Help Chicken coop suggestions wanted

[aart]

Ditto on coons. They are incredibly strong and can rip chicken wire

Thompsen water seal is not a great product, even on dry plain wood. It will not work at all on OSB board because it won't soak in due to the binders used.
Paint is definitely the way to go...and yes it would be easier to paint the interior now if you want it painted for ease of cleaning and increased light if you use white.

Roost looks good, get the feeder and waterer out from under as it will get covered in poop....or put a board 6-8" under that roost to catch the poop.

Ventilation...where are you located? 1 sqft of ventilation per large fowl bird is recommended. Ameraucana is a large fowl. I would add another opening over the door as previously mentioned. Windows and vents should be open all the time, even at night, thus the HC. Ventilation is very important as birds are very sensitive to respiratory issues (ammonia laden air) and humidity causes frostbite if you are in a colder area, especially in a crowded coop.

4sqft per LF bird in coop and 10sqft in run is the minimum (IMO) recommended space requirement. You might be successful free ranging but if predation or extreme weather require confinement in coop, problems could arise due to crowding.

 

[vickichicki]

Thanks for the correction on the Thompsons aart. I have everything painted in mine, was offering something as a quick fix. I guess the glue to hold the strands together would probably render the water seal useless.
Good catch!

 

[Kakadoodledoo]

Thanks for all the info so far. The vented sky light is permanently open, and it is 14" x 14". I plan on keeping the window open all the time. It sounds like I should put the hardware wire over the outside of the window.
I live in northern utah, and while we have hot summers, we also have winters that get below 0 F. I'm worried about cutting the extra 4" x 4' hole above the double doors.
Another idea someone has thrown at me is to staple a couple layers of cardboard on under the siding for insulation. Is this worth considering?

 

[Alaskan]

I ended up NOT liking vents at my eaves, all of the cold air would rush in.

I am changing things around a bit this summer, because I could not keep my windows, which are at perch level, open more than a tiny crack or freezing air would rush in.

My coop (good, raised 8x8x8, predators proof) shares one side with my chicken shed which is 8x16 with height 4.5 feet on one side up to 8 or 9 feet. The shed has part wire walls. There is a big, maybe 18 to 20 inch wide by 24 inch tall chicken door between the two buildings which I keep open and a vent cut into the wall higher up.

I am planning to make the higher vent larger, and continue letting the chicken door stay open. Then the fresh outside air is getting in the coop and getting rid of the humidity, but since it goes through the shed first, hopefully no more gusts. I will probably crack one window on slightly warmer days.

I also at times, when I think the humidity is too high, I go to the coop around 11ish and open both windows so all of the old air is blown out, then I close everything back up so that things can warm up a tiny bit before bed time.

You can always set it up so that you have higher vents for the summer, and then close up the higher vents in the winter.

As to insulation....it is VERY GOOD to insulate, even though you also need lots of vents. Just think how if you go outside in the winter, you are lots warmer if you are wearing a good hat, instead of no hat, even if you forgot your coat. The insulation is like a good hat.

My problem with insulation is that I live in small rodent paradise. I could not figure out how in the world I would keep rodents out of insulated chicken coop walls, so I only insulated the floor and the roof of my coop.

I am thinking this year that I might insulate just the upper half of my coop walls. Dunno though.

Don't know about cardboard for insulation, it would be worse than nothing if it got wet.

 

[JanetS]

kakadoodledoo- there's a lot to chicken keeping isn't there? I've learned so much since we got our chickens over a year ago. I'm actually still learning. I agree with the others about painting the in and out side of your coop. It might save you from having to build a new one soon. We use sand in our coop and love it. It's a lot easier to keep clean. Good luck.

 

[Kakadoodledoo]

Here's an update on my coop. I have put up used siding around the outside. I forewent the paint on the inside but the bottom is covered with wood shavings. I got used plastic containers, food grade, from walmart's bakery for a buck each and screwed nipple waterers into the bottom.
I have built the run from 2 by 4s with a cement footing. The roof is currently a tarp, I'll see how long that goes. And today, I got my first egg. It's been a learning experience. If you have any questions let me know.