Interior design help!

[Lel's Lil Acre]

Hey all, I am getting my first girls this spring, and this is what I have to work with to create a coop. It's a 4 x 8, only about 5'5 tall (which works for me and gives me 5 inches head room) The vents on the side can be closed up if need be (I would like as much roost space as possible) I was planning on putting my nest boxes on the floor (thoughts on this or if they need to be raised some?) And the pop door is going to be put under the window which will have HWC put on it and any little gaps in the inside *nail fix* will have wire put over it before any chickens habitat the coop. Some pictures to help (the boards are up on the ceiling because the roof nails poke through and I don't want anyone injured) Where/how would you put roosts, I am small so I don't have a very big reach, is it possible to get two roost bars stacked in 2/2.5 feet of space (width)? The old paneled door in the picks is what I was going to use as a poop board by putting some 2x4 on the sides. Any input is appreciated! Thank you in advance!

From the door:

Right side (no window):

Left side (window with pop door under):

Back (planning on putting more ventilation up near the top):

 

[GtheCajun]

Here is my design on a roost in a 4x8 coop. It is basically a swing suspended on chains. Easy to adjust the height, or remove to clean coop. I have it set much higher now.

 

[Latestarter]

First, greetings and welcome to BYC! So glad you joined us. There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Since you're specifically interested in coop designs,spend some time on this link and there are literally thousands of pictures and you should be able to get some great ideas: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/chicken-coops.12/
Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Please make yourself at home!

From the pictures you provided my #1 consideration would be how you orient the structure to your primary wind direction. Not sure where you're located but you don't want cold winter wind blowing into the coop through the ventilation you NEED to provide. Having said that, what is shown has virtually no ventilation at all, and you need to add a LOT. should have ~1 square foot of open ventilation per bird.

I personally like to have incoming vents down low away from the roost and then high outflow venting well above the birds. It's very important though that there is no drafts or wind blowing on the birds when they are on the roost, especially in winter. The birds fluff up their feathers to increase the "loft" of their down parka. Wind blowing on them will lift the feathers and they'll freeze. The ventilation also helps eliminate the moisture that will build up inside which can cause respiratory issues, bad odors, and frost bite during winter.

Oh, if you haven't done so already, PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes.

 

[jthornton]

Put vents in each gable end up high. I'd put the nest boxes through the wall so they don't take up any floor space and you can collect the eggs from the outside. I'd put the roost down the other long wall at least 12" above the nest box(es) unless you have a means to close them off after all the eggs have been laid for the day. If you can't put the nest box(es) through the wall I'd put it under the roost and put a lip around it with Sweet PDZ in the poop box. Chickens can almost fly UP vertical but need space to fly down at about a 45° angle and enough room to stop without bumping into anything. Also you don't mention how many chickens your getting which is very important.

JT

 

[aart]

Pics of outside, please?
Yes, knowing your location and how many birds is important.

4' is a tough width, things get tight quick
Nests are best about 14" deep plus a perch 6-8" out front,
roosts need to be 12" away from wall.
That coupled with heights...things get tangled quick.
External nests might be a good option.

Get some graph paper and start laying things out to scale.

Interior stuff may be affected by exterior stuff, a covered run can free things up inside. Think about feed and water size and location too.

 

[Merrymouse]

I have the same size coop...let me see if I can post some pictures of what I did for my roosts and poop boards. I spent a lot of time trying to configure the best way to get at least 10' of roost space....hang on...this new format BYC kills me...

 

[Merrymouse]

let me see if this works. This is how I configured my roost/poop boards in my 4x8 coop

 

[pasuit]

Put vents in each gable end up high. I'd put the nest boxes through the wall so they don't take up any floor space and you can collect the eggs from the outside. I'd put the roost down the other long wall at least 12" above the nest box(es) unless you have a means to close them off after all the eggs have been laid for the day. If you can't put the nest box(es) through the wall I'd put it under the roost and put a lip around it with Sweet PDZ in the poop box. Chickens can almost fly UP vertical but need space to fly down at about a 45° angle and enough room to stop without bumping into anything. Also you don't mention how many chickens your getting which is very important.

JT

 

[pasuit]

I agree whole heartedly.