Little Coop In The Big Woods

[billfields]

Quote:
I would love to but life keeps getting in the way of my coop-building time

Gotta find time to work up my lumber list and get it delivered out here. Don't think I can manage to get the floor and wall panels into my Prius. But I am going to prowl the Habitat store and the back of flooring places to find some real cheap 8x12 linoleum remnant. That I CAN haul home!

 

[billfields]

Quote:
Now here's an idea. Wouldn't take much to put in a door and that would make it a lot easier to get to the back... with that and your rake you may have solved my problem! Predator proofing is an issue But I was planning to use a trench and some concrete to secure the bottom of the wire and I should be able to come up with a good solid door...

When I was in Church this morning I was thinking about ventilation and predator proofing (yeah, I know...but I was SORTA paying attention...It was about forgiveness I think!

...I hope it was anyway as it seems I may need some...) Anyway, I was thinking about the space between the rafters and how if I just set upright 2x4s on top of the framing between them they would be the same height and would close up that space better that trying to secure wire. I think I'm gonna need those 2x4 sections in there anyway because of the roofing material I'm going to use. the acrylic roofing has to have supporters that need to fit on something. But then, with solid wood there, I would loose the ventilation, unless, I thought, as I was listening to the preacher talk about forgiveness, I drilled a series of say one inch holes in each filler 2x4, wrapped the whole thing in say 1/4 inch hardware cloth and then set it in. Would keep a critter out and still give some ventilation at the top. Just don't know if that is enough. I'm thinking I'll put in a window I can hinge to open and maybe a vent in each end....wonder if the rafter thing would work and if it would add significantly to the air flow.

 

[sianara]

Quote:
On my first coop (8'x8') DH had had enough

when I told him we had to add ventilation at the top so to stop my nagging he drilled several holes (not 1" by any stretch of the imagination) into the boards that he used to fill the gaps and I gotta tell you it doesn't supply much ventilation at all.

Another suggestion is instead of drilling 1" holes and then covering them with hw cloth how about making small wood frames that would "fill" the gap and cover them in hw cloth. Then screw the hw cloth covered frame into the gap. Now you've got lots more ventilation AND predator protection.

The windows are a good idea as well as are the vents in each end.

(eta: DH no longer helps me with building coops and even though none of my structures are square, they are generally good looking and we are both happier

. I've learned alot about power tools in the last 4 years

)

 

[billfields]

The building 12 little frames thing was what I was hoping to avoid

I'm pretty sure that small holes won't do much but if I put say an inch diameter hole every 4 inches that would be roughly (saying the inch hole =1 sq inch) 6 sq inches of vent per 2 foot section and along the length I would have 12 such sections---6 each front and back so that would be a 72 sq inch vent, the same as installing a single vent a foot long and six inches high spread around the top. I just don't know what the effect, good or bad, of spreading it out would be.

I'm pretty well committed to a window and I think I'm going to do a dutch door between the coop and store room with the top half screen If I do that then there would be plenty of cross flow between the rooms

 

[sianara]

Ah ha, gotcha. In that case, your idea sounds better

 

[billfields]

Didn't get as much done this week as I wanted. I had planned spend this afternoon starting to frame it but it poured rain all day.

I did get the flooring on and the linoleum on it.

 

[birdman123]

looking good.

 

[Mrs. Fluffy Puffy]

Floors' looking good!

 

[billfields]

Mrs. Fluffy Puffy :

Floors' looking good!

It's really frustrating---last week I was out of lumber, this week I'm out of sun.

Two solid days of rain! And of course those would be the two days this week when I have the most time.​

 

[billfields]

Been moving along. As it got framed, the rafters went on and the siding started to go in it's actually starting to look like something!

I would like to get the outer siding all up and the roof on before it gets too cold. I then I can finish off the inside over the winter and add a run...and some chickens

in the spring. You can actually see the two rooms now and get a much better feel for the two spaces (the large framed hole in the inner wall is where the nest boxes will go, flush on the coop side and opening on the storage side so you can gather eggs without going into the coop but still have the access inside. Miscalculated very slightly with the roof. The dogwood tree I've tried to preserve is going to be at the very edge of the roofing. Fortunately one of the rafters came out right beside it so I think I can rig something to push it back a few inches. Really don't want to cut it as I think it'll look good inside the run. Pondering colors now. I'm thinking dark brown with a green trim (or vice versa) would blend in well with the woods.