Garage coop

[Garlydog]

I followed a few links for coop design and one led me to a garage coop. I really like the idea. It solves several problems:

1. Ease of construction
2. Draft free structure already in place
3. Easy access in the Winter
4. Easy access to electricity and water.

Since I have never kept chickens, I'm not sure of the potential downsides.
A few I thought of are:

1. Loss of some garage space. Which is not a big deal.
2. Potential rodent problem since the garage is connected to the house.
3. Smell.
4. ????

What do you think?

 

[loonie]

Garage coop pros and cons -


The main reason I ruled out using a corner of my storage garage is that it has very little daylight. I decided I didn't want to take the step of cutting a window in one side of the garage in case the coop or chickens didn't work out for some reason. Also, the ground around my garage would be harder to dig the run perimeter than a fresh area elsewhere.

My "pros" were the same four as yours plus 1) not using up lawn space on the other side of the back yard; 2) already raccoon-proof with concrete floor.

I'm not an old hand or anything, just at the coop-planning and material-scrounging stage and have never had chickens or any outside animal.

 

[Garlydog]

Thanks for your response. I didn't even think about the light issue.

Can you put lights in the coop to compensate for the lack of windows?

 

[lavacaw]

Commercial laying operations mostly use fluorescent lights so I would have to think you could go with lights. My coop only has a door - no windows. If your feed is kept in closed containers (I use metal garbage cans), rodents are not generally a problem. Good luck with your project,

 

[patandchickens]

The biggest issue is probably the DUST. Chickens generate lots and lots of fine pale greasy dust, especially when they are molting (which they do several times between chickhood and adulthood, and then every year or so thereafter) but some is produced all the time. So it depends how you'd feel about loads of greasy dust all over your garage stuff. (To some degree you can minimize the problem by having solid walls on the coop, but you still need ventilation and for parts of the year you will want at least some of that ventilation to open into the garage)

Light-wise, the best arrangement is to utilize an existing garage window. The coop's interior wall(s) can have a big transparent window-style panel to let the light continue onward to the rest of the garage, so you are not totally blocking off the window. Or, cut a new window. In principle you could use electric lights instead, BUT then your chickens will be in pitch darkness anytime the electricity is out, and at night (unless you use a nightlight, in which case see above re: electricity going out). At the very least, make a clear popdoor so they get SOME outdoor light. In fact, since you'll be cutting a hole in the garage wall for the popdoor, you can cut it extra big and just make a large transom-type window atop it, that way you get both things from just one hole in the wall.

Another limitation is that you have to have room for the run to be attached to the garage -- for some people this works fine, for othres, not, in which case the garage is not going to be a good place for the coop.

On the whole, as long as you don't have anything stored in the garage that the chickens will bother (e.g. lots of power tools or an antique car, that you don't want all dusty) and nothing stored in the garage that will bother the chickens (e.g. fertilizers or pesticides with nasty fumes), and don't mind the likelihood of more mice than usual, a garage can work out really well, especially in a very cold-winter climate where it gives you considerable benefits in terms of warmth and convenience.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Casey3043]

I built my second coop inside my detached garage for several reasons:

1. Much easier as it could be built of wire on a wooden frame. No walls or roof.

2. Less labor (see above) as I am an older single woman.

3. Total safety from predators--cement floor, solid walls, sealed soffits.

Downsides:

1. Giving up some storage space.

2. Lack of natural light. There are windows, but small ones. It was very dark in there in the daytime, and I didn't want to leave the fluorescent lights on all the time. Solution: a tubular skylight (purchased but not installed yet).

3. Very hot in there in the summer. Have put ventilation fans covered with hardward cloth in the two windows, blowing IN. There is a full-length ridge vent and soffit vents. I have purchase a roof turbine, but have not installed it yet.
The chicks are outside all day in a secure yard, and they stay cooler out there.

4. No people door out to the run/yard, which necessitates a long hike around to check the water, etc. That is a short term problem, because as soon as I integrate the new chicks with the existing flock, I can take down the fence separating them and access the baby chickens' yard easily.

I highly recommend this approach, especially if your time and space are limited. It is also much cheaper to build. There is no smell, and I have not noticed a lot of dust. My woodworking shop is in the other half of this garage (plenty of sawdust there), and there is a wall separating it (it also has a ceiling and AC in the window). There is no ceiling in the chickens' side.

What I plan to do eventually is add on to my existing outdoor coop and use this one for raising babies or isolating sick or injured (God forbid) birds.

If you'd like to see pix, I can post them.

CASEY

 

[Garlydog]

Great post Pat. Lots of good information.

Fortunately we have a ready made run right outside the garage where the coop would be. I think I just need to put a top on it.

I wonder if something like a bathroom vent, piped outside would keep the dust down.

I think the garage is looking like plan A.

 

[Garlydog]

Quote:
Casey, I would love to see pictures of your set up! Thanks.

 

[Schultz]

Our coop is in the workshop part of our garage and it has worked out very well for us. We updated the windows with ones we got for free on craigslist. The coop has 2 sections to seperate birds and a 3rd that is a temporary pen for the turkeys. We cut holes for the sliding door for the chickens and have a human door access as well as storage space and walking room. There are nesting boxes in each pen that we made out of free cabinets from craigslist. I will see if I have pics and if I do I will edit this post

The 2 sections inside

Outside pens

door

roost

That's all I could really find that might give you an idea of what I'm talking about, I hope

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

My coop is in the garage and I agree totally with all of the pros and cons, especially the dust, lack of light, and the heat. I leave my big garage door open all day and there's still dust and not much light. I'm fortunate though that I have a side people door (which I also leave open). We walled-off another section from the coop to the front of the garage and put in another door. This allows me to leave the side door open for the chickens to go right out of the coop to the backyard, but they can't escape down the driveway. I also have my quail cages in the garage and even here in Ohio, some days are so hot it's almost unbearable for the quail. I would recommend adding more windows to provide more ventilation. Not sure anything will keep down the dust. Needless to say, we don't park in there anymore.