Ok Im a Geek... I confess... but here is my coop design.

[perchie.girl]

going to go from this:

to this:

Angled view (isometric) Showing the three pens with four hole nest boxes

View down the "hall" shows the two smaller pens for Sumatras and space for others

Finally a plan view made of six by six and twelve by six dog kennel panels

I have all the materials needed to put up the Dog kennel panels. This is just the coop model. It will get a roof for now I am planning on a large silver reflective tarp to cover the top. There will be support for the tarp I just have to figure out how to do it to allow the rain to run off and not pool, as well as keeping the wind out. The tarp has to be stretched and fastened securely.... The whole coop is 24 x 24.

As green as the first picture is we are in the desert here. That picture was taken in December. It will be hot and dry in no time. I am planning on the chickens wanting to be inside in the shade during the heat of the day so the coops are designed to be a refuge from the sun. The runs will have shade cloth sandwiched between wire so they dont sag. Each division in the coop will have their own run. The smaller coops too.

Untill my neighbor assures me he will be keeping his dog in I will not be doing any free ranging. Even the guineas.

I am heading up to the house this weekend to take more measurements and possibly deconstruct the original coop.

 

[elmo]

Nice! Well thought out set up. As I was looking at your plans I was thinking "rain protection is going to be tricky."

Just a couple of thoughts. I had a plastic tarp up in one of our runs and it terrified our chickens. I think it was the sound it made when the wind moved it: loud and rumbly. The other thing I was thinking is that a singe tarp of that size is going to be very heavy and unweildy to manage. If I were you, I might think about a series of smaller tarps.

Actually, if I were you, I wouldn't use tarps. I'd rig up a solid roof, maybe metal, maybe those polycarbonate panels. I'd roof each of the runs individually, and give the roof a slope towards the outward perimeter of all the runs.

On the other hand, if it rarely rains but is usually sunny and very hot in your climate, I might only roof a small part of the runs and put up that aluminet shade cloth over the rest.

 

[GeneJordan]

Wow... can you spare some of those panels?

I looked all over for used ones, but they were like gold... And buying cheap ones for $75 a pop was out of my budget.

I do think it is great

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
LOL The twelve footers were around 95.00 and the six footers were around 65.00 and the ones with doors were around 80.00. I collected them over the course of about ten years one or two at a time as I could afford them. I have around 330 linear feet. They last few were collected in desperation over the fact that Bobcats took 30 chickens in 30 days about five years ago. Right now they are providing protection to my Goats from Coyotes and the occasional dog.

Right now with the price of steel I wont be buying any more either.... Sigh. The Farm store I was buying them at has been sold and I am certain they wont be selling them as a lost leader anymore. (at cost)

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Thanks Elmo,
We get about 7-10 inches of rain per year, delivered in 1/2 inch increments. Sun and wind are the most important elements to protect from here.

I cant climb a ladder at all right now. Sigh. Hopefully once I get back up there I can resolve that issue to some degree. The Tarp is definately temporary. But Yes it will float and flop in the wind. its going to be much bigger than the coop therefore I can anchor it along the walls with some of the Kennel clamps. I am still working on that concept. HOpfully i can get water to flow off the roof without forming a puddle.

I have had chickens before in a tarp covered coop and they were fine with the flapping. It may be the fac that they never knew anything else. This is the coop I am building runs as well. They will have some shade cloth there. And it wont flap as much I know.

I will be updating the model as I figure things out so hopefully I can address these issues.... Gawd i would love to come up with a waterproof solid roof that I, as a semi handicapped person, could put up myself.