Is one coop wall made of hardware cloth and wrapped n a tarp good enough?

[Niklepikle]

Hi! This is my first chicke coop! So excited. Ive done months of research to make it th safest home for my babies. Obviously, life experience is th real research i need to tap! I have an odd shaped wood shed i am converting to a coop.it is 11’ x ‘3.5’ . Awkward, right? It was going to be pretty easy as the roof and 3 sides were all built strong... then I ended up with more chicks that’s i had planned. Now i have to make it larger! I am extending it to 7 feet long, ad it will end up about 6.5 feet tall in the front (backside dips to 4 feet). I don’t have a lot of money (or carpentry skills).. so i came up with a plan to continue with wood along the sides BUT the largest wall, the front wall, frame in all hardware cloth and cover it entirely in a heavy duty weatherproof tarp. The top foot will be left just hardware for ventilation (1’ x11’) and there will be vents along sides as well. I have 13 babies: 5 buff Orpington, 2 olive eggers (1 of which I am guessing is a roo), 2 Cochins, and 4 Easter eggers. My biggest concern is, will that wall (which is the largest) keep my babies insulated from the weather safely?? They will have a fenced in run (that is not covered) for them during the day.
BTW.. I live in Northern California

Here is my rough draft.. its only the floor plan and the south side but you get the draft

My 2.5 week olive egger Raven.. pretty sure she is a he you should see his meaty legs! he’s is just fabulous and so friendly! I just put my hand out and he walks right up and hops on. They are all so friendly!

Anyways, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR ADVICE!!!!!

 

[trumpeting_angel]

How cold does it get in your winter? The more I read, the more it is clear that if they are acclimated to the cold, it’s much less danger than lack of ventilation. I’m sure more experienced coop builders will have an opinion.

 

[rosemarythyme]

How cold does it get for you during the middle of winter? And how much precipitation?

Honestly they might be ok without the tarp at all, or with less of it, unless that mesh wall faces your oncoming storms.

 

[Niklepikle]

December is our coldest month and average night time temp is 40.6 deg. Mind you, during the day in summer the temps are between 55-63 deg. Coastal living! The guidelines say 1 sq ft ventilation per bird. Should I follow this? I will have a few more feet than that. Also, I’m not sure what best color to use. I don’t have any windows. But the roofing is corrugated plastic you see on greenhouses.. not clear but a diffuse light and trees over it. Any advice is very appreciated!

 

[rosemarythyme]

December is our coldest month and average night time temp is 40.6 deg. Mind you, during the day in summer the temps are between 55-63 deg. Coastal living! The guidelines say 1 sq ft ventilation per bird. Should I follow this? I will have a few more feet than that. Also, I’m not sure what best color to use. I don’t have any windows. But the roofing is corrugated plastic you see on greenhouses.. not clear but a diffuse light and trees over it. Any advice is very appreciated!

Ok so it's not remotely cold at all. As long as there won't be rain pouring in or winds whistling through you could leave it open year round, the birds will enjoy it very much and it will provide great ventilation and light.

Regarding color, do you mean for walls? You can technically use whatever colors you want for paint.

 

[Niklepikle]

Ok so it's not remotely cold at all. As long as there won't be rain pouring in or winds whistling through you could leave it open year round, the birds will enjoy it very much and it will provide great ventilation and light.

Regarding color, do you mean for walls? You can technically use whatever colors you want for paint.

For the tarp... brown, green, clear, etc..

 

[Niklepikle]

I was also thinking i could cover the bottom 3 feet with plywood to eliminate any drafts for the nesting boxes and roosts. Because i have some heavy birds i am only putting my roosts 18” high and my nest boxes 15” off ground. I have been thinking of a way I could roll it up for nice weather and then drop it backdown (or vice versa) during the night.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Depends on your wind patterns but drafts may not be an issue. It might be more secure with some wood at the bottom portion so that might be a better option than just tarping the whole thing. You do want to leave a good portion open as it sounds like this is the main source of ventilation. Even during snowstorms I leave quite a bit of ventilation open, like over 3 sq ft per bird.

For tarp color don't think it matters too much, unless you're thinking of leaving it in place even during summer?

 

[Niklepikle]

Thanks! Every coop I’ve seen is mostly boarded up with some ventilation spots, so i assumed just venting at top was what you should do.

 

[Niklepikle]

So a vent that is 2 or 3ft x 11ft is not too much for all year ventilation?