the backyard in spring & summer, and closer up to the house in the fall. We’d probably tow with a pickup truck, or roll on PVC pipes when moving, so would probably need 4x4 or 4x6 treated wood skids.​

If we grow tired of the chickens (not likely IMO) we’d like a shed which could be reused as a garden shed, and not a building whose future function is limited to chicken coop due to sidewall height, etc.​

We’ve been browsing this site, soaking up details about coop designs, ventilation needs, etc, and have generally settled on 3 different types listed in order of preference:

1. An 8x12 shed roof type coop, built on skids. Here is one with limited construction details: Angie B's Fowl Play This is similar to a shed I saw at Lowe’s: 8x12 Heartland These should have adequate space, and probably still movable.

2. An 8x8 or so sized shed with 4x8 porch, for the dog to lay on: Mike Clayton Chicken Mansion This one would have a bit more construction complexity, and probably expense than the first option, I’d suspect.

3. A quaker-style coop or other saltbox style shed: Chicken Housing Authority These are nice, and I've seen many similar designs. It looks good for chickens, but not much for future shed purposes.

Thoughts/Recommendations?

 

[aart]

I’ve heard it’s better to build the coop a little too big, to allow for growing number of chickens.

Absolutely!
Think also about a temporary partition wall, handy for integrating new chicks.

Dog housed in coop, but physically separated from birds, sounds good.
Open door could be a problem, unless covered with split/striped curtain entrance maybe?

1. Looks pretty good....I like the big roof overhangs, but should have open soffits for ventilation.
2. Good too, but yes, more complex.
3. No, stay away....too small.

Lots to consider.
Some good links in my signature, let me know if you cannot see or open them.
Sketching it all out on graph paper cannot be underestimated for planning and exploring options. Cheaper and easier to fix oopsies on paper than in lumber.

Oh, and...Welcome to BYC! @Mike_g
Here's how to add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Mike_g]

Thanks aart, that is very helpful.

Now, as to the ventilation on AngieB's design: she has vent doors high up on the walls on front and back of the coop, which probably works fine in the summer. During the winter, however, I think these openings might be too big and/or need manipulation during a blizzard. So soffit vents on front and back soffits would be probably better, providing passive ventilation.

I like the idea of the engineered board panel siding on the shed. I think we'd do similar in the soffit area. Here are some: vented soffit panels These provide 10 sq. inch per linear foot, so for 12' of vented soffit length, it would provide 120 sq. in., or 240 sq. inch (1.7 Sq. Ft) total...not very much.

Maybe we need both vented soffits and vent doors- vented soffits would be nice in the winter, maybe adequate without vent doors open? In the summer, the vent doors would be open all the time, I suspect. In her design, the doors look about 1' high by about 4' wide, for a total of 16 sq. ft with 4 vent doors.

Am I on the right track here?

 

[aart]

not very much.

Right, might be fine for a residential house attic...
.....but for a chicken coop 1/2" HC would be much better.

 

[Mike_g]

What about insulation? Is it of any real value? Maybe insulate walls, and underside of roof sheathing (1"or so foam under roof)?

 

[aart]

What about insulation? Is it of any real value? Maybe insulate walls, and underside of roof sheathing (1"or so foam under roof)?

Good ventilation makes insulation rather moot....plus it can harbor rodents and insects.
If you do use it, it must be protected from the birds access, they will tear it up and eat it.

 

[Mike_g]

OK, so looking into the cost and time of construction, our goals have scaled back a bit. We looked at a coop at our local farm store coops & feathers large...which would be quick and cheap, except that it: 1)looks cheaply constructed 2)would restrict number of hens to maybe 4-6 or so, and 3) who knows how ventilation is accomplished?

I'd prefer a smaller, but still well-built, well-designed coop that may cost between 500-1000 but would be worth it in the long run.

With that in mind, here are a couple possibilities:

barntoolbox coop This looks like a decent design, and could maybe house 10-12 hens

Grade eh 6x10 woods coop I'd do this without a dedicated run, since the run would be the kennel surrounding the house. This would house more like 15 hens

On the woods design, has anyone insulated theirs? Also, is the only ventilation provided by the windows up front (intake and exhaust)?

Does anyone have a rough plan of a woods (Tolman) style 6x10 house?

Thoughts on these, or an alternate plan?

 

[aart]

On the woods design, has anyone insulated theirs? Also, is the only ventilation provided by the windows up front (intake and exhaust)?

Does anyone have a rough plan of a woods (Tolman) style 6x10 house?

No need to insulate a Woods coop.
If built in the proper proportions,
and operated in winter with all openings closed but the big front one,
it creates an air cushion that eliminates strong drafts but allows for copious ventilation.
That's the whole point of the Woods.

@jthornton has a nice clean PDF of the Woods book.
@Howard E may have plans for a 6x10, I think he built one.

 

[jthornton]

And as if by magic I appear with the link to the Modern Fresh Air Poultry House.

JT

 

[Mike_g]

Thanks @jthornton ! That is a good reference. By the sketch in the book, it looks like 6-7" roof overhangs, front and back. Is this adequate, or should it be 12"? Id probably make it 12" on all sides, at first glance.

Also, the monitor windows look to be awning style. I'm assuming these get opened in hot days of summer? Same with the side window?