Newbie chick shed and WIR build

[Haphazard_Hannah]

What's the pitch on your roof?

Where do you intend to put the vents and how will you shield them from rain?

I would suggest adding large roof overhangs and leaving both the triangles directly below the roof on the sides and the top section of the taller wall completely open (screened with hardware cloth), to provide draft-free ventilation above the chickens' heads where it will do the most good.

so it’ll be a pent roof, flat with no pitch, but the back wall is 25cm lower than the front and the entire strip below the roof on front and back will be hardware cloth. I’ve not done the sides because when we get strong winds, that’s the direction they come into my garden from. The window will open with hardware cloth behind it, and the big door will be open during the day anyway as the whole thing will sit inside a secure and covered run.

 

[aart]

flat with no pitch, but the back wall is 25cm lower than the front

That's a pitch enough for rain to run off nicely.
A gutter or large roof overhangs will get the rain away from the coop/run.

 

[Haphazard_Hannah]

That's a pitch enough for rain to run off nicely.
A gutter or large roof overhangs will get the rain away from the coop/run.

oh is it? Good to know, I thought a pitched roof was where two slips met in the middle at a point - doh!

so the flashing was an idea back when the shed was only going to be half the width of the run l and the run roof that would go past the side of the shed roof would pour the water into guttering that went into a water butt for the garden. but it’s now nearly the whole depth of the run so I may as well have gutting on the front and back of the shed - to catch the rain from the shed roof at the back and the catch the rain from the run roof where it meets the shed so it doesn’t poor down theback of my neck when I step through the door!

 

[aart]

oh is it? Good to know, I thought a pitched roof was where two slips met in the middle at a point - doh!

Pitch is the angle of the flat part of any kind of roof.
Pitch had a lot of other definitions too....like a cricket pitch.

 

[Haphazard_Hannah]

So here's an update on the coops design. It still needs some tweaks as #i think #i need to draw it in a bit to fit the footprint when roof overhangs are taken into consideration - it'll be in a corner that backs on to another property so I need to make sure that the roof (and the guttering) doesn't hang over the fence into their area.

Dad gave me some great tips and a confidence boost - he's desperate to be able to build it with me but its just not possible with Covid restrictions still in place, and with mum and dad's age and health its really important they don't take any chances.

So, here's where I'm at - I'm loving the colour scheme but I might mute the lime a little. I love the idea of a bright colour hiding inside, and an industrial grey look on the outside, but that lime might be a bit much. Does anyone know how chickens respond to colour? Can they see it? I know they see motion much clearer than we do, but wasn't sure how a bright colour might effect them in their living space. I just want it to be happy and cheerful, not a dingy shed in the corner.

P.S the roof is corrugated onduline, I just haven't figured out how to do a corrugated roof without manually drawing each curve along the edge - ain't nobody got time for that!

 

[Haphazard_Hannah]

So, 3KillerBs, I’ve changed the ventilation to your suggestion of having it in the sides but then forgot to put it on the front wall as well. I definitely want to get the most amount of ventilation I can, up high where it won’t be too draughty for them. I reckon I’ll just get some tarp or something breathable like hessian or something to staple loosely over the mesh when the wind is really bad - then their still getting ventilation but the worst of the wind is kept out.

 

[aart]

So here's an update on the coops design.

Bigger roof overhangs!
At least front and back if not sides

 

[Sally PB]

I painted the inside of my coop white to maximize the light inside. Just natural daylight, no artificial light. I don't know if chickens get Seasonal Affect Disorder, but I do. Also, I want colors to look as true as possible. Not just for aesthetics, but in case I have to make a judgment about the color of... chicken poop?

Having worked in a photo lab for many years, accurate color is a big deal to me.

 

[3KillerBs]

So, 3KillerBs, I’ve changed the ventilation to your suggestion of having it in the sides but then forgot to put it on the front wall as well. I definitely want to get the most amount of ventilation I can, up high where it won’t be too draughty for them. I reckon I’ll just get some tarp or something breathable like hessian or something to staple loosely over the mesh when the wind is really bad - then their still getting ventilation but the worst of the wind is kept out.

Looks good with venting on both sides and front, but I agree with @aart that you need more roof overhang to shield the vents from blowing rain.

This is my current coop, as it was renovated early this summer. You can see the roof overhangs in the photos and might find my list of things done right and things done wrong interesting.

 

[Haphazard_Hannah]

Thanks everyone! I think for the overhangs it will be easier to see just how much I need once the things actually built and in front of me. I just need to make sure I don’t build it too close to the fence...