Help with designing a walk in coop/shed

[1Anjl]

Hi, I recently built a pallet shed to use as a coop, but also feed storage, brooder area, etc. My original thought was that the coop area would be 4x8x4 ft high (and the peaked vented roof) under that area I wanted a spot for a 4x4x4 brooder and a another 4x4x4 area in case I need to separate an injured chicken. I havent built any of the interior yet, but plan to start that this weekend. However now I have questions....

Should I add windows? ( I have some here that I can use) I currently have no electricity in the coop so no interior light.

Is there enough ventilation? My winds come from the north and I closed the off the north side from floor to ceiling. there is 18" vented on front top and the whole south side top is vented 12" on the tall side.

I wanted the main coop in the upper level so that it would be easier for me to clean it out (wheel barrel inside shed) so I planned on putting the coop on the upper left side of the door and then having the brooder area and quarantine area under that. But that means their pop door will be about 5 feet off the ground. Will chickens go up a 5 ft ramp to get inside their coop?

I planned to build the interior wall with huge doors covered in hardware cloth. would that be too drafty? should I build solid wall/door on the interior?

Would you add electricity to the coop? I didnt think I would need/want electricity there but now I am second guessing. I wont be using a heater in the coop, besides a light what other reasons would I need electricity out there?

Also how many standard size chickens would fit in a 4x8x4 coop?

Im open to any and all suggestions. I have had chickens before, but its been quite a while so I am relearning as fast as I can! LOL

 

[StinkyAcres]

Your coop looks great! Plenty of ventilation, I'd say. No more than 8 chickens should fit comfortably in there. I would say yes to window(s) with some kind of protection from weather (awning, shutters, etc.). They are nice to have for natural light (good for laying hens) and extra ventilation (can never have too much!). Electricity is really not necessary. I have a light in my coop but I barely use it because I use a headlamp when it's dark which doesn't disturb the chickens as much.

 

[1Anjl]

Your coop looks great! Plenty of ventilation, I'd say. No more than 8 chickens should fit comfortably in there. I would say yes to window(s) with some kind of protection from weather (awning, shutters, etc.). They are nice to have for natural light (good for laying hens) and extra ventilation (can never have too much!). Electricity is really not necessary. I have a light in my coop but I barely use it because I use a headlamp when it's dark which doesn't disturb the chickens as much.

Thanks, I always used a headlamp in the past and I figured I could do a solar light in there if I need to see in the shed portion. Do you think having the interior wall dividing the shed from the coop should be solid or can I use hardware cloth? The winds come from that side in the winter and the board/batten has tons of cracks in it so I am worried it will be too drafty?

 

[StinkyAcres]

Thanks, I always used a headlamp in the past and I figured I could do a solar light in there if I need to see in the shed portion. Do you think having the interior wall dividing the shed from the coop should be solid or can I use hardware cloth? The winds come from that side in the winter and the board/batten has tons of cracks in it so I am worried it will be too drafty?

How cold does it get there? I think a hardware cloth wall would be the way to go so you can observe your chickens from inside the shed. Drafts around the roosts might be a concern.

 

[StinkyAcres]

I do have some concerns about your plan of raising the coop portion 4 feet. The pop door will be so high up it might discourage the chickens from going up there. Or it might not. I don't have experience with such a high ramp.

How about placing the roosts with poop boards over a brooder/sick bay combo and keeping the other side at shed floor level so the pop door doesn't have to be so high?

 

[aart]

Thanks, I always used a headlamp in the past and I figured I could do a solar light in there if I need to see in the shed portion. Do you think having the interior wall dividing the shed from the coop should be solid or can I use hardware cloth? The winds come from that side in the winter and the board/batten has tons of cracks in it so I am worried it will be too drafty?

What do you plan on storing in the shed portion?
I have an HC wall separating coop from storage in a shed,
everything not touched regularly will become covered with thick dust.

 

[1Anjl]

How cold does it get there? I think a hardware cloth wall would be the way to go so you can observe your chickens from inside the shed. Drafts around the roosts might be a concern.

Im in NE AR, It does get cold in the winter has even got down to -5 but it only lasts a few days. Im thinking I could always wrap the outside of the coop on the north side with a tarp if there is going to be really cold winds. I think our main concern here is going to be the heat and humidity in the summer, which is why Im concerned about venting it.

 

[1Anjl]

I do have some concerns about your plan of raising the coop portion 4 feet. The pop door will be so high up it might discourage the chickens from going up there. Or it might not. I don't have experience with such a high ramp.

How about placing the roosts with poop boards over a brooder/sick bay combo and keeping the other side at shed floor level so the pop door doesn't have to be so high?

Oh I like that idea. I wouldnt have a quarantine area, but I could always use a dog crate in the shed portion if one of them is getting picked on.

 

[1Anjl]

What do you plan on storing in the shed portion?
I have an HC wall separating coop from storage in a shed,
everything not touched regularly will become covered with thick dust.

Just chicken supplies (cages, extra feeders etc) and a galvanized garbage bin to store their feed in.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Hi, I recently built a pallet shed to use as a coop, but also feed storage, brooder area, etc. My original thought was that the coop area would be 4x8x4 ft high (and the peaked vented roof) under that area I wanted a spot for a 4x4x4 brooder and a another 4x4x4 area in case I need to separate an injured chicken. I havent built any of the interior yet, but plan to start that this weekend.

A 4x8 is the largest I'd build that was not a walk-in. You need to be able to reach everywhere inside so build access doors, probably from inside that shed.

Should I add windows? ( I have some here that I can use) I currently have no electricity in the coop so no interior light.

I would for lighting. You should get quite a bit of light from that venting but I'd probably put one on the back wall. It won't hurt and might help on those dark dreary days of winter.

Is there enough ventilation? My winds come from the north and I closed the off the north side from floor to ceiling. there is 18" vented on front top and the whole south side top is vented 12" on the tall side.

I lived in Northwest Arkansas and had chickens. I think that should be enough venting. Just make sure the wind does not blow on them when they are on the roosts.

I wanted the main coop in the upper level so that it would be easier for me to clean it out (wheel barrel inside shed) so I planned on putting the coop on the upper left side of the door and then having the brooder area and quarantine area under that. But that means their pop door will be about 5 feet off the ground. Will chickens go up a 5 ft ramp to get inside their coop?

Can your chickens fly? If they can fly, they can fly up that high, even without a ramp, if they want to. If you have some that can't fly, like Silkies, they can still be trained to use a ramp. The trick is to teach them that the coop is where they want to sleep.

It has been a while but there are some older threads on this forum where people had openings that high. I remember one that the coop was in the upstairs of a barn with chicken access through a wall.

I planned to build the interior wall with huge doors covered in hardware cloth. would that be too drafty? should I build solid wall/door on the interior?

Aart makes a good point about the dust but it sounds like that doesn't concern you with what you plan to have in there. I had a lot of ventilation on the interior wall when I closed off the end of a shed to build my coop. Depending on how drafty it actually is you might consider closing off the lower section of the coop and having the top part open.

Would you add electricity to the coop? I didnt think I would need/want electricity there but now I am second guessing. I wont be using a heater in the coop, besides a light what other reasons would I need electricity out there?

How do you plan on providing heat to your brooder? Lighting is convenient but you don't need it. I did not heat my coop in NW Arkansas either but I did have a built-in brooder and needed electricity for that.

Also how many standard size chickens would fit in a 4x8x4 coop?

How high is up? How far away is far away? Yours is another question that doesn't have a fixed answer. I've seen different guidelines on this forum. The trendy guidelines right now are for 4 square feet per chicken in the coop and 10 square feet in the run. These work for the majority of people provided you don't integrate. But occasionally they are too tight. You should have weather where they can be outside all day practically every day. I don't know what you plan as far as a run goes or how much you will keep them locked in the coop only.

If you have to have a number I'd say no more than 8. But I kind of cringe when someone asks how many chickens can I shoehorn into this space. I'd prefer to look at it as how many chickens do I want and then decide how I can provide enough room for them.