I need HELP

[davef72]

I live in North East Texas, two hours east of Dallas to be exact. It does freeze here. b/c of this I worry about make a three sided shed for them to live in.

 

[Nupe]

The first big issue with chickens and cold is moisture, the second is wind/drafts. Above single digit temps, ventilation in a coop is more important than warmth. If you build it in such a way that it stays dry and blocks wind, I don't think you'll have a problem with a few cold nights.

 

[tcstoehr]

Go to Amazon.com and search for "Chicken Coop Plans.". For a very reasonable price you can get a single book or two with loads of plans to choose from.

 

[SarcasmPhD]

I'm also new and building my own coop. I resesrched here, looked at and got ideas from pre-fab coops and watched YouTube. There I found some great coop ideas, feeders, waterers, etc. You can Google tons of ideas. I'm going with a gravity fed feeder & waterer using a five gallon bucket for each and PVC. Both ideas I got from YouTube.

 

[JackE]

I live in North East Texas, two hours east of Dallas to be exact. It does freeze here. b/c of this I worry about make a three sided shed for them to live in.

I get below freezing temps here, and I have a 3-walled coop. The front wall is covered only with hardware cloth.

 

[seminolewind]

My husband built this a few years ago. It's 4x8, the coop area is 5 foot x 4 foot deep and the wire area is 3 feet wide. I live in Florida so that's why the front is open. If it gets real cold I use towels or feed bags and tack them over the doors. The things I would like to change is making the underneath taller, and the overhang is great for rain and shade, but I've bumped my head on it so many times I'm to the point of beating it with an ax. He said the wood cost him $600.00 , but the plywood is very thick and it's built with 2x4's. It's way way too heavy to move.

The reason for the enclosed porch is that if we were to go away in the summer for a day or two, we could keep the birds in .

 

[davef72]

My husband built this a few years ago. It's 4x8, the coop area is 5 foot x 4 foot deep and the wire area is 3 feet wide. I live in Florida so that's why the front is open. If it gets real cold I use towels or feed bags and tack them over the doors. The things I would like to change is making the underneath taller, and the overhang is great for rain and shade, but I've bumped my head on it so many times I'm to the point of beating it with an ax. He said the wood cost him $600.00 , but the plywood is very thick and it's built with 2x4's. It's way way too heavy to move.

The reason for the enclosed porch is that if we were to go away in the summer for a day or two, we could keep the birds in .

I love the screen doors as a side of the coop!
I never thought of that. Thank you for the idea...VERY VERY cool. please keep them coming. I'm loving all the nice ideas from you all. Thanks again to everyone who's shared so far.

 

[davef72]

I'm also new and building my own coop. I resesrched here, looked at and got ideas from pre-fab coops and watched YouTube. There I found some great coop ideas, feeders, waterers, etc. You can Google tons of ideas. I'm going with a gravity fed feeder & waterer using a five gallon bucket for each and PVC. Both ideas I got from YouTube.

Great ideas for the YouTube referral. Don't know why I didn't think of that already...

 

[aatx]

I second the idea for modifying a 8x8 shed type structure. That's what we did. We salvaged an old one, tore it down to the studs, and rebuilt. I posted pictures here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/596294/post-your-chicken-coop-pictures-here/7210#post_14689346 (post 7216 in that thread if it doesn't take you to the correct one.)

 

[seminolewind]

I second the idea for modifying a 8x8 shed type structure. That's what we did. We salvaged an old one, tore it down to the studs, and rebuilt. I posted pictures here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/596294/post-your-chicken-coop-pictures-here/7210#post_14689346 (post 7216 in that thread if it doesn't take you to the correct one.)

WOW!!!