HELP: I need Ideas for Open Coops...

[Bleenie]

I plan to build a new coop for my chickens & ducks for the winter season. we didn't have too bad of a Winter last year and we haven't had much snow at all for many years now. I am thinking of building a coop with an Open front, or possibly a 3.5 sided coop/shed for them. It will be in an area where it won't get almost any wind and they will have plenty of warmth inside the new coop. (even though the dumb ducks insist on sleeping outside

)

I am in the process of cleaning out the area where it will go today.

any ideas or PICTURES! would be greatly appreciated. I wanna do this & get it done with as little problem s as possible!

all other suggestions are welcome too.

 

[elmo]

I've got an open coop on my BYC page. I use it for our hot summers here. When it starts getting cooler in the fall, I add corrugated panels to the back and sides to form windbreaks. It works pretty well. My only real goof was to put the thing someplace where it gets the afternoon sun. That's nice in the winter, but not so nice in the summer (too hot!).

 

[arcatamarcia]

I also live in the PNW, on the coast. My coop has 3 walls and the fourth is 1/2" hardware cloth. The roof is also well ventilated. It will get no wind, since it's on the east side and faces my garden shed. One of the other walls also has a high vent. It isn't done yet, but you can see what I mean in this progress picture.

 

[NonnasBabies]

I have a 3 sided coop. It works great in the deep south. Last winter was quite unusual where we had some temps in the high teens and low 20's. I just stapled a tarp over the roost to keep the wind off of them and I also put 2 250 watt heat bulbs on them. Not sure of it helped at all but it sure made me feel better!!

Missi

 

[Desert Peep]

I also have an open sided coop for my girls. Here in Tucson I was more concerned with keeping them cool than warm. In the winter if we get any cold temps (every once in a while it will drop below freezing), I will cover the hardware wire with plywood panels. The finished coop has a pop door and a ramp for them to walk up to get inside. During the hot summer, they spend most of their day under the coop in the damp dirt, as it is about 2 feet up from the ground.

The pop door is on the left side, but it is closed. The ramp and roof are not on yet in the first two photos.

The only thing that I would change about the design is the front door. It swings up and I constantly bump my head into it. Next time it will swing open like a regular door.

Here is another coop under construction that I built.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

I have a coop that is highly ventilated for the desert heat here. See more pics on my BYC page.

 

[TerriLaChicks]

Here's mine --- we actually did have snow here twice last winter, we just stapled visqueen over the wire areas of the coop to block the wind---worked fine for us. Sorry the pic is at a distance. The coop is 8x12. All of the "open" areas are 2x4 wire - same kind as the fence. The chicken entrance is on the back of the coop so you can't see it in the pic. The door is on the left side & the roof is tin panels

 

[elmo]

Gallo del Cielo, I really love the semi-circular design of your roof! It's beautiful as well as functional. I'm guessing that it was fairly easy to build, too. Is that right?

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:
Thanks elmo! Yes, it was very easy to make. It was just a matter of bending wire. I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know about loxit rings and connectors when I made it and that would have made construction even easier. As it was I used the tag ends of the cut wire to attach itself to the structure and staples to connect it the 2 X 4s mounted on the wall. Other 16 gauge wire was used to connect the panels together where there weren't tag ends. I think I put all the wire on the top of run in just over a day, working by myself. The neat thing that doesn't really come across in the pics is how strong it is. The arch shape in conjunction with the smaller rectangles of the wire really contributes to the structural integrity. The strength of it allowed me to use fewer posts than I would have otherwise. It all helps contribute to the airy feeling of the run. It will also repel dogs or coyotes that might try to jump up on top to get inside. Thankfully neither have gotten into the back yard since we got our birds.