I want opinions :) please - Esp from cold climate folks

[jetamio]

http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/for/1456745899.html

Here is the guys website: http://www.farmnyard.com/

He's probably a member for all I know

What do you guys think of this design?

I kind of like the double long one on the CL post for more than 6 hens....... I am planning on free ranging, but at the same time I want a protected from snow covered area so they don't have to be stuck in the coop all during snow season......

I am just trying to figure out how good this design is.....I love the way it looks from the outside,

and I think the chickens would find it quite comfortable inside, but what do you think are potential problems with it?

Any and all feedback is much appreciated, reallye........


btw, I am not sure if I would be buying from the guy ~ or~ just using some of these design ideas

 

[rufus]

They look nice, but I am opposed to spending money for something that I can make out of found materials. Election sign boards make the best coops. Look for scrap lumber and wire in alleys. But then again, that is just me. Do what you want; it is your coop.

Rufus

 

[jetamio]

I should have put something in there about cost.

I debated it before my above post, but thought my questions were pretty sraight forward.

I am not necessarily planning on buying this coop. I have loved ones who are carpenters and have wood shops.

Construction is not much of an issue. Functionality is, which is why I posted.

I just need to know what are the potential problems with a coop this size and design.

The major one I can see is that you can't walk in to clean.

But I am a freshman, a veritable dimwit

when it comes to this because I have not yet had the pleasure of owning my own chickens.

Please assist!

 

[patandchickens]

Couldn't see the coop, the link said the ad had been flagged for removal. The coops on the guy's homepage, I dunno which if any of them was the one you were talking about from the ad, but they have a number of features that make me go 'hmmm'. Mind, I can't see any in detail enough, nor do I know how the guy is phrasing his ads, to be *sure* there are design problems, but, hmmm.

Pat

 

[jetamio]

Here is an up to date link.......


http://boston.craigslist.org/sob/grd/1467977599.html


he also has one like this that is twice as long-twice as big - for bigger flocks.........

I love the way it looks, but I think I am too distracted by that to notice what any real problems might be.............

 

[patandchickens]

I suppose it would be fine for a few chickens, like up to 6 or so (with the add-on portion to extend the run). I for sure would not put more in it, in a northern climate anyhow.

Biggest difficulty that I see is that they are apparently roosting right up under that clerestory, cupola, whatever you call it, the long windowed business along the ridge. That is great in summertime if you have 1/4" hardwarecloth on the openings (I would not trust 1/2" with the chickens THAT near the windows); but in wintertime, it prevents you from running any ventilation at night if you have very many chickens. If you have few chickens you can open the end vent and hope the chickens have the sense to huddle at the opposite side of the roost. You'd want to put bubblewrap or something on those upper windows for wintertime in a cold climate, as otherwise they will be *major* condensation/drip farms and make it hard to keep humidity down unless you have really a *lot* ov vents open.

I am going to guess the coop is 4x6'? Says 'twelve feet of roost'. I wonder how far apart those roosts are, though. Fifteen chickens in there would be one of those "how many chickens can you physically fit" type things. Six would be better, that'd be 4 sq ft per chicken indoors.

IF you have the expanded run on both sides, that'd give you about 8 sq ft per chicken in the run, which is not unreasonable. (If you'd always free range, of course, run size is not so much an issue)... HOWEVER I cannot see how you would comfortably access the nestboxes and side access hatch if you did have those extended side runs? It is a kind of odd and dysfunctional design with those things in place, could be done differently to much better effect I think.

If you are just looking at this from the perspective of getting design ideas, I guess what I would say is: for a large coop, like 10x10, the cupola/clerestory/whatever-it's-called thingie is not a bad idea and could be got to work successfully in most (perhaps all) situations. However its value in a small coop, or a low coop, or a small low coop, is not so clear and it presents many extra complications regarding separation of chickens from ventilation and regarding condensation issues in cold winters. Running it along only half the length of the ridge, or making it simply a normal (functioning) cupola, would minimize but not entirely eliminate those issues in a small/low type coop.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[hilandfrog]

It looks very nice

It looks as if for a little more effort one could have walls that go all the way down to the ground

I have 6 standard chickens in their smallish (4 X 6 X 6) coop.

I have the space 4.7 acres, yet I wanted something that would "blend",
Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.

Why I did not go, at a MIN 4X8 is beyond me, see above, I'll be looking into building an addition in the spring.
For ones own convenience having SPACE,storage space ( winter vent covers, heat lamps, food etc ) and a little room to "work is huge.

A drain hole in the floor/ or slots in the wall at the "down hill" side for water spillage and floor clean up.

Getting to the eggs from the outside is great, I think the chickens like it also

poop pans or boards should not be left out, nor should other things making YOUR life easier for maintenance.

Lights on timers and outlets for "stuff" is nice, Temperature dependent, electricity seems a must, at least wire it for future needs.

Even w/ 7' walls in their 10X16 enclosure 2 gals would consistently be outside the walls, cover the top.

Inside their yard, roosting places get used a lot, next step cove one of them and/ or specing covering the whole run $$

If letting them out into YOUR space, plan on a few day of stress and counting your chickens.


Repo

 

[CityChook]

The CL listing is again flagged for removal. Makes a gal wonder why.

Which coop on his website is the one that intrigues you? I'm guessing, based on Pat's response, but am withholding my opinions until I know which coop you're interested in.

 

[BTufts]

Hi there!! I wasn't able to see which coop you were questioning but the coops on the website look nice. I'm currently planning my next coop and have found it so helpful to look at other people's coops to get some ideas. (wish I had found this site before making my first coop!!) Good luck!

And I also noticed you're in New Gloucester! I grew up there and live in Raymond now.

 

[jetamio]

Hey there all!

Thank you so sincerely for your feedback!

Okay, so if you go on the guys site, it's the "Large Capecodder"

He had one pic in a former post which was one of these but built double the length he has as "one" coop.

Pat- Thank you so much for the advice about the cupola thingy. I do NOT want a drippy coop!!!

It certainly is a design aesthetic that I like, but not enough to sacrifice health or function. Can you elaborate a little bit about how that could be improved to work better?

When you said make it like a real cupola, did you mean, square, instead of longways?

BTufts-great to see another Mainer newb here, I don't feel like quite as much of a dork!

I've been to Raymond, lovely, and yes close by

CityChook, yeah, I don't know except for there are quite a few in MAss who advertise for coops on CL, so maybe competitors? I agree-it makes you wonder.....




Jacqueline


edited for a spelling error just after posting..