My First Coop Build

[chicken1234]

I think that is such a sweet coop! My one coop is quite small and I plan on adding on to the run. More time they spend on the ground the less mess in the coop!

 

[Ghosty]

HC?

Sorry, hardware cloth = HC.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Guess my only question that I haven't seen asked is, how long is that roost bar? For 6 chickens you'd ideally want about 6', however due to placement the ends aren't usable as there's no headroom. Is there another roost bar that we can't see in the photos, or is that bar longer than 6'?

 

[mattkinnick]

I appreciate the feedback:
- The wide windows are big enough to crawl inside through if needed, but the coop is also small enough where one can lean in and reach all corners as necessary.
- I have six 4" permanent vents cut in. Plus one 13" square window and two 22" square windows. I plan to keep the windows covered in the winter and just rely on the 4" vents for ventilation. Do you think I need to keep a few of the window covers off to compensate the ventilation? Or if I added a few more 4" vents, how many more would you suggest? I also have considered leaving their 10" x 6" coop door open all winter too ...
- The ramp has been no problem for the chickens, though I agree, it is a little annoying to have to step over when entering the run.
- This is true. Short of having a covered entry door, I'm not sure what else one could do.

Great points, keep 'em coming!

Matt

 

[mattkinnick]

Guess my only question that I haven't seen asked is, how long is that roost bar? For 6 chickens you'd ideally want about 6', however due to placement the ends aren't usable as there's no headroom. Is there another roost bar that we can't see in the photos, or is that bar longer than 6'?

Yea great Q, I have 2 up above totaling 8'.

 

[aart]

I appreciate the feedback:
- The wide windows are big enough to crawl inside through if needed, but the coop is also small enough where one can lean in and reach all corners as necessary.
- I have six 4" permanent vents cut in. Plus one 13" square window and two 22" square windows. I plan to keep the windows covered in the winter and just rely on the 4" vents for ventilation. Do you think I need to keep a few of the window covers off to compensate the ventilation? Or if I added a few more 4" vents, how many more would you suggest? I also have considered leaving their 10" x 6" coop door open all winter too ...
- The ramp has been no problem for the chickens, though I agree, it is a little annoying to have to step over when entering the run.
- This is true. Short of having a covered entry door, I'm not sure what else one could do.

Great points, keep 'em coming!

Matt

Leaning in thru a 22" window?.....you are way more agile than I.
How big is coop, in feet by feet, not including the nests?

Time will tell if those vents will do the job.
You'll have to monitor inside for humidity(shouldn't be higher than outside) and for any condensation on interior surfaces. Having water outside should help as will cleaning out poops daily. But a lot of the moisture comes from the birds respiration. Here's pretty good discussion: http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1048597/ventilated-but-free-of-drafts

You could put a 'porch' at pop door then attach ramp to go along side of coop.
Check out My Coop page to see an example.

Shoveling is just part of life here
Will you put a solid cover your run roof so you don't have to shovel snow inside run?
It's small and easy to rake off from outside.
Covering most the run walls (except ~6" at top of wall for ventilation) might be good too.

I have to shovel a portion of run and a path all along the length to 'easily' access roof clearing tasks.
But have plenty of room to do so and can chuck the snow right thru the 2x4 mesh walls.

 

[mattkinnick]

Pretty backyard coop! Love the wood shingles! I wish I had used 2 x 6 for the base plate on my run, so I could have more litter material without it spilling over or pushing on the HC. Especially since I had to HC the bottom of the run and I'm using sand.

Yea, if I did this build again I would definitely do 2x6 or 2x8 for the baseplate for deeper litter.

 

[mattkinnick]

How big is coop, in feet by feet, not including the nests?

Time will tell if those vents will do the job.
You'll have to monitor inside for humidity(shouldn't be higher than outside) and for any condensation on interior surfaces. Having water outside should help as will cleaning out poops daily. But a lot of the moisture comes from the birds respiration. Here's pretty good discussion: http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1048597/ventilated-but-free-of-drafts

Sorry, never responded!

Coop is 20 sq/ft not including the nesting boxes.

I read the ventilation stuff you suggested and it was super helpful. This Spring I cut in 4 additional 4" louvered vents to help with ventilation. You were right, there wasn't enough ventilation, this winter frost built up at times in the coop #designfail Thanks for your expertise!

I will post photos soon of my other modifications too. I need to make a "my coop" page too.