First time coop build

[Yfd417]

I’m scrambling to finish up by the weekend. Roof, paint, hardware cloth work primarily left for now. The two windows and associated trim over nesting boxes will be done once windows are in. Rear cleanout doors will have hardware cloth in upper for now and a secondary door to close that off to be added after I get the birds in. Let me know any suggestions, thoughts. I tried to design it for deep litter keeping ventilation in mind.

Transom window above chicken door is west facing so it will give some radiant heat in winter. I will keep other openable windows open in summer for ventilation. Roof has 1/2” foam board foil side up to reflect radiant heat in summer. Galvalume roof planned as of now. I may switch to white if i can’t get the gable trim to match the Galvalume panels. I chose a light color to keep temps down as much as possible in summer.
Also, I am using 1/4” 23ga hardware cloth in the openings. I was thinking of doubling it up with 1/2” 19ga for extra strength. I used the 1/4” to cut drafts while keeping ventilation as open as possible. Has anyone had any problems with predators being able to break the 23 gauge?

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I’m scrambling to finish up by the weekend. Roof, paint, hardware cloth work primarily left for now.

I'm impressed! Beautiful job and craftsmanship. I can see you took care to make it strong, long-lasting, functional, and comfortable, but pleasing to the eye as well. I'll offer what suggestions I may have to improve the things I see .......

The two windows and associated trim over nesting boxes will be done once windows are in. Rear cleanout doors will have hardware cloth in upper for now and a secondary door to close that off to be added after I get the birds in.

Love the idea of secondary 'doors' to open and close for weather and ventilation. How will those be attached and open up, or will they be panels that you insert or remove as needed? Just curious if I may borrow this idea myself. Do you think you might need a third set of hinges on those cleanout doors, with the extra weight?

I'm also wondering if you'll open and close them often.... if so, with the deep litter inside, you'll want a 'curb' of sorts to keep the litter from making a mess every time you open them, and keep litter from clogging between door and jamb, or door and threshold. That makes closing them a pain in the a**. I have one coop with a removable curb just for that purpose. Pulls out easily when I want to scoop out, and slides into place when I'm done. Next time, though, instead of putting brackets on the floor to hold the curb (they get in the way while cleaning), I'd just install a couple of movable brackets to the jambs inside, so I can rotate or slide them down over the board curb to hold it in place.

Transom window above chicken door is west facing so it will give some radiant heat in winter. I will keep other openable windows open in summer for ventilation.

Good planning. I like your vents under the edge of the roof/soffits on both sides for more ventilation but well up high. Will you seal those off with hardware cloth as well, to keep wild birds and wasps from taking up residence there? (I've had to do that on my coop - lost a young pullet to a tasty-looking but lethal wasp, and every year I had to pick nests out of the rafters.) And I wonder.... would you want to add another transom in the same space on the south wall, to let winter radiant heat in? But able to close it up, cover it, or shade it to block light in summer?

Roof has 1/2” foam board foil side up to reflect radiant heat in summer. Galvalume roof planned as of now. I may switch to white if i can’t get the gable trim to match the Galvalume panels. I chose a light color to keep temps down as much as possible in summer.

Nice! We re-used some old roofing panels, and they were rusty and absorbed heat like a frying pan. I painted them white. So much better now.

Also, I am using 1/4” 23ga hardware cloth in the openings. I was thinking of doubling it up with 1/2” 19ga for extra strength. I used the 1/4” to cut drafts while keeping ventilation as open as possible.

I don't see why you'd need to double it up, unless your predators are unusually relentless. As long as you secure it on both sides (front/back) with wood strips and screws, instead of staples, they should hold up against most anything except bears. You don't say where you are in the world, so I can't judge what you're dealing with.

My biggest concern is this:
Why is the pop door so high up on the wall? I suppose it would be a pain to lower the pop door now, so the ramp wouldn't have to be so long and high. It might be okay as is, just be aware your chickens might be reluctant to use it. I remember a thread recently where someone had a tall ramp like yours, and one rooster and a few hens who refused to use it. It seems they wanted to stop and check things out before committing to go inside or come out. (Mine always do.) Once he added a landing on the outside, problem solved. But the top of his ramp was at the level of the coop floor inside.

I would at least add a little landing or 'porch' on the inside, since that's a jump up to the scary outdoors. They'll want to see what's out there from a position of safety before sticking their heads out the door. (If you ever intend to let your broodies raise chicks, they'll have to have a landing and a ramp up to it to on the inside.)

If they're still fussy about going IN, you might need to add a landing on the outside, too. (Predators inside? Mean hen? Anything scary?) I have birds who wait for certain other birds to enter, just so they can chase them back out again. They do it when the birds leave the coop, too - wait for them to come out so they can chase. I have one cockerel who'll poke his head out just enough to see where Big Goldie is before he runs down the ramp and then to safety. And he won't go in until he sees Goldie up on his roost.

Concerning the roosts:
Did you make the crossbar roost to be easily removable? It looks like it - good! That'll save your back when cleaning it out. I don't see lower roosts or a ladder for the chickens to get up there, though. The lowest roost should be no more than 18-24-inches off the floor so they can hop up on it, and 12-inches horizontally and vertically up to the next roost, then up and up to the highest bars - but don't block floor space for them to fly down from the top roosts either, else there'll be broken wings and legs. Or just add stairsteps or ladder planks from the floor up to the roosts. (Removable of course, for ease of cleaning.)

It's not usually advised to have windows extending below the level of the roosting bars, unless you're in a warm climate with an open coop design. However, since you plan to keep them closed in winter, and there's an overhang to prevent rain from blowing in, I see no problem

And a few things I see for the nesting boxes:
Is the roof of the nesting boxes permanent, or will you raise it to collect eggs? If it's permanent, I'd make sure it's sealed around the edges so rain won't leak inside. If it's movable, then I'd replace it with a bigger piece - so that there's an overhang for rain runoff.

When you lower that access door on the face of the nesting boxes (nice, BTW), some of the nesting material - or eggs! - will fall out. You'll want a short removable curb across there, too.

The access door to the nesting boxes looks heavy; is it? I'd maybe add a second latch on the other end for better security (if it's not too inconvenient to open both when collecting eggs) --- and maybe a couple of chains or slide latches so the door drops down like a shelf, and doesn't fall open to bang your knees or a toddler's head. You'll find that to be very handy to set your egg basket on while collecting eggs, or tools while cleaning.

Again, very nice job. I look forward to seeing it complete and filled with birds

 

[mowin]

How many birds you planning on having?
The roost on the lower side looks too high for winter time use. Might want to reduce the amount of roosts depending on how many birds your planning.

Coop looks well built and looks great.

 

[Yfd417]

I'm impressed! Beautiful job and craftsmanship. I can see you took care to make it strong, long-lasting, functional, and comfortable, but pleasing to the eye as well. I'll offer what suggestions I may have to improve the things I see .......


Love the idea of secondary 'doors' to open and close for weather and ventilation. How will those be attached and open up, or will they be panels that you insert or remove as needed? Just curious if I may borrow this idea myself. Do you think you might need a third set of hinges on those cleanout doors, with the extra weight?

I'm also wondering if you'll open and close them often.... if so, with the deep litter inside, you'll want a 'curb' of sorts to keep the litter from making a mess every time you open them, and keep litter from clogging between door and jamb, or door and threshold. That makes closing them a pain in the a**. I have one coop with a removable curb just for that purpose. Pulls out easily when I want to scoop out, and slides into place when I'm done. Next time, though, instead of putting brackets on the floor to hold the curb (they get in the way while cleaning), I'd just install a couple of movable brackets to the jambs inside, so I can rotate or slide them down over the board curb to hold it in place.


Good planning. I like your vents under the edge of the roof/soffits on both sides for more ventilation but well up high. Will you seal those off with hardware cloth as well, to keep wild birds and wasps from taking up residence there? (I've had to do that on my coop - lost a young pullet to a tasty-looking but lethal wasp, and every year I had to pick nests out of the rafters.) And I wonder.... would you want to add another transom in the same space on the south wall, to let winter radiant heat in? But able to close it up, cover it, or shade it to block light in summer?


Nice! We re-used some old roofing panels, and they were rusty and absorbed heat like a frying pan. I painted them white. So much better now.


I don't see why you'd need to double it up, unless your predators are unusually relentless. As long as you secure it on both sides (front/back) with wood strips and screws, instead of staples, they should hold up against most anything except bears. You don't say where you are in the world, so I can't judge what you're dealing with.

My biggest concern is this:
Why is the pop door so high up on the wall? I suppose it would be a pain to lower the pop door now, so the ramp wouldn't have to be so long and high. It might be okay as is, just be aware your chickens might be reluctant to use it. I remember a thread recently where someone had a tall ramp like yours, and one rooster and a few hens who refused to use it. It seems they wanted to stop and check things out before committing to go inside or come out. (Mine always do.) Once he added a landing on the outside, problem solved. But the top of his ramp was at the level of the coop floor inside.

I would at least add a little landing or 'porch' on the inside, since that's a jump up to the scary outdoors. They'll want to see what's out there from a position of safety before sticking their heads out the door. (If you ever intend to let your broodies raise chicks, they'll have to have a landing and a ramp up to it to on the inside.)

If they're still fussy about going IN, you might need to add a landing on the outside, too. (Predators inside? Mean hen? Anything scary?) I have birds who wait for certain other birds to enter, just so they can chase them back out again. They do it when the birds leave the coop, too - wait for them to come out so they can chase. I have one cockerel who'll poke his head out just enough to see where Big Goldie is before he runs down the ramp and then to safety. And he won't go in until he sees Goldie up on his roost.

Concerning the roosts:
Did you make the crossbar roost to be easily removable? It looks like it - good! That'll save your back when cleaning it out. I don't see lower roosts or a ladder for the chickens to get up there, though. The lowest roost should be no more than 18-24-inches off the floor so they can hop up on it, and 12-inches horizontally and vertically up to the next roost, then up and up to the highest bars - but don't block floor space for them to fly down from the top roosts either, else there'll be broken wings and legs. Or just add stairsteps or ladder planks from the floor up to the roosts. (Removable of course, for ease of cleaning.)

It's not usually advised to have windows extending below the level of the roosting bars, unless you're in a warm climate with an open coop design. However, since you plan to keep them closed in winter, and there's an overhang to prevent rain from blowing in, I see no problem

And a few things I see for the nesting boxes:
Is the roof of the nesting boxes permanent, or will you raise it to collect eggs? If it's permanent, I'd make sure it's sealed around the edges so rain won't leak inside. If it's movable, then I'd replace it with a bigger piece - so that there's an overhang for rain runoff.

When you lower that access door on the face of the nesting boxes (nice, BTW), some of the nesting material - or eggs! - will fall out. You'll want a short removable curb across there, too.

The access door to the nesting boxes looks heavy; is it? I'd maybe add a second latch on the other end for better security (if it's not too inconvenient to open both when collecting eggs) --- and maybe a couple of chains or slide latches so the door drops down like a shelf, and doesn't fall open to bang your knees or a toddler's head. You'll find that to be very handy to set your egg basket on while collecting eggs, or tools while cleaning.

Again, very nice job. I look forward to seeing it complete and filled with birds

Thank you for the reply and feedback!

How many birds you planning on having?
The roost on the lower side looks too high for winter time use. Might want to reduce the amount of roosts depending on how many birds your planning.

Coop looks well built and looks great.

Both left and right side are the same height and are 5 feet in length. The crossbar at the rear is probably about 3 feet or a little less in length so I have approximately 13 foot total roost for the length.. Everything is removable for cleaning. Right now I have nine birds. Coop is 6‘ x 6‘. I was planning anywhere between 8 to 12 birds at any one time. I kept the roosts 18 inches below the lowest ventilation opening that will be open in winter. Do you think I should make lower secondary roost supports for winter use?

Thanks for the reply!

 

[Yfd417]

I'm impressed! Beautiful job and craftsmanship. I can see you took care to make it strong, long-lasting, functional, and comfortable, but pleasing to the eye as well. I'll offer what suggestions I may have to improve the things I see .......


Love the idea of secondary 'doors' to open and close for weather and ventilation. How will those be attached and open up, or will they be panels that you insert or remove as needed? Just curious if I may borrow this idea myself. Do you think you might need a third set of hinges on those cleanout doors, with the extra weight?

I'm also wondering if you'll open and close them often.... if so, with the deep litter inside, you'll want a 'curb' of sorts to keep the litter from making a mess every time you open them, and keep litter from clogging between door and jamb, or door and threshold. That makes closing them a pain in the a**. I have one coop with a removable curb just for that purpose. Pulls out easily when I want to scoop out, and slides into place when I'm done. Next time, though, instead of putting brackets on the floor to hold the curb (they get in the way while cleaning), I'd just install a couple of movable brackets to the jambs inside, so I can rotate or slide them down over the board curb to hold it in place.


Good planning. I like your vents under the edge of the roof/soffits on both sides for more ventilation but well up high. Will you seal those off with hardware cloth as well, to keep wild birds and wasps from taking up residence there? (I've had to do that on my coop - lost a young pullet to a tasty-looking but lethal wasp, and every year I had to pick nests out of the rafters.) And I wonder.... would you want to add another transom in the same space on the south wall, to let winter radiant heat in? But able to close it up, cover it, or shade it to block light in summer?


Nice! We re-used some old roofing panels, and they were rusty and absorbed heat like a frying pan. I painted them white. So much better now.


I don't see why you'd need to double it up, unless your predators are unusually relentless. As long as you secure it on both sides (front/back) with wood strips and screws, instead of staples, they should hold up against most anything except bears. You don't say where you are in the world, so I can't judge what you're dealing with.

My biggest concern is this:
Why is the pop door so high up on the wall? I suppose it would be a pain to lower the pop door now, so the ramp wouldn't have to be so long and high. It might be okay as is, just be aware your chickens might be reluctant to use it. I remember a thread recently where someone had a tall ramp like yours, and one rooster and a few hens who refused to use it. It seems they wanted to stop and check things out before committing to go inside or come out. (Mine always do.) Once he added a landing on the outside, problem solved. But the top of his ramp was at the level of the coop floor inside.

I would at least add a little landing or 'porch' on the inside, since that's a jump up to the scary outdoors. They'll want to see what's out there from a position of safety before sticking their heads out the door. (If you ever intend to let your broodies raise chicks, they'll have to have a landing and a ramp up to it to on the inside.)

If they're still fussy about going IN, you might need to add a landing on the outside, too. (Predators inside? Mean hen? Anything scary?) I have birds who wait for certain other birds to enter, just so they can chase them back out again. They do it when the birds leave the coop, too - wait for them to come out so they can chase. I have one cockerel who'll poke his head out just enough to see where Big Goldie is before he runs down the ramp and then to safety. And he won't go in until he sees Goldie up on his roost.

Concerning the roosts:
Did you make the crossbar roost to be easily removable? It looks like it - good! That'll save your back when cleaning it out. I don't see lower roosts or a ladder for the chickens to get up there, though. The lowest roost should be no more than 18-24-inches off the floor so they can hop up on it, and 12-inches horizontally and vertically up to the next roost, then up and up to the highest bars - but don't block floor space for them to fly down from the top roosts either, else there'll be broken wings and legs. Or just add stairsteps or ladder planks from the floor up to the roosts. (Removable of course, for ease of cleaning.)

It's not usually advised to have windows extending below the level of the roosting bars, unless you're in a warm climate with an open coop design. However, since you plan to keep them closed in winter, and there's an overhang to prevent rain from blowing in, I see no problem

And a few things I see for the nesting boxes:
Is the roof of the nesting boxes permanent, or will you raise it to collect eggs? If it's permanent, I'd make sure it's sealed around the edges so rain won't leak inside. If it's movable, then I'd replace it with a bigger piece - so that there's an overhang for rain runoff.

When you lower that access door on the face of the nesting boxes (nice, BTW), some of the nesting material - or eggs! - will fall out. You'll want a short removable curb across there, too.

The access door to the nesting boxes looks heavy; is it? I'd maybe add a second latch on the other end for better security (if it's not too inconvenient to open both when collecting eggs) --- and maybe a couple of chains or slide latches so the door drops down like a shelf, and doesn't fall open to bang your knees or a toddler's head. You'll find that to be very handy to set your egg basket on while collecting eggs, or tools while cleaning.

Again, very nice job. I look forward to seeing it complete and filled with birds

Thank you and great feedback!

 

[aart]

I chose a light color to keep temps down as much as possible in summer.

Will the coop be in shade during summer?

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

 

[Yfd417]

I'm impressed! Beautiful job and craftsmanship. I can see you took care to make it strong, long-lasting, functional, and comfortable, but pleasing to the eye as well. I'll offer what suggestions I may have to improve the things I see .......


Love the idea of secondary 'doors' to open and close for weather and ventilation. How will those be attached and open up, or will they be panels that you insert or remove as needed? Just curious if I may borrow this idea myself. Do you think you might need a third set of hinges on those cleanout doors, with the extra weight?

I'm also wondering if you'll open and close them often.... if so, with the deep litter inside, you'll want a 'curb' of sorts to keep the litter from making a mess every time you open them, and keep litter from clogging between door and jamb, or door and threshold. That makes closing them a pain in the a**. I have one coop with a removable curb just for that purpose. Pulls out easily when I want to scoop out, and slides into place when I'm done. Next time, though, instead of putting brackets on the floor to hold the curb (they get in the way while cleaning), I'd just install a couple of movable brackets to the jambs inside, so I can rotate or slide them down over the board curb to hold it in place.


Good planning. I like your vents under the edge of the roof/soffits on both sides for more ventilation but well up high. Will you seal those off with hardware cloth as well, to keep wild birds and wasps from taking up residence there? (I've had to do that on my coop - lost a young pullet to a tasty-looking but lethal wasp, and every year I had to pick nests out of the rafters.) And I wonder.... would you want to add another transom in the same space on the south wall, to let winter radiant heat in? But able to close it up, cover it, or shade it to block light in summer?


Nice! We re-used some old roofing panels, and they were rusty and absorbed heat like a frying pan. I painted them white. So much better now.


I don't see why you'd need to double it up, unless your predators are unusually relentless. As long as you secure it on both sides (front/back) with wood strips and screws, instead of staples, they should hold up against most anything except bears. You don't say where you are in the world, so I can't judge what you're dealing with.

My biggest concern is this:
Why is the pop door so high up on the wall? I suppose it would be a pain to lower the pop door now, so the ramp wouldn't have to be so long and high. It might be okay as is, just be aware your chickens might be reluctant to use it. I remember a thread recently where someone had a tall ramp like yours, and one rooster and a few hens who refused to use it. It seems they wanted to stop and check things out before committing to go inside or come out. (Mine always do.) Once he added a landing on the outside, problem solved. But the top of his ramp was at the level of the coop floor inside.

I would at least add a little landing or 'porch' on the inside, since that's a jump up to the scary outdoors. They'll want to see what's out there from a position of safety before sticking their heads out the door. (If you ever intend to let your broodies raise chicks, they'll have to have a landing and a ramp up to it to on the inside.)

If they're still fussy about going IN, you might need to add a landing on the outside, too. (Predators inside? Mean hen? Anything scary?) I have birds who wait for certain other birds to enter, just so they can chase them back out again. They do it when the birds leave the coop, too - wait for them to come out so they can chase. I have one cockerel who'll poke his head out just enough to see where Big Goldie is before he runs down the ramp and then to safety. And he won't go in until he sees Goldie up on his roost.

Concerning the roosts:
Did you make the crossbar roost to be easily removable? It looks like it - good! That'll save your back when cleaning it out. I don't see lower roosts or a ladder for the chickens to get up there, though. The lowest roost should be no more than 18-24-inches off the floor so they can hop up on it, and 12-inches horizontally and vertically up to the next roost, then up and up to the highest bars - but don't block floor space for them to fly down from the top roosts either, else there'll be broken wings and legs. Or just add stairsteps or ladder planks from the floor up to the roosts. (Removable of course, for ease of cleaning.)

It's not usually advised to have windows extending below the level of the roosting bars, unless you're in a warm climate with an open coop design. However, since you plan to keep them closed in winter, and there's an overhang to prevent rain from blowing in, I see no problem

And a few things I see for the nesting boxes:
Is the roof of the nesting boxes permanent, or will you raise it to collect eggs? If it's permanent, I'd make sure it's sealed around the edges so rain won't leak inside. If it's movable, then I'd replace it with a bigger piece - so that there's an overhang for rain runoff.

When you lower that access door on the face of the nesting boxes (nice, BTW), some of the nesting material - or eggs! - will fall out. You'll want a short removable curb across there, too.

The access door to the nesting boxes looks heavy; is it? I'd maybe add a second latch on the other end for better security (if it's not too inconvenient to open both when collecting eggs) --- and maybe a couple of chains or slide latches so the door drops down like a shelf, and doesn't fall open to bang your knees or a toddler's head. You'll find that to be very handy to set your egg basket on while collecting eggs, or tools while cleaning.

Again, very nice job. I look forward to seeing it complete and filled with birds

I will be most likely hinging them at the top. My initial idea was to hinge from the sides, but with a recent rainfall, some moisture made its way onto the floor so I am thinking the tilting window is a better option to provide some protection against water infiltration.
I’m also going to be adding a third set of hinges. I thought I had ordered a six pack, but there were only four in my order.
With that said, as of now, the doors are fairly light. They are framed with 2 x 4 that I had ripped in half so essentially 2 1/2 x 1 1/2 dimension lumber.
I do have a 15 inch tall piece of plywood that I slide into slots to hold back the litter. I will add a picture of this later.
All openings, including those between the roof. Rafters will be closed off with the quarter inch hardware cloth. all of the hardware cloth is secured with fender washers and screws. Exterior ones are stainless interior, interior zinc coated.
The idea for little steps or landings on the inside is a good one. I had thought about this, and it has slipped my mind among all the other details. I will plan for that this week.
In terms of light into the coop, my southern side is largely wooded. The coop is not situated exactly facing any particular direction other than the check-in door faces my house where I can monitor activity. Some of the things I mentioned or planned based on the subsequent orientation. The two faces that have windows now receive the most daylight. The cleanout doors are on my eastern/ southeastern face. I may add some Lexan windows instead of solid plywood to the upper panel that will close up the screened openings. I don’t think there is much to be gained other than some early sunlight from sunrise which is mostly filtered by trees. I was just thinking this will let in a some earlier light into the coop for their biological clocks.
All of the roosts are removable. I did not step them at different heights because I wanted them to be the same height to prevent some bickering over dominance. With that said, they are fairly high up. I will have to take some measurements, but I can do maybe hang a drop roost in the middle between each one as a lower rooost/step.

I did keep the roosts below the lowest ventilation point. The other two windows above the nesting box will remain closed during winter and are protected with a 15 inch overhang of roof.

The nesting box roof will be finished with metal roofing material. It is fixed, and the only access will be the front drop door. I think I will add a slide bolt on the opposite side for added security, and probably some sort of chain to prevent it from dropping down all the way. And I will take care of suggestion to leave it horizontal or edit the workspace when open. This is also framed with ripped 2x4s and is fairly light considering the length. I do have young kids, so something light for me will give them a good knock in the head though so I will take some added precaution as suggested.

Thank you again for the feedback and time.

 

[Yfd417]

Will the coop be in shade during summer?

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!

Hudson Valley, NY. The coop is situated so after about 12-1pm it will receive shade from a tree beside it. The run will need a roof over it as it will protrude into unprotected area. I will likely add shade cloth to the west side as well.

I will update my profile.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Both left and right side are the same height and are 5 feet in length. The crossbar at the rear is probably about 3 feet or a little less in length so I have approximately 13 foot total roost for the length.. Everything is removable for cleaning. Right now I have nine birds. Coop is 6‘ x 6‘. I was planning anywhere between 8 to 12 birds at any one time. I kept the roosts 18 inches below the lowest ventilation opening that will be open in winter. Do you think I should make lower secondary roost supports for winter use?

Thanks for the reply!

All the recommendations will tell you they need 1-lf of roost space per bird. But in reality, they might use that much only to maneuver to their favorite spot - and all 7 or 8 of your birds will crowd along 5-ft of roosting bar, at the highest point, no matter the season. They will not choose to roost on a lower bar just because it's winter. However, they will need a lower bar or two to access that prime real estate up high, especially as they grow older or if your breeds are heavier birds.

Here's what I would do, and I strongly recommend it:
(Everything at the far end, where the pop door is located)
Build the indoor landing in front of the pop door, 12-inches deep and as wide as you want it.
Then add a bar above it, halfway up between the landing and the upper bars, and at least 24-inches out from the wall above that pop door. To prevent blocking the farthest nesting boxes, either make it shorter (how to support it?), or full width at the height of the top of the nesting boxes. Shoot for no more than 18-inches vertical distance between the roosts.
Slide that crossbar to the middle of the coop. That puts it 12-inches away from the next bar down, and gives perfect access to either of the top roosting bars.

Oh, and I forgot to add this in my earlier post:
I'd add a bar or board in front of those nesting boxes, so they can hop up on it to enter a box, but also move horizontally between boxes. Maybe 6-8-inches out from the front of the boxes. They won't roost on it, but they'll use it to access the boxes easier.

You could remove the bar in front of the windows if your flock is less than 8. But put it back if you get more chickens.

 

[aart]

The coop is situated so after about 12-1pm it will receive shade from a tree beside it. The run will need a roof over it as it will protrude into unprotected area. I will likely add shade cloth to the west side as well.

Afternoon shade is good.

Hudson Valley, NY.
I will update my profile.

Familiar with that gorgeous area.
Here's how(forgot to post before):