Help a new chicken owner - need coop for hot and cold weather!

[Howard E]

 

[Folly's place]

I'd love to have a Woods coop! Someday maybe. Meanwhile, shed coop is a second choice. But if you can, build that Woods coop!!!
You will want electricity out there, if at all possible. A buried line, correctly done, is so worth it! A licensed electrition can guide you to meet code and be safe. Frozen water in winter is the pits, and having lights out there is great. you can also brood your chicks right in the coop, rather in the house. Much nicer!
We have anywhere from forty to seventy chickens (more in summer!) and also have an all weather hydrant out there, so there's no more carrying water in winter, when the long water hoses freeze up.
All this didn't happen at once! Over the years, as 'chicken math' happened, and we became 'more mature', making management easier made more and more good sense.
Mary

 

[lazy gardener]

Agreed, woods is the gold standard. Electricity to the coop IMO is a must: for supplemental lighting so birds can pay the rent in the winter, to keep water thawed, and to brood chicks. 4 s.f. minimum in coop per bird. Deep litter management style for both coop and run are also great options.

 

[ASD Dad]

Well Woods is out. Beautiful design and I am sure we can build it but after crunching numbers we are not willing to spend that much right now. I had it figured up to be around $500+ on the reasonable side to do what I would like if we built it and we still need to get the run set up. Maybe if my kids decide they want to do this long term and we continue with more chickens down the road I can build one for the flock.

That being said - any thoughts on a Hoop Coop? This would Not be a tractor, it would be permanent. Love the simplicity of design yet what looks to be good functionality. We'd splurge a little here and there but I am confident it would be 1/3 the cost of the Woods and could be built in an afternoon. I'm thinking 8 x 12 with the back 1/3 being the coop/roost/nesting area.

 

[llombardo]

There might be a time you need power. So having it closer is wise.

You can pretty much build any style coop you want. The real thing you need to consider is ventilation. Lots and lots. A couple of windows or one roof panel of clear poly will let in some light to see around.

As far as ventilation goes, always have lots. I live in south central KY, low winter temps, high summer temps and outrageous humidity. I'm going to put openable windows, put hardware cloth and 2x4 welded wire on two walls, then put plywood over those for winter. Figure your highest point in the coop and put some kind of ventilation there. For example, my plans call for a shed style roof. I'll be putting 6" x 3ft cuts in the plywood on the top of the high side, putting hinges on the cuts so I can close them if necessary. Doing the same thing on the bottom as the high side is the north face of the coop. The roosts will be on the south side of the coop, so air movement will not be over them as they roost. I'm also leaving room all around the top where the roof studs sit to just cover with wire for permanent ventilation. As the low side is the south, that side will heat first, the air will then flow up the inside of the roof and out of the high side.

Hope this makes sense. Lots of others have pics, but as my coop is in the foundation stage, I don't. But that's the plan.

Are the windows for ventilation left open in below zero temperatures?

 

[aart]

Are the windows for ventilation left open in below zero temperatures?

Below zero F or C?
Some ventilation is needed 24/7/365.....where it is depends on many things.
My eave venting is open all year and we can get some neg F's.
But I do have a baffle over the roosts in winter because roost is fairly close to one eave.

 

[llombardo]

Below zero F.

 

[Foster's Freehold]

aart is right. you have to have ventilation all winter long, even in what to us is very cold weather. Chickens have a nice downy coat of feathers and it does a good job of maintaining body heat for them. Chickens usually run about 104 degrees F. So, with that high a body heat, and that coat of feathers, they generally do ok.

The problems come when there is too much moisture because it cannot escape. Between breathing and pooing, chickens produce a lot of moisture. If that moisture doesn't escape, it turns to frost on the inside of your windows, your chickens combs and wattles, their feet. Kinda like holding your wet hand out in the cold. I don't know anyone that has made comb warmers or feet warmers for chickens, so we have to keep those areas of their bodies dry by making sure there is ventilation for the moisture to escape.

Now, I keep my coop fairly closed up in the winter. I'm a cold hating person lol. But, what that means is that 1/4 of the entire area of the coop is hardware cloth with a tarp in front of it to keep blowing north wind out. It has a tin roof, so there is open area where it doesn't meet the wood. My roosts are on the low side of the roof, so the hot moist air travels up the underside of the roof and out at the high side. It always seems warmer in the coop, dunno that it actually is or not, but to my mind it is.

If it is a dry day, I'll open the door into the coop too and let the sun shine in on the deep litter. Occasionally I'll take the fork and turn the little from the very bottom so the moisture can get to the top and dry a bit.

The whole point is to keep it as dry as you can. No moisture, no frostbite.

 

[Foster's Freehold]

Well Woods is out. Beautiful design and I am sure we can build it but after crunching numbers we are not willing to spend that much right now. I had it figured up to be around $500+ on the reasonable side to do what I would like if we built it and we still need to get the run set up. Maybe if my kids decide they want to do this long term and we continue with more chickens down the road I can build one for the flock.

That being said - any thoughts on a Hoop Coop? This would Not be a tractor, it would be permanent. Love the simplicity of design yet what looks to be good functionality. We'd splurge a little here and there but I am confident it would be 1/3 the cost of the Woods and could be built in an afternoon. I'm thinking 8 x 12 with the back 1/3 being the coop/roost/nesting area.

Hoop coops can be great. If you are a tall person, build a rectangle of lumber with the sides about 2 foot up. Attach your cattle panels higher up the lumber, giving you more room to stand.

Make sure to secure them really well, both to the foundation and each other. Covered with hardware cloth, they can be really secure. You can use a tarp to cover one end for your nesting boxes, feed and water stations etc. In the winter, you can cover it all, except for the ventilation areas, with plastic.

If you have snow load, you might need to add props in the middle, it can be kinda bendy.