Judge my coop & run :)

[1peep1]

Hello,

Getting ready for our first ever hens and wanted some wisdom on our coop & run.

I have copied the design from online coops & runs I saw and built it all from scrap which is great

Main concern is how much air flow is required in the converted dog house portion of the coop?

It's located in Sydney, Australia so not super hot or super cold though from what I read too much heat is a problem rather then cold?

Thanks!!!

 

[WonkierZulu]

Need more ventilation, probably paint your roof white. Probably cut out that area you already have drilled front and in the back.

 

[CKfarm22]

Hello,

Getting ready for our first ever hens and wanted some wisdom on our coop & run.

I have copied the design from online coops & runs I saw and built it all from scrap which is great

Main concern is how much air flow is required in the converted dog house portion of the coop?

It's located in Sydney, Australia so not super hot or super cold though from what I read too much heat is a problem rather then cold?

Thanks!!!

How many chickens do you plan on keeping in this? What’s the dimensions in coop and run?

 

[nuthatched]

Like the others have said, more ventilation is good, I think it's a good build for 3-4 hens. Looks sturdy!

 

[ozzie]

A wire skirt around the bottom edge to stop predators digging in. Yes there are foxes in Sydney (in the middle of suburbia).

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC. You've done a nice, solid job of construction but there are some flaws in the design you used.

Main concern is how much air flow is required in the converted dog house portion of the coop?

This is the biggest issue. There is no meaningful ventilation at all.

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

What are the actual, interior dimensions of the coop and of the run?

You'll want to open up all or most of the gable triangles, covering them with hardware cloth, for good airflow and will probably need to either extend the roof or add awnings to keep the weather out.

 

[1peep1]

Thanks for the tips!!!

Run is 2.5m x 0.835m = 2.0875m2 so ~2.2 chickens...
Coop is 0.950m x 0.835m = 0.7932m2 !so 2.1 chickens
The converted dog house is 1.045m tall so house does this play in the calculations as i only did the floor space?

I was told one chicken is lonely and two always fight for leader status and that 3 was the golden number... is this true?

So in terms of the ventilation do need to cut a huge hole in the top of the house or just more breathing holes?

Thanks again

 

[CKfarm22]

Thanks for the tips!!!

Run is 2.5m x 0.835m = 2.0875m2 so ~2.2 chickens...
Coop is 0.950m x 0.835m = 0.7932m2 !so 2.1 chickens
The converted dog house is 1.045m tall so house does this play in the calculations as i only did the floor space?

I was told one chicken is lonely and two always fight for leader status and that 3 was the golden number... is this true?

So in terms of the ventilation do need to cut a huge hole in the top of the house or just more breathing holes?

Thanks again

How many chickens do you have in this again?

 

[3KillerBs]

Thanks for the tips!!!

Run is 2.5m x 0.835m = 2.0875m2 so ~2.2 chickens...
Coop is 0.950m x 0.835m = 0.7932m2 !so 2.1 chickens
The converted dog house is 1.045m tall so house does this play in the calculations as i only did the floor space?

I was told one chicken is lonely and two always fight for leader status and that 3 was the golden number... is this true?

So in terms of the ventilation do need to cut a huge hole in the top of the house or just more breathing holes?

Thanks again

Vertical space is good because it helps you get the nests, perches, and ventilation in good order but doesn't count toward the number you can keep. Chickens don't stack for storage.

Yes, 3 is usually considered the minimum flock, though some people keep pairs without problems.

Big vents are generally better than little holes because you need way too many little holes to make a different.

 

[BleuSaphir]

This is good for a small flock. Especially if they have access to the yard.