New Coop Blueprint

[aart]

I went with a 2' overhang and used hardware cloth for the soffits.
I think my most successful ventilation is probably the roof vent and the gable ends

Yes, soffit venting is only part of the 'system'.
Soffits are where the air comes in, then needs ridge and/or gable vents for the outflow.

 

[CKfarm22]

Yes i didn’t put that in but there will be an overhang for the roof

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

 

[CKfarm22]

I went with a 2' overhang and used hardware cloth for the soffits.
I think my most successful ventilation is probably the roof vent and the gable ends - the coop is oriented E-W which aligns with the prevailing winds so there is good flow going on up high which I think draws any excess humidity up and out.
@CKfarm22 you wanted pictures of the inside of my coop - I should warn you it is a very extravagant build (we call it the Chicken Palace for a reason!). What aspects of inside would you like to see specifically? I can do ventilation close ups if that is your focus.

Really just how things are set up. Roosts, ventilation, nesting boxes, pop door

 

[RoyalChick]

Really just how things are set up. Roosts, ventilation, nesting boxes, pop door

No problem. I am about to head out there to collect eggs and stuff so will upload some pictures shortly.
My set up is large though so not easy to adapt for a normal sized space. The coop itself is 14x10 (with a 7x5 corner carved out as storage space) and attached to a secure run. It is also made with salvaged doors and windows so is human height.
The most interesting aspect of it is that it is built on a steep hill with a dirt floor.
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!

 

[RoyalChick]

OK here goes. Hope this helps you - it is giving me a great excuse to sit outside with my ladies on this gorgeous post-hurricane sunny day!
These three pictures are probably the easiest way to see the overall layout of the coop itself. The first one is taken from a camera set high on the wall above the main roost. You can see the camera on the left in the second shot which is of the main roost. The third picture is of the nest box area. The nest boxes are a salvaged kitchen upper cabinet with holes cut in the back for the chickens to enter. The cabinet doors open inside my storage area and that is where I collect eggs. We cut out too many holes - turns out the ladies prefer their privacy - so had to fix some of the backs on again. I will paint those to pretty them up (one more thing on the never-ending to do list!).
The structure that sort of juts out (food bucket hanging from its bottom corner) is a built in brooder box so I can brood out in the coop. I use it for storage if I don’t have chicks. It sits a bit below counter height inside my storage area which is great for me tending chicks at eye level but means when they get big enough to come out (that is what the orange door is for) I have to give them a series of ladders to get down to ground level.

I don’t want to go on too long and monopolize your thread (I am proud of the design so I love sharing it!) but ventilation is so critical I will add a few shots of that. I already showed you the open soffit with h/w cloth.
Here is the outside showing the gable end open (also open the other side) as well as the windows which I can open and close but mainly keep open. They are protected by repurposed shutters with h/w cloth. There is a roof ridge vent running the whole length of the roof. The coop opens into a secure covered run and I left the top of that wall open as much as I could and cut out little triangles for even more ventilation. I am obsessed with ventilation! The shot from the secure run also shows the slope I had to deal with and the nice bathing area under the floor of the storage area.

Forgive me for going on so long!

 

[RoyalChick]

do you think this would work on a slanted roof?

It is a slanted roof. A regular triangular roof i think it is called an open gable roof. Like what little kids draw if they draw a house - a triangle on top of a square.

 

[CKfarm22]

It is a slanted roof. A regular triangular roof i think it is called an open gable roof. Like what little kids draw if they draw a house - a triangle on top of a square.

If your looking at ours from the front, it doesn’t have a triangle on top. Ours is going to only slant to the back

 

[CKfarm22]

OK here goes. Hope this helps you - it is giving me a great excuse to sit outside with my ladies on this gorgeous post-hurricane sunny day!
These three pictures are probably the easiest way to see the overall layout of the coop itself. The first one is taken from a camera set high on the wall above the main roost. You can see the camera on the left in the second shot which is of the main roost. The third picture is of the nest box area. The nest boxes are a salvaged kitchen upper cabinet with holes cut in the back for the chickens to enter. The cabinet doors open inside my storage area and that is where I collect eggs. We cut out too many holes - turns out the ladies prefer their privacy - so had to fix some of the backs on again. I will paint those to pretty them up (one more thing on the never-ending to do list!).
The structure that sort of juts out (food bucket hanging from its bottom corner) is a built in brooder box so I can brood out in the coop. I use it for storage if I don’t have chicks. It sits a bit below counter height inside my storage area which is great for me tending chicks at eye level but means when they get big enough to come out (that is what the orange door is for) I have to give them a series of ladders to get down to ground level.

View attachment 2822326View attachment 2822327View attachment 2822328

I don’t want to go on too long and monopolize your thread (I am proud of the design so I love sharing it!) but ventilation is so critical I will add a few shots of that. I already showed you the open soffit with h/w cloth.
Here is the outside showing the gable end open (also open the other side) as well as the windows which I can open and close but mainly keep open. They are protected by repurposed shutters with h/w cloth. There is a roof ridge vent running the whole length of the roof. The coop opens into a secure covered run and I left the top of that wall open as much as I could and cut out little triangles for even more ventilation. I am obsessed with ventilation! The shot from the secure run also shows the slope I had to deal with and the nice bathing area under the floor of the storage area.

View attachment 2822337View attachment 2822338View attachment 2822339View attachment 2822340View attachment 2822341
Forgive me for going on so long!

This is absolute amazing, I hope one day i can have a coop this big haha!

 

[CKfarm22]

Yes, soffit venting is only part of the 'system'.
Soffits are where the air comes in, then needs ridge and/or gable vents for the outflow.

I am so confused. There has to be another vent on the roof over then the soffit vents?

 

[RoyalChick]

If your looking at ours from the front, it doesn’t have a triangle on top. Ours is going to only slant to the back

I saw that on the plans. That is a shed roof. It is great for ventilation. You do the same as I did at the top and the bottom. Air will go out at the top and fresh air will get sucked in at the bottom.
you can also open up triangles or rectangles just under the beam supporting the roof at the side.
Honestly you will never regret too much ventilation especially if it is high up above the roosts. Just remember to secure it all with h/w cloth.