New Coop Blueprint

[CKfarm22]

Hey y’all, we want to build a new coop. I have come up with a blueprint. I need opinions on how to make it better. Anything that can be pointed out or changed is fine! Thank you!

 

[3KillerBs]

we add a fan in the coop for when it’s crazy hot.

Is the fan rated for barn use?

If not, it's a SERIOUS fire hazard. The dust from the bedding and the feather dander is highly flammable.

Passive ventilation is best -- open up plenty of space at the top of the walls and at the gables and put in a ridge vent. That's for your 24/7/365 venting that should add up to at least 1 square foot per bird.

Then put in the windows for supplemental ventilation.

All openings covered in half inch hardware cloth for predator protection.

 

[RoyalChick]

In case it is helpful here is how I kept the eaves open.
Picture from the outside and inside.
I am in NJ too and I also kept both gable ends open although I did add a baffle to stop driving snow.
Good luck with the build!

 

[Alaskan]

How big do they have to be?

Well... eves usually are the size that they are.... because you have the framed wall...and then the roof supports sit on the framed wall.

So... if the roof supports are 18" apart, and the wood used are 2x4, then each hole is about 18" by 4".... but actually a bit smaller than that, since a 2x4 is. . uh.... actually 3.5 inches?

 

[aart]

Okay. Now the only thing that is making this hard is the plywood. We changed it to 6’ height by 6’ length by 5’ deep. But all the plywood sizes i have found are 8’x4’ which means every wall is going to need two pieces of plywood

No, it means every piece of plywood will need to be cut.
Making your coop 8x8x8 will take care of that, but then you'll need to cut some of the roof peices.

 

[3KillerBs]

I keep meaning to do a proper article on the build starting with my plans and ending with the finished article - but of course I am never actually finished as I keep tinkering!

You should. You can always update the article with each change and the reason why it was changed. I LOVE coop article like that. It's so helpful to know why decisions were made and what altered them.

There has to be another vent on the roof over then the soffit vents?

Do i need another vent on the high and low side in the wall?

Since you get hot summers you want PLENTY of extra airflow. Heat and ammonia both rise so venting them at the top of the walls just under the roof is the best option. You could also leave triangles at the top of the side was open with only hardware cloth on them (which makes putting in your siding easier too).

I am in Northern NJ. That is why I showed you how much I have open.
The chickens don’t really care how cold it is as long as they are out of the wind and nice and dry.

This!

So something like this or will this be too much ventilation? @aart

There is essentially no such thing as too much ventilation unless it's so open that the birds can't get out of winter storm winds.

Summers here get only about upper 90s and we have mild winters.

With summers like that you might even make your entire south wall wire for summer and put removable panels on it for winter.

Okay. Now the only thing that is making this hard is the plywood. We changed it to 6’ height by 6’ length by 5’ deep. But all the plywood sizes i have found are 8’x4’ which means every wall is going to need two pieces of plywood

Don't hesitate to change your design to match the standard size of materials. Anything other than dimensions divisible by 4 requires extra cuts and wastes wood. 6x6 is better than 6x5 because you can cut 12-foot boards in half.

What I'd do on a 6x6 would be to run the panels vertically, one and a half for each side.

Also, be sure to use exterior-grade plywood. Or Hardie panels (if you have the right tools to cut this material). You don't save money buying the cheap wood that you have to replace in a couple years.

Metal siding is another option.

 

[Alaskan]

I don’t mind not having a poop shelf, our coop now doesn’t have one

The nice thing about a poop shelf is since it catches the poop, the area underneath stays clean... so, the nest box, if mounted under the poop shelf, would stay clean.

As for summers, they can be mild and humid yes, we add a fan in the coop for when it’s crazy hot

Eh, the idea of having to put a fan in a coop... blah. I would want to avoid that (the dust on the fan is a fire hazard, and the electric to run the fan costs money). Putting some windows at perch level means all you need to do is open the windows to get a breeze at the perches.

What’re open eves?

Here is a photo I grabbed from the internet.

I colored in where the eves are. It is a good place to leave open, since with a roof overhang they are protected from most rain and snow, and they are up high way above perches so good for winter ventilation.

 

[Alaskan]

We have a fan right now and we only turned it on when it got above 90° in the summer, we pretty much only had the windows open anyway plus the small vent we have too. Are these eves open all the way to the outside? I’ve never heard of them

Yes, open to outside.

But, when open fully to outside it is best if hardware cloth is stapled over them to keep put predators.

 

[3KillerBs]

We clean the fan everyday before it is turned on. In the pictures i posted i changed some things. Green is 4 inches of open ventilation at the top (all walls have this) Blue is a 20”x6” window. And the pink is the nesting boxes.

You can't clean inside the motor. That's where the fire will start.

Since this is a new build rather than a conversion, best to plan for good passive ventilation with natural airflow so that you don't need a fan.

If you know what your seasonal weather patterns are you can place vents and windows to take advantage of them. For example, in my new, open-air coop we've intentionally oriented it to take advantage of the fact that there is almost always a breeze flowing up the hill in the hot part of a summer day.

 

[aart]

Let me know your opinions and what i should change on this one

Roof needs large overhangs to accommodate the eave/soffit venting.