New coop/need help

[bholt8887]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forums and completely new to chickens. I recently built a coop that is 4'x8'x4' tall. I out a door on the front and 2 bigger doors on the back. I live in California near mount Shasta where it does snow and has been getting down to 18-30 at night. What should I do for bedding? Nesting boxes? Temp in the coop? How much ventilation are we talking about In the coop? Any advice would greatly been appreciated.

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[HandsomeRyan]

For bedding I recommend pine shavings. Some people prefer sand or other beddings but for me pine shavings are cheap, readily available, and they do a decent job.

As far as ventilation- The more the better. Just be sure to avoid drafts. Chickens are covered in insulating feathers and most of the common breeds are perfectly fine in temperatures like you described (just be sure they have thawed water to drink).

You want to avoid putting vents where it will cause a cold wind across the chickens but don't worry so much about the actual temperature inside the coop.

As far as nest boxes, it is a good idea to elevate the nesting area at least a few inches above the coop floor. Chickens want to hide their eggs so giving them a small, dark place will make them more likely to choose that area to lay.

You didn't mention what breed(s) of chickens you keep?

 

[DanEP]

You can use pine shavings or straw for bedding either will work fine. Now looking at your coop it looks like you don't have any ventilation which is not good. chickens give off a lot of moisture when they breath which will make it really moist in the coop if not vented, which in turn will lead to frostbite on combs and waddles To start with I would cut four or five inches across the entire top of you coop on the side with two doors and cover that with some type of screening. to keep the critters out and see if that is enough. You can always add more if needed as long as it doesn't create a draft on them while roosting.
As far as nest boxes go We can give better advise if we know how many chickens you have and are they large fowl or bantams. A good place to start is 1 box for every four birds. Also remember to make sure that the roosts are higher than the nest boxes or they will sleep in them which is not good unless you fond of cleaning poop off your eggs every day. On a coop the size of yours external nest boxes would save room in the coop and make collecting them easier.If you look in the coop section at the top of the page you can see many examples of these type boxes.

 

[bholt8887]

Sorry currently getting new birds the first batch was sick when I got them.

 

[bholt8887]