New Coop Blueprint

[CKfarm22]

What is the total square footage and the total number of chickens?

Here's a square inch to square foot converter that I've found handy.

https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/conversions/area/square-inches-to-square-feet.php

Square footage of the coop will be 30 sq ft (6’x5’). I have three 6 month old hens, and two 2 week old pullets, so 5 birds.

 

[3KillerBs]

Square footage of the coop will be 30 sq ft (6’x5’). I have three 6 month old hens, and two 2 week old pullets, so 5 birds.

So you need at least 5 square feet of 24/7/365 ventilation at that high level.

 

[CKfarm22]

So you need at least 5 square feet of 24/7/365 ventilation at that high level.

I used the calculator website and all together, sq in to sq ft was 7 sq ft of ventilation

 

[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!

 

[3KillerBs]

I used the calculator website and all together, sq in to sq ft was 7 sq ft of ventilation

Excellent.

 

[CKfarm22]

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!
View attachment 2821644View attachment 2821645

do you think this would work on a slanted roof?

 

[Alaskan]

Pink is the perches. Blue is the windows. So in the blueprint i do have windows that are over the perches. The little rectangle on top is ventilation that will be open year around.

I would make that window way bigger, and a second one on the opposite wall, so that when open a breeze will be at chicken level

Those windows would only be open in the summer.

Then you would have other ventilation that would be open in the winter, that would NOT be at perch height.

 

[Alaskan]

I think when Alaskan referred to “eves”, they meant “eaves”. Eaves are the part of the roof that extends out past the building. There is usually a gap between the exterior wall and the roof made by the joists/rafters of a roof and these gaps can make for great ventilation in a coop, as long as they are covered by hardware cloth so predators can’t access the inside of the coop. I’m including a picture. The gaps at the eaves are covered with boards that have the round holes drilled in them. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the explanation.

But i would not put a board up. That hugely cuts down the ventilation. Better to have only hardware cloth.

 

[CKfarm22]

I would make that window way bigger, and a second one on the opposite wall, so that when open a breeze will be at chicken level

Those windows would only be open in the summer.

Then you would have other ventilation that would be open in the winter, that would NOT be at perch height.

Yes a lot of people have said that and i fixed it. It’s just a blue print so i’m sure once we start building it’ll be a lot different.

 

[CKfarm22]

Ok... my thoughts..

The perches will poop on top of the nest boxes and the nest box perch.

But... I don't think there is space to put in a poop shelf... but maybe?

How many chickens?

Doesn't New Jersey have crazy hot and humid summers? If yes, i would add 2 windows,one on either side of the perches, so they can be open in summer, create a breeze at perch level, and be closed in winter.

Do you have open eves?

How high from the floor can roosts go? And We’ve decided that we’re probably going to put in a poop shelf.