New chicken owner - first coop. Advice?

[Painter_Jane]

Ok, so I built my coop last week and this weekend I stained and waterproofed it inside and out, I have to block some drafts this weekend but otherwise I feel like it's ok. It's the Cumberland coop from TSC... wasn't great quality but I glued all of the pieces together and added three coats of waterproofing. I also made a water bucket valve water cup system... and a low waste feeder bucket as well. I hung both of them up in the run. I've covered two of the nest boxes (I only have four chickens so I probably will only need a couple) because the chicks that spent the night there last night decided the nest boxes were perfect for sleep. so they are blocked now until they start laying. I do have electric out there so I put a heat lamp in there (gonna grab a lower watt heat bulb because they are almost six weeks and it's only getting into the mid 50s at night here. Anyway, I also put a swing in there (which they haven't really tried) and a dust bath but they prefer the pine pellet dust. For right now it's propped up on bricks. I'm about to go get some four by fours to make a base for it (laying down)

If you have any recommendations for anything I should do different please let me know! Thanks

 

[3KillerBs]

Most of our winter temps are between 30-45 deg. So I don't need a LOT of heat

Those temperatures should not require any heat at all. Just good ventilation to keep them dry so that those lovely, warm feathers can do their job. Remember, they have built-in down parkas.

 

[birdsrfun]

At 6 weeks old and 50 degrees they should be off heat at this point, so really start working on that. Once they're off heat, remove the heat lamp so you're not tempted to use it in there again, it's a massive fire hazard.

I'd also consider adding in a lot more ventilation, the wall facing into the mini run would be a good place to put it, as the roof will help protect it from the elements. Also look into raising the roost bars, you will continue to have issues with them sleeping in the nests because the roosts are barely over floor height.

I was thinking the same thing when I saw that huge light touching the ceiling. I agree with @rosemarythyme about the roost heights. The roost bar in the run area is a good height, although the hanging light may be a little too close to it.

Nice, clean coop. That won’t last long.

 

[3KillerBs]

should I insulate?

There's no point. The free flow of air with sufficient ventilation will equalize the inner and outer temperatures.

Your location says Currituck so, being on the ocean, you might want to prepare some kind of louvered storm panel that you can use to keep rain and gale-force winds out (without blocking the ventilation). Some stockade fence panels placed a few feet away on the windward side might be sufficient.

Summer heat is far more of a danger here in the steamy southeast than winter's chill -- they need plenty of shade and breeze or they could get cooked in their coop. But storm winds blowing right on the chickens without some kind of baffle would be too much.

 

[Chicken Heel]

I use to overly fret about chicks when it came time to move them from a heated brooder to the coop. But with my last four broods I have moved them at 3 weeks of age when they were not quite fully feathered and have had zero issues, even with no supplemental heat. I moved my latest group of 9 bantams outside last Saturday when it was 85 degrees Fahrenheit and even with morning temperatures in the low to mid 50's every morning since, they have done fine. And last September I had moved a 3 weeks old brood outside without supplemental heat and almost the same daily temperature variance, and they did great as well. It appears they harden up quickly.

 

[rosemarythyme]

At 6 weeks old and 50 degrees they should be off heat at this point, so really start working on that. Once they're off heat, remove the heat lamp so you're not tempted to use it in there again, it's a massive fire hazard.

I'd also consider adding in a lot more ventilation, the wall facing into the mini run would be a good place to put it, as the roof will help protect it from the elements. Also look into raising the roost bars, you will continue to have issues with them sleeping in the nests because the roosts are barely over floor height.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I might just get a couple 2x4's to place standing on their short side. Would that be better (a few inches taller)? There are no walls to attach it to on the side with the nest box..

You could build a support for one side of the roost by cutting a 2x4 to fit at the height you want the roost, then screwing in the roost on top of that (with the other end at the wall).

Mostly stays above freezing but we do get a little bit of snow. I'm looking for something that's less of a fire hazard than these big reflector things . What's the safest way to heat the coop? Most of our winter temps are between 30-45 deg.

You truly do not need to supplement heat nor insulate in any way. You have extremely moderate winter temperatures. If you want an extreme example of what chickens can tolerate: https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-cold-is-too-cold-check-this-out.1345546/

This is the infographic I was following... it says minimum temperatures outside should be 65? My two that are in the coop ARE fully feathered. (minus baby feathers on the top of their heads)

I personally disagree with the recommended guidelines of dropping 5 degrees a week, mainly since I've seen firsthand that it really isn't necessary. We're hovering in mid 60s but my chicks, not yet 3 weeks old, choose to spend most of their time out of the brooder and away from their heat source. They only use it when they want to take a nap, and at night.

Next week isn't projected to be any warmer and I'm planning on removing heat entirely at that time.

I feel like a mom who’s kid is going to school for the first time lol!!! I could hear them out there screaming for me for hours. It broke my heart

You'll harden yourself to it over time. I'm like the evil stepmother now, the babies can cry for all I care, I'm not bringing them in nor am I going to do anything to coddle them. It's tough love!

 

[countryladyNH]

We have 8 hens and live in New Hampshire. We would STRONGLY advise that you get that heat lamp out of the coop now. They don't need it. PLEASE DO NOT put a heat lamp in the coop in winter. The hens will not need it and you are only creating a situation for potential disaster. It is MUCH colder here than in NC and our hens do not have heat in the coop---(We do have one of the very safe flat panel screen heaters that we can put on the wall for the rare times it is below zero. Our coop has south facing window and is nice on sunny days even when it's very cold).
All hens will perch together on the roost bars. They generate a lot of heat. It's easy to think of them by our 'people standards', but trust us, they will NOT be cold. We agree also that you must have enough ventilation for them.

 

[Acre4Me]

Looks nice. You took the first steps to prolonging it’s life! FWIW, my neighbor still has this same or similar chicken house. He did nothing to prolong its life, and it’s still Ok (not great), but he built a different coop for them up against his shed building - our weather is much colder/extreme compared to NC. This one serves as an extra space for them to go into, and get out of sight.

 

[annampet]

We had that exact coop when we started My 2 cents:
There is enough ventilation with the opening that's above the pop door. You also have the back slide window and side window to open in the summer months.
4 chickens is all that will hold comfortably, so no chicken math for you.
We build a run extension on ours to give our 4 more room, we tried to free range and lost
If you get snow, wrap the run in Dollar Store clear shower curtains to keep the snow and wind out in the winter.
It's going to get crazy hot in there with that light, it's such a small space, I wouldn't worry about extra heat.