New Member with coop design (and not much else)

[Mrs Church's Chickens]

At this point, I'm really just looking for advice on this thing. It will have roosts inside and a ramp that I didn't sketch. Are the open windows okay or should I make them decorative? Will the vent in the bell tower be enough? Would it be okay to leave a string hanging down from the bell for the birds to use as a toy?

 

[chickflick]

How many chickens are you planning on keeping in there? Nix the string...afraid they might try and swallow it. What is your location? Weather will define how to build your coop.

 

[Mrs Church's Chickens]

Just two. I live in the Panhandle of Texas, lots of dry hot summers and fairly mild winters. We had a very wet one this past year, and an unusually wet year all around. There is always a wind problem.

 

[chics in the sun]

Leave the windows - make them bigger, even. Chickens are more cold tolerant than heat tolerant, and the more ventilation the better in warm climates. And no string - there have been many posts on here about chickens eating string and having it really mes up their intestines. Very cute, buy the way!!

 

[featherbaby]

You probably could use more ventilation. What about a screened window above the nesting boxes on the back wall?

The design is WAY TOO CUTE! I love it...... but........ I predict you will wish you'd made it twice the size before very long.
4' x 8' is the standard size of plywood, what if you made it 3'6" wide and 7' long (that leaves room for a roof overhang without having to buy another sheet of plywood to piece the roof). There's something about keeping chickens that leads to wanting more chickens. It's practically universal. This way you can keep 7-8 bantam sized chickens with plenty of room to move.

 

[Mrs Church's Chickens]

Cool. Thanks!

 

[wsdareme]

Quote:
You will definitely wish you'd made it bigger -- this is good advice!

Also, I see that your nesting boxes are only 8" high at the highest point. You'll want a minimum of 12" in height. Minimum nest box dimensions for standard size chickens is 12"x12"x12". You wouldn't want cramped hens.

Very cute design! Keep us posted on your progress! And...

 

[JenO]

What about a chain for the toy bell? WAY cute, btw.

 

[buildingmyark]

That is so darn cute! It's the chicken chapel! I love it!