First time with chickens or large carpentry - Sketchup

[nevakee11]

Where we live you have to get the zoning board's approval to have chickens. We were discussing it when our neighbor came over asking for support for his own chicken coop so we're both trying to get started raising some chickens, hopefully in a month. This will be the first major bit of carpentry I've done and I'm confident I can do it but need a second opinion on the design and construction. Also, my first time with SketchUp and I like it a lot.

The coop will be for 4-6 hens. The whole coop is 5x5 with a 7x7 roof. The top left is 1" higher than the other (5' vs 4') and will have some wire over it to keep predators out. I've been reading about adequate ventilation but I still fear this might be too much for Albany, NY. The bottom is 2' from the ground, the left door is for the chickens and will have a ramp and the right will be to clean out the coop. The nesting boxes will be on the left and accessible from the outside (about 2 feet from the coop floor) and a roost leading up to the nesting boxes.




SketchUp: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7CRXu4gHbZ_X3VhX3Q5U0FRUjQ/edit?usp=sharing

 

[Judy]

Here are a couple of excellent articles about coops in your climate, written by a Canadian:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-coop-temperatures

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

Chickens always want to sleep at the highest point they can reach, so if the nest boxes are above roosts, they will want to sleep in the nest boxes, resulting of course in poopy eggs. If you build that design, you can probably make the opening more like 6" than 1'.

 

[nevakee11]

Thanks! I think I'll extend the siding all the way to the top on the 5' side (maybe make it hinged so I can open or close it). With it closed I should have about 6 sq ft or ventilation.

I remeasures the space and it looks like it will fit if I do 6" overhangs as opposed to the 1' overhang in the diagram. Is this too small?

Is it possible to do DLM in such a coop? Do I need to put something non-porous over the floor? If the pop hole is at floor level and some people say they have 18"+ of DLM then how will my chickens get out?

 

[Judy]

In a small coop like that, I would probably use sand and just clean it out every few days. A poop board under the roost would make cleaning simpler.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...e-easiest-way-to-deal-with-chicken-litter-dlm

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/using-sand-in-your-chicken-coop