Our chicken coop/run construction progress

[dawntreader]

We started with laying the foundation by manually excavating and leveling the paving stones and the floor sill during the hot temps in north Texas of 100+ degrees. The area is 6' x 16' to support up to 10 chickens.

We started coop framing soon after. Coop area is 6' x 4'.

Framing the coop took a few days, slowed down by babysitting, hot weather and design "discussions" at the computer. We used a poly plastic liner for the coop floor, intending to use the deep litter method.

Rachel is the go-to staining expert! We bring our chicks out to enjoy the time with us in a chicken tractor we put together when the weather permits. You can see them in the chicken tractor.

We started the run this weekend by framing the walls and then attaching them to the floor sills, leveling the walls with the coop and the base foundation.

This is what we've accomplished this weekend. Next weekend we will install the rafters and roof. We did get a bit of rain this weekend after almost 2 months of no rain and high temps. We are so thankful for the rain and pray that area farmers receive most of it! One of our two dogs is seen here inspecting the progress. He loves the chicks, even though he is not quite OK with them riding on his back yet. The other bigger dog pretty much ignores them. I've seen expressions on his face I've never seen before in the years we've had him since a pup. He does not seem to like them pecking his nose, but he is a good sport!

 

[Momma-Hen-Misti]

This looks amazing so far!

 

[DobieLover]

It looks nice and sturdy so far. However, because you've set everything up on top of pavers set in a sand base you still need to have a predator apron there. Any predator digging along the edge of those pavers is going to have it pretty easy digging to get in.
What you've constructed is a perfect size for 7 full size chickens. A 4x6 coop attached to a predator proof run, you could drop down to 3.5 sq ft per bird vs the usual 4. You can't really push it much further than that, especially in your hot climate. And you certainly don't want to be pushing the minimum limit per bird for your run. 10 sq ft per bird in the run is the absolute minimum and you should always go with more than that. Therefore I would limit the number of birds in your setup to 7 and everybody including yourself will be ever so much happier.
Hopefully most if not all of your walls will be constructed with 1/2" hardware cloth also because of your very hot climate. All you'd have to do for winter is wrap up the lower portions with some poly sheeting to protect them from the wind.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

In addition to what Dobie said, you might want to look at these articles before committing to solid walls.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

 

[dawntreader]

It looks nice and sturdy so far. However, because you've set everything up on top of pavers set in a sand base you still need to have a predator apron there. Any predator digging along the edge of those pavers is going to have it pretty easy digging to get in.
What you've constructed is a perfect size for 7 full size chickens. A 4x6 coop attached to a predator proof run, you could drop down to 3.5 sq ft per bird vs the usual 4. You can't really push it much further than that, especially in your hot climate. And you certainly don't want to be pushing the minimum limit per bird for your run. 10 sq ft per bird in the run is the absolute minimum and you should always go with more than that. Therefore I would limit the number of birds in your setup to 7 and everybody including yourself will be ever so much happier.
Hopefully most if not all of your walls will be constructed with 1/2" hardware cloth also because of your very hot climate. All you'd have to do for winter is wrap up the lower portions with some poly sheeting to protect them from the wind.

Thanks for the comments! Nice to hear confirmation of what we have planned in terms of design for the coop. Definitely plan on having a hardware cloth apron around the outside perimeter of the coop and run, just haven't implemented it yet till the framing, roof and hardware cloth is installed on the structure. This is a "work in progress", with a lot of ideas that have not yet been implemented in the construction yet, but are in our design plans and/or heads waiting to be actualized. We have 7 birds at present, so the 120 sq ft. run should be plenty. We also plan on having them free range in the backyard when we are out there, so they will have plenty of space. There will be shade cover hardware to attach shade cloths for the south walls that will keep the coop cooler during the summer, and warmer during the winter for parts of the coop that are more exposed to the direct sun or north wind. We will highlight those features with more pics and comments as they are built into the coop. Next weekend can't get here soon enough to get the roof in place!

 

[dawntreader]

Welcome to BYC.

In addition to what Dobie said, you might want to look at these articles before committing to solid walls.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

Thanks for the comments and the links! We have planned on installing hardware cloth in the run walls, they will not be solid. The vertical 2x4's in the run provide stability for the hardware cloth and additional security against predators. We have friends in NC that have a chicken coop with a dozen or more hens - they also used hardware cloth for the run area and it has worked well for them over the years they have raised chickens. NC and TX are quite different in climate, but the summer heat can be similar. Thanks for the links to coop ventilation - that was something that Rachel and I spent several weeks or more in the past researching and discussing before deciding on our design that we think will be good ventilation for our area given the prevailing winds. The Nantucket and Carolina coop designs were our main inspiration for the basic design, but there were features such as removable window frames that could be placed on other parts of the coop or run where shade was needed that we will be implementing in the construction in the next month or so.

 

[SourRoses]

The woodwork is looking very nice!

How much HW Cloth ventilation are you planning for the coop itself?
As a fellow southerner I want to warn you that shade is fabulous and necessary but it doesn't serve as a replacement for ventilation. Chickens release heat themselves, ammonia and humidity from their breaths rises along with the heat, so sufficient upper level ventilation is so important.
I also like to ensure there is some very low ventilation because co2 sinks, and lower air is often cooler... usually a full HW cloth door is my preference but there are a lot of ways to do it.

 

[dawntreader]

The woodwork is looking very nice!

How much HW Cloth ventilation are you planning for the coop itself?
As a fellow southerner I want to warn you that shade is fabulous and necessary but it doesn't serve as a replacement for ventilation. Chickens release heat themselves, ammonia and humidity from their breaths rises along with the heat, so sufficient upper level ventilation is so important.
I also like to ensure there is some very low ventilation because co2 sinks, and lower air is often cooler... usually a full HW cloth door is my preference but there are a lot of ways to do it.

Great questions! So the coop run will be completely covered with hardware cloth from the bottom sill to the top sill, including the door. The coop itself will have four windows: 2 on the south side towards the run and one each on the east and west side. The windows on the south side will be removable to place in the area under the coop floor that is also covered with hardware cloth (1/2") during the summer, but will remain in place on the coop walls during the winter. The east and west windows will swing open for additional ventilation as needed. The north side will have doors that swing open for cleaning out the coop floor. We may install smaller swing windows in those doors depending on the heat we measure in the coop during the summer once the coop is completed. The coop itself will have radiant barrier underneath the roof decking as an added protection for the high temps we have here in Texas during the summer. Thermal controls are not out of the question like a small fan, we just need to measure the temps once we have completed our construction and see if additional measures are necessary. Thanks for your comments and questions!

 

[Toothpick]

That’s gonna be awesome!

 

[SourRoses]

The coop itself will have four windows: 2 on the south side towards the run and one each on the east and west side. The windows on the south side will be removable to place in the area under the coop floor that is also covered with hardware cloth (1/2") during the summer, but will remain in place on the coop walls during the winter. The east and west windows will swing open for additional ventilation as needed. The north side will have doors that swing open for cleaning out the coop floor. We may install smaller swing windows in those doors depending on the heat we measure in the coop during the summer once the coop is completed.

Ok, interesting. You're planning the floor to be made of HW Cloth? Are you worried about them developing foot issues on that? I'm not sure how long they have to be on wire to develop problems so it might be totally fine. Hopefully someone chimes in about that.

Might I suggest some upper-level ventilation under the eaves? What usually happens with windows-only designs is that it creates a pocket of heat above the window and below the ceiling, with this heat ammonia tends to build up there.