Open Air/Open Front Coop Questions

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I really wouldn't. You sure don't need it for that size coop with that few chickens, and it will just be an unnecessary expense and hassle, and unless blocked off will let snow/rain in sometimes. Skip it. You don't need a fan at all.

Oh, I keep forgetting to ask. How well does having vinyl/linoleum flooring work? Logically it should make the coop easier to empty out, but is there a downside to it?

It's ok, but honestly I don't htink it's such a big deal as a lot of BYCers make it out to be. (I have pens with vinyl flooring [because they were that way when I got here, it used to be a dog kennel], and some without, so I have reasonable basis for comparison). If you keep enough bedding on the floor and repair bare spots as soon as they form, there is no serious cleaning issue even if you just have primed-and-painted plywood floors. Some people claim that vinyl is wonderful for letting you hose the floor out but that is not true in the long run, as water will get trapped underneath it (Between vinyl and plywood) and accellerate rot. Come look at my kennel if you don't believe me, which was hosed out regularly before we moved in; also I have known a number of horse-barn tackrooms and bathrooms that suffered from this problem, despite not being hosed out. So do it if you want, I don't think there's a big overall downside, but I also don't think there's a big overall *advantage* either, and it *is* just one more thing to have to pay for and install

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[Ferrret]

Coop Picture round three!
Ok so I just used the paint program and reworked a previous coop picture to add large gable windows instead of big side windows. Advantage, I got fairly straight lines!
Black = Outline, Yellow = Insides, Purple = Nest box location(ish), Blue = Screen, Brown = Litter.

So a primed/painted floor works well enough. That works for me. Along the lines of paint, would painting the coop red be a bad thing? I know lighter colors help reflect heat away, but I have kinda thought about painting the coop like a red and white barn. (I still need to run that past BF and see if he'll go for it

)
When you say put the nest box up 14", is that the distance from the litter to the bottom of the box or the top?

Would just large gable windows work as well as the front vent and side windows?
The gable windows would be on either side, the non door side having a larger window than the side with the door. I want to have something to section them off with in winter, not completely cover but reduce the size of the screened opening. The window on the door side would be roughly 5' wide and 1.5-2' tall at the peak. The other side I'm thinking would be the same width but possibly 3' tall at the peak.

 

[CityChook]

Paint: Red/White would be very cute. Chickens don't care. Choose colors that will make YOU happy. My coop is natural outside and natural/blue/brown/white inside.

Nest Box: Lower it below the roost line. BOTTOM should be at least 14 inches above the litter so that they can walk underneath it, utilizing the sq/footage in their overall space. Roost needs to be higher than the nest.

Vents: Seems like gable vents would work better than front/side windows in previous drawings. But I'm a believer in lots of natural light, so if it were me, I'd still have some regular windows and make the gable vents smaller. But that's just me. Design your framing to accommodate partially closing up those gable vents in winter. You won't want that much space open when it's really cold. Maybe make the flaps (screwed in? sliders? butterflies screws? hinged/hooked?) match the triangle shape with the top tip cut off so that the highest point in the coop is still open. Make sure you don't point those vents in the direction of your weather to keep rain/snow from coming in. An overhang might help some.

Look'n good...

 

[Ferrret]

There is space on the front of the coop where I could put a large permanent window. Something around maybe 3'x3'?

I will have a way to partially close the gables for winter.
The idea so far is to have the hardware cloth set inside the coop so there is a sill I can set a wood panel or a plexiglass pane with a wood frame into it and secure it in place. I'm a bit concerned about screwing them into place. Repeated screw holes year after year mixed with changing weather could lead the wall to deteriorating.
I was thinking something like these placed a foot or so apart from each other around the edges of the gable covers.

http://www.atcoproducts.com/catches1.html

Would those work out well for keeping the gable covers in place?

I know chickens don't much care for the color of their coop, but I was curious if it would affect the coop itself. I wouldn't paint a coop flat black unless I wanted it roasty toasty in there. Would a plain barn red have any affect or is that a safe color to use?

 

[CityChook]

Those latches look fine, but they also look expensive. I'm sure they'd work fine, but might be a little overkill. I agree that screwing into the wood over and over again is a bad idea. Were you going to set the covers on the inside or outside? If on the inside, I'd just set them with butterfly nuts. The screws could stay in place and you just turn the nut to release the cover. It would be a lot cheaper, but not pretty enough for the exterior, IMO.

I'm a believer in having natural sunlight in your coop. Particularly in our neck of the woods where the chickies might spend an extended amount of time inside. If you wanted a real window on the cheap, you could search for a free curbside find, look on craigslist and/or freemarket, ask friends for remodeling leftovers, check out your local habitat for humanity store or watch for scratch and dent at the lumberyards...

Red paint is fine. If it was a bad color to use, I don't think you'd see big red barns all over the midwest.

How are YOU feeling about the coop, Ferret?

 

[Ferrret]

I'm feeling pretty good about the coop now that I have a good plan that won't end in frozen chickens.
Butterfly screws may be the way we go for fixing in the gable covers and I'm sure I can find a spot indoors to put them when they aren't in use.
I can probably find a decent sized window for the front of the coop to install that won't cost as much as plexiglass or buying a window straight up.

I'm gonna fix up the drawing as much as I can and email the coop design to BF so he knows what you guys have helped me come up with.
If everything is in order, we'll start building the week of Easter.

I still have to figure out the other 3 chickens I'll have to keep the Silkie warm. I have been wanting a Silkie for some time now, and even though BF thinks they are silly I think he wants one too.

Which is fine by me. Anything known about "Cherry Egger" chickens?

http://purelypoultry.com/cherry-egger-chickens-p-372.html

Seems like a good bird but opinions from here are most welcome!

 

[salena34]

Hi. I just started working with and raising chickens! My husband has a various assortment and loves gathering eggs, etc... I never liked them and tried to keep him from getting them (reason being: I raise show and pet rabbits and thought that the two should not be housed together) so... he came up w/ a plan to build two small sheds and runs for his chickens, and voila! Chickens! Well.. I started looking into a breed, and now I just ordered 15 silkie bantams.. but I need all of your help! We just recently purchased an incubator/turner, which we have outside in our old camper, along w/ three little peeps (good start) - We want to raise peeps as well as get eggs, but I would like anyone to give me information / websites/ the best books anyone can offer advice on Silkies and Mille-fleur(sp?) bantams... those are the two types we want to raise...

I am new to this chicken thing, and a wonderful lady in MD talked with me this morning and gave me this website!


www.haashappeninhoppers.com
[email protected]

 

[Ferrret]

Coop construction has started, and abruptly ended due to rain.
The floor is assembled along with some frame work.

Hopefully there will be enough sunshine tomorrow and the rest of the week to build the coop.