Off the ground coop or walk in coop?

[Aunt Angus]

My coop page is here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/egg-song-music-factory.74019/

Yours is one of my fave coops, @rosemarythyme

I actually snagged a copy so I can use it to help me plan the new one I'll be building in a couple of months.

 

[Aunt Angus]

We were thinking about converting a shed too, but we like building so i think we’re going to build all of it instead!

Good for you!!!! You will get exactly want you want that way!!!!

I like building, too, but the shed was there and empty when we moved in. I'm not a huge fan of my setup, but the shed has been great! I'm planning to convert another one when we move the chickens and ducks to the pasture.

 

[CKfarm22]

My coop page is here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/egg-song-music-factory.74019/

I saw it and it’s absolutely amazing! Ours isn’t going thats be as perfect but i have some questions. You mentioned having 1 sq ft of ventilation for each bird. I’m not really sure how to figure that out. Right now i have three hens and 2 two week old pullets. How many/how big should the windows be?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Yours is one of my fave coops, @rosemarythyme

I actually snagged a copy so I can use it to help me plan the new one I'll be building in a couple of months.

It's about as simple as it gets, but chickens don't really need bells and whistles, so it works for me. Plus I don't think I could make clean outs any simpler...

You mentioned having 1 sq ft of ventilation for each bird. I’m not really sure how to figure that out. Right now i have three hens and 2 two week old pullets. How many/how big should the windows be?

Simple answer is math. Example: for windows we have three 3x3 and two 2x3 windows, but they're sliders, so only 50% of it is open for ventilation. So 3x(3x3) + 2x(2x3) x 50% = 19.5 sq ft in window ventilation.

1 sq ft of ventilation is minimum recommended. I'm currently at a little over 3 sq ft per bird.

Optimally you want ventilation high up, like around and under the roofline is the best possible place to have it. I have a ridge vent, under eave vents and a gable vent to provide additional ventilation up higher than the windows, and unlike windows those are weather proof even with nearly sideways rain/snow.

 

[CKfarm22]

It's about as simple as it gets, but chickens don't really need bells and whistles, so it works for me. Plus I don't think I could make clean outs any simpler...


Simple answer is math. Example: for windows we have three 3x3 and two 2x3 windows, but they're sliders, so only 50% of it is open for ventilation. So 3x(3x3) + 2x(2x3) x 50% = 19.5 sq ft in window ventilation.

1 sq ft of ventilation is minimum recommended. I'm currently at a little over 3 sq ft per bird.

Optimally you want ventilation high up, like around and under the roofline is the best possible place to have it. I have a ridge vent, under eave vents and a gable vent to provide additional ventilation up higher than the windows, and unlike windows those are weather proof even with nearly sideways rain/snow.

Okay this makes sense. Edit: Is 6 inches off the ground for a nesting box too much for chickens or should i make it level with the floor?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Okay this makes sense. Edit: Is 6 inches off the ground for a nesting box too much for chickens or should i make it level with the floor?

6" is fine. Mine actually sit up about 3" so they're clear of the coop bedding. Most folks choose to elevate their nest boxes for easier human access and to save on floor space. I have mine on the floor since 1) I took into account the amount of space the nests eat up, so the flock still has adequate floor space (4 sq ft or more per bird) even with nests sitting on the floor and 2) I figure it's easier for the birds to use a floor height box, whether or not that's actually true...

 

[CKfarm22]

6" is fine. Mine actually sit up about 3" so they're clear of the coop bedding. Most folks choose to elevate their nest boxes for easier human access and to save on floor space. I have mine on the floor since 1) I took into account the amount of space the nests eat up, so the flock still has adequate floor space (4 sq ft or more per bird) even with nests sitting on the floor and 2) I figure it's easier for the birds to use a floor height box, whether or not that's actually true...

In your opinion, should i add a ledge onto the opening of the nest box so it’s easier for them to get in?

 

[rosemarythyme]

In your opinion, should i add a ledge onto the opening of the nest box so it’s easier for them to get in?

You probably won't need it if it's just 6" off the ground. If you end up needing to provide a step up for any reason, just put some pavers in front of the nest and the birds can hop up.

 

[3KillerBs]

Elevating a small coop allows for more efficient use of space when you don't have much space to use. It can be very convenient to clean out when you can park a wheelbarrow or garden cart under the door and reach every square inch with your pitchfork.

Larger coops are a problem elevated because you can't reach to clean, to retrieve a misplaced egg, to get to a stubborn chicken, etc. It is possible to elevate a walk-in coop -- where I live it's normal to set sheds up on blocks to deter termites -- but you have that same "can't reach it" problem underneath.

IMO, 4x8 is the maximum for an elevated coop and that's only with a wide access door in the center of the long side.

Our coop right now is about 4ftx5ft. I’m thinking about a 6 ft length x 5 ft width.\

Lumber comes in multiples of 4 feet so that 5 foot dimension means cutting off and throwing out 3 feet of every 8-foot 2x4 you buy. Lumber prices are still high so that's a lot of $$$ in the scrap pile.

Better to build either 4x8 or 6x6 (buy 12-foot boards and cut them in half).

You mentioned having 1 sq ft of ventilation for each bird. I’m not really sure how to figure that out. Right now i have three hens and 2 two week old pullets. How many/how big should the windows be?

Soffit and ridge or soffit and gable ventilation is better than windows. Heat and ammonia both rise and need to be vented at the highest point of the coop. Additionally, you still need that square foot of ventilation per bird in the winter so having the ventilation above the birds' heads while they're sitting on the roost prevents drafts.

This photo is from an article on cattle barns, but the principles are the same:

@aart has good photos of how to make soffit ventilation.

Alternately, with generous roof overhangs you can put vents at the top of the walls by just not carrying the siding all the way to the top and using hardware cloth instead -- like my brooder, but less redneck.

If you do use windows -- and you will probably want supplemental ventilation in the summer -- best to make them top-hinged so that they serve as their own awnings to keep the weather out.

Here's a link showing how to make a safe prop for them: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/window-support-for-top-hinged-windows.74810/

Is 6 inches off the ground for a nesting box too much for chickens or should i make it level with the floor?

Think about this from your perspective. The chickens don't care what height the box is as long as they can get to it. Do YOU want to have to bend over and collect eggs from the height of your ankles every day?

I have arthritis in my back and knee. The nestboxes in my new coop are at my elbow height. I'll give the chickens a ramp to go up.

 

[RooStar Chicken Gang]

My chooks coop is a shed ok, imagine a weather board shed, then inside there is a small bird aviary with shelves that are roosts. The doors open they go in an out throughout the day as they want. Then inside the weatherboard shed there is also one of those coops U know the typical caged coop with a ramp and an area to nest.. they decide where to sleep for some reason about seven including rooster normally go onto aviary shelves, and the other birds sleep on the floor under the shelves so we started to put hay/bedding on the floor for those ones, they still go walk into the typical coop thing to lay eggs in the morning though.