Gettting my coop ready for my first chickens......advice please

[keliguyer]

We are starting to get ready for our first set of chickens! I had some questions that I would like help with. We are north of Houston TX so Im wondering....
1-We have a metal barn if we added a window and a chicken door would this work with for the chickens?
2- if that will not work what would be the best for our coop? we are on a budget
3- our barn has concert flooring would this be ok?

thanks for the help.

 

[fried green eggs]

HI &

. Glad you joined us! I have to 2 coops that have steel siding. They would get very Hot in the summer here in Michigan if, they were not insulated. So, I'm sure that even with windows and vents added they would still be too hot especilly in TX. I have mine insulated with the 1 1/2" 4x8 syrafoam sheets on the walls, and celing and they stay very comfortable even in very hot 90 + deg days. I did not insulate the floor but it is 3/4" plywood and the coops are elevaated 2" off the ground so, the hens can go under it for shade.

If you insulate the barn well including the ceiling, if it is steel? Add lots of vents and cross breese windoows if, should be fine.
If the barn is too big to insulate, you could build a coop out of pallets and cover it using siding from a Habitat Resale Store if, you have any in your area to keep cost down. Make sure you check out the Coops Forum on this site. You can get lots of ideas there.

This website is Great and you can pick which-ever Topic Forum you want info on and just Type in a short question in the Search Nav and it will bring up past threads related to your question tons of information for you. Also check out the Learning Center great information on there for first time chicken owners. Good Luck!

 

[mickey328]

I agree...with many breeds, the heat is a bigger concern than cold. Hehe, with me too...I can get warm way easier than I can cool off!

If you're reasonably handy, or have friends/relatives who are and would be willing to help, you can make a coop for very little money. We put less than $80 into ours and most of the expense was for fasteners (screws, hinges etc) and paint. The paint wasn't all used, so we still have most of it to use on other projects. That considered, I figure our total outlay for the coop itself was maybe $35.

We had quite a lot of plywood, 2 x 4's and other wood about...leftovers from previous projects. What other wood we needed we got for nothing from Craig's List and Freecycle...all it cost was the effort to go get it. There are tons of coop designs/plans here on BYC; we found one we liked and made a few changes to suit our situation and it turned out great! It looks good and the girls seem to love it.

Good ventilation is the key to any coop...they need lots and lots of good airflow to clear out the ammonia fumes and help keep it dry. As long as the wind doesn't blow directly ON the chickens, it's all good. Our ventilation is pretty much all higher than the chickens can reach so it moves over their heads.

 

[picanins]

I found this thread yesterday which was so interesting because it tracks the process from 'pre-baby chicks' through to a basket full of eggs. They're based in New York, which is a completely different climate, but lots of the questions that are asked and answered and the progress made is applicable to anyone. I hope you find it helpful as well

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/631433/hey-gang-whatcha-think-of-my-plans-and-rooster-issue

 

[Nicole01]

Fans work very nice to help keep them cool. My coop is built inside my garage with a concrete floor. I use pine wood chips for the bottom. Ventilation is extremely important. Make sure your coop is properly ventilated.

They are rarely in the coop and mostly outside. I have a run built using hardware cloth. Chicken wire is useless keeping predators out if your building a run. I also free range and on the hottest days, my flock stays under the trees and I run a hose of cd water for them and they love to lay in the puddles.

You will need to build roosts to sleep on and nest boxes for them to have a place to lay eggs.

Good luck! It's fun and very rewarding.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

I don't know what how big your barn is, or how big your going to build the coop, but my coop is in my barn. it is metal, and they are fine in the heat. But keep in mind that my coop is only takes up one third/one quarter of the barn, so there is plent of room for the heat to go. Also, I live in Iowa, so there's probably a tempature difference. As others have said proper ventilation is a must. I didn't know this so I am having to had another window. I do NOT have a insulated coop. chickens are very hardy. not saying the others are wrong, i'm sure they had they're reasons.

My chickens are on a concrete floor, covered with savings. When they are too cold or too hot they bury themselves in shavings. It is very amusing to watch.

Fans work very well to cool them off, also spraying them with a hose. They hate it, but it helps.

Are you building a run? A friend of ours gave us an old dog run which we extened along the side of the barn to make a good sized run for my 12 chickens. I put chicken wire 2' high around the edges to keep critters from reaching through. Oh, i also cover two sides of the coop in chicken wire, one side in planks we found around the barn, and one side is half chicken wire and half door. Hope this helps!

CG3