my new coop design --- criticisms or suggestions?

[maryboland]

Ok, here's a description of the coop I plan to build for the 12 Araucana hens I will be buying in April. I live in the Colorado Rockies at 7000 feet. Climate is generally dry, tho sometimes more humid in winter with snowy weather. Nighttime lows very seldom fall below minus ten F in winter and more often are above zero F.

The coop will be 4ft by 16ft and the roof will slant up from 3ft at the sides to 7 1/2 ft high in the middle. The main roof will actually end on each side after reaching about 6 ft high and meeting the 2x4s supporting the door frame, which is in the middle of the long side facing south. Those 2x4s will continue up another foot and a half and support a mini roof over the door. This mini roof will cover two 1ft x 4ft screened ventilation slots, both open in summer, one open to varying degrees in winter, depending on temperature. The door will have a window of about 20" by 30" cut out, on the inside of which will be hardware cloth screen and on the outside will be, in winter only, a removable plexiglass panel.

The East side, which will be of course, 4ft wide and 3ft high, will open into an outdoor run, about 6ft by 20ft and completely predator proofed. It will also be covered with plastic sheeting in winter except for the East side. (Our wind is almost always from the West) Thus the hens will have a sunny, snow free yard for winter. I plan to leave this East side of the coop all or partially open all year. This last is in line with what I have read about so-called "fresh air coops." Also, the hens can get out and in when they want to whether we are awake or at home or not, at least during winter months. Also any time of year we go away for a few days, I can leave hens confined to coop and run so a neighbor need only come by once a day to renew food and water. When we're home, the hens will go out to a 1/ 4 acre pasture every day during the 3 warmer seasons.

I will insulate the coop even tho I am leaving a small Eastern side or part of that side always open. Any idea on how much I should leave open?

The 1/ 4 acre pasture will have 48" tall field fencing with the bottom foot aproned out to discourage digging, and will be topped with several strands of barbed wire. The pasture itself will be crisscrossed with barrier tape at a height of 4ft or so to discourage hawks. The coop will have a light and timer for 14 hrs day of light and a heated waterer.

Am I doing anything wrong or have I overlooked anything?

 

[ther00ster'scr0w]

Sounds like you have everything well thought out! It sounds good.
I have a similar design of a coop open to a small run that is predator proof, leaving the small square door open. I have a small 1X2 1/2 window in the coop, directly opposite of the door covered with hardware cloth for insulation/protection, similar to what you plan on doing.
Is the coop to be open to the pasture 24 hours a day? If so, night predators could find a way into the coop itself or run.
It sounds like a good plan and very well thought out. Post pictures when you start construction and when your birds first move in!

 

[patandchickens]

Sounds basically good to me

Just a few little comments, since you did ask:

Quote:
So this is going to be a very broad but very shallow thing, like if you took a 4' deep slice of the gable end of a 16'-wide house?

If so, be very careful with your construction - that is not an especially strong or stable configuration, especially if you ever get strong winds broadside to the structure. It can be done, but it will need serious extra diagonal bracing and tying down and screwing together. Widening it to 6' width would, in my opinion, be a significant improvement in stability, since it would then be almost as wide as (max) tall, as opposed to about *half* as wide as (max) tall. Also remember 4' wide is a pretty annoying width to work in, especially with a low ceiling involved in many parts of it.

The East side, which will be of course, 4ft wide and 3ft high, will open into an outdoor run, about 6ft by 20ft and completely predator proofed. It will also be covered with plastic sheeting in winter except for the East side. (Our wind is almost always from the West) Thus the hens will have a sunny, snow free yard for winter. I plan to leave this East side of the coop all or partially open all year. This last is in line with what I have read about so-called "fresh air coops." Also, the hens can get out and in when they want to whether we are awake or at home or not, at least during winter months.

If I am correctly understanding your coop -- 4' wide, 16' long, with only a small low area on the east 4' end being open -- then I agree this is a plausible design, although if you ever get strong storms from the E (like the Nor'easters we get out here) you will have to see whether things might sometimes want to be closed up a little on those nights. There will be plexiglass or windows or something like that on reasonable amounts of the sides of this coop, yes, so it is light and sunny enough inside?

If you are going to leave the popdoor open 24/7, remember that this places GREAT responsibility on the run to be absolutely completly predator proof, which is a lot harder than predator-proofing a coop. Many *think* they have achieved it; few actually do. So, just be aware it is a weak point in the system.

I will insulate the coop even tho I am leaving a small Eastern side or part of that side always open. Any idea on how much I should leave open?

Frankly I see no point in insulating. Unless you think you may weenie out of the end being open. As far as how *much* open area, I'd suggest the full width or the great majority of it, with perhaps a foot of 'grade board' solid at the bottom and everything above that can be just mesh up to the (very low) roofline. Remembering that it is generally easier and more educational to set it up so you can always screw on another board later on, rather than making the opening small and then having to wonder and disassemble

The 1/ 4 acre pasture will have 48" tall field fencing with the bottom foot aproned out to discourage digging, and will be topped with several strands of barbed wire. The pasture itself will be crisscrossed with barrier tape at a height of 4ft or so to discourage hawks. The coop will have a light and timer for 14 hrs day of light and a heated waterer.

The barbed wire is to discourage cattle from leaning on it? It will not deter coyotes or raccoons or dogs or that sort of thing, much if at all. I am not sure what you mean by 'barrier tape', but if you mean the plastic "CAUTION!" or surveyers tape type products, they will not last real long in wind or snow, I would suggest string or something like that instead.

Good luck, have fun, looking forward to seeing pics when you've got it up,

Pat​

 

[maryboland]

Thanks For Your Thoughts. I Appreciate Them And Will Really Consider Them. I Don't Think East Winds Will Be A Problem, But Will Something To Cover That Opening In Case They Are Forecast. Frankly, We Don't Get Noreasters Here. Also About 30 Ft Away Is A Large Barn Giving Some Protection From East Wind. I Will Check Out With Some Carpenter Friends About Stability And How Much Bracing. We Do Get Wind But Generally From West Or Sw Or Nw So Not Broadside From So Or No. Also Big Trees Are Nearby. If I Ever Figure Out How To Upload Pix To This Site, Will Send. That's A Big If!

 

[CityChook]

My thoughts:
Quote:
* While you have "enough" room with around 4 sq. ft. per bird (you'll lose some space to food, nest boxes I imagine), I'd go a little bigger if you can. You don't know if your birds will be willing to go outside in the snow and cold. It's snowing to beat the band here in MN right now, and my girls are on strict boycott. It's been going on for days by now. If they have to be locked inside because of severe cold or a storm, you may wish the coop was a bit bigger. More space to co-exist indoors is always a good thing for avoiding feather pulling and general fighting. Think "cabin fever."

Even tho your door/window is facing south, you'll likely want a way to close it up when it's raining.

Quote:
* Plastic sheeting MAY or MAY not hold snow load where you are. Construct wisely or consider another roofing source. I'd still consider plastic sheeting for the walls. Make sure there is an AMPLE gap at the top for ventilation and moisture removal or you'll have a smelly mess on your hands.

There are a lot of people who leave their pop door open, but it will be very very important to make your run bulletproof. I have an extremely strong run, and it was expensive to build with hardware wire through out (and buried) and a solid roof above, but I still don't leave my pop door open. It's just not worth the risk. I'm in the city, but have a very healthy wild-life population that travels through my yard at night.

You might want to consider some windows for sunlight. If you put them on the south side with your door then you'll have the added benefit of the heat that they can provide in winter. Remember, windows also heat in the summer, so if you have limited tree cover that will need to be a consideration.

Quote:
* I'm not sure I'd add the extra expense of insulating if you plan on leaving a 4x3 wall open. If you think you might change your mind and close up that wall, then I'd for sure insulate. Remember the ceiling, too. Ventilation will be KEY regardless of insulation or not. If you decide to leave one wall open, then your roost will need to be on the opposite end of the coop and you might need to curtain it off to hold in any warmth from the birds' body heat.

Quote:
I think the strands of barbed wire will make a wonderful perch for the hawks and owls to sit and watch your chickens below. And it will do absolutely nothing to protect against raccoons or dogs. My black lab could scale a 4 ft. welded wire fence with no problem if she wanted to get inside. And unless it was supported REALLY well, she could just knock it down. Raccoons are very good climbers and they WILL come out during the day for a free meal. Especially if there are puppies for them to feed. Just be careful. I don't mean to criticize you - please don't take it that way. Just want to give you some items to consider.

ETA: A warm welcome to the BYC from chilly MN!!! You're gonna love it here!

 

[maryboland]

Thanks for such a thoughtful reply! Yes, maybe I should consider making the coop a little wider. The run will be made with PVC hoops bent over onto rebar embedded in ground. I plan to use very strong chicken wire attached with ties to inside of hoops and covering all ground, walls and top. The plastic winter covering will be held on with clips designed for the purpose (I am a gardener and have used hoops and plastic on my garden beds and they have held up under wind and under heavy spring snows.) The plastic is a greenhouse woven plastic, which is NOT CHEAP. I WILL CHECK THE PRICE OF HARDWARE cloth and also consider that for outdoor run as well as door window. Roosts will definitely be on other end of coop from open door/run side. Your comment about my fencing of the 1/4 acre pasture is very good. Yours was not the only negative one on this. I'm not sure what to think. They will only be on pasture daytimes in springs, summer and fall (no point letting them out of run in winter) and I guess my fencing will only keep them in and slow down any neighborhood dogs. We live on a mesa with nine five-acre properties. One neighbor lets his hens run completely free on his property in good weather. I'll check out if I can afford taller fencing and forget the barbed wire perhaps. Thanks for giving me a lot of think about.

 

[Over Easy in Adna]

Your last post caught me. There is no such thing at "very strong chicken wire".

 

[newchicksnducks]

Dilemmas, dilemmas....I like the idea of the fresh air coop. I'm just not sure if I'm on board for the "predator proof" run. I had 15 pullets, now down to 13. I have 6' tall wire welded 2x3 fencing...not enough to keep a fox out Or the hawks

My girls are now on lock down till I get the electric fencing installed (hopefully to deter the fox) and the wire mesh as a roof (to keep out the hawks) Chicken wire as a "predator proof" fence is just not strong enough. I think it will do well enough for a roof on my run, as I'm not using it for anything but an aerial predator deterent. My run worked great in the summer and fall...there were plenty of easier prey for the wildlife. But once winter hit, I lost 2 birds in 4 days...not so good. My suggestion is to make it as strong and predator proof as possible (think like a weasel, fox, coon and hawk) and possibly reconsider the open concept at night. Good luck!

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Can I strongly suggest not using chickenwire. Use heavy gauge 2x4" mesh, with hardwarecloth added to it on the bottom 2-3'. Really. If it were me, I would also add a few internal posts, not so much because of snow/wind load as because I really suspect that a dog or two climbing up the outside of that kind of hoop would have a decent chance of bending, breaking or partially collapsing it (especially once the pvc has sat out there in the sun for a couple years), which could be really bad news for the chicken population.

I guess my fencing will only keep them in and slow down any neighborhood dogs

Sorry, but it's not really going to slow them down, if they have their eyes on the chickens.

A couple judiciously-placed electric wires offset from the fence you describe, kept appropriately well-charged and checked regularly so you KNOW whne the fence starts to fail and can fix it, would do a pretty good job of discouraging fourlegged daytime predators.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[gsim]

Ventilation? I would put a large vent in top of the highest place on each end. I would do 4 sq ft total. A roof vent would be beneficial too.

Regards hoops, cattle panels bent to a horsehoe shape and covered with hardware cloth would be the best possible way to do that. Could do 2x4 welded wire and just do the hardware cloth at the bottom 24" all the way around. Chicken wire is an invitation to disaster via predators.

Dig proof?