Our first coop coming along! It's a 20' long A frame

[ComputerChicken]

Neat design and build. Any idea how much the finished product will weigh? (or what you'll need to pick it up?)

 

[chixmaidservice]

I am in Northern Ohio, had many days/nights this winter well below zero- have a hardware cloth floor on my coop, other than straw, nothing over it. Worked fine, actually, will probably add more ventilation to peak this summer as I had some condensation and 1 hen got some frostbite on her comb. Your floor should be fine w/o rubber mat, just add hay, straw or paper shreds so your hens have something to soak up moisture.

 

[efalls]

O it is deff. heavy. I originally was going to build it lighter, and frankly, chickens do not need this heavy duty. But I had to build it heavy enough to go on a flat bed car hauler and travel down the rd. I plan to use a short rope "hitch" to lift the front and drag accross the ground with a tractor or truck. A come along would easily pull it up onto a trailer. This started out as a large stack of 15' 2x4s and a truck bed full of plywood.

 

[efalls]

@ chixmaidservice yes I am hoping it will work good I may install a roof vent (the kind that spin in the wind) for more air movement.

 

[Arielle]

and just have it always open? not a close able vent? I know ventilation is key and I need to add a few.

@ chixmaidservice yes I am hoping it will work good I may install a roof vent (the kind that spin in the wind) for more air movement.

Yes we keep it open even in the winter.

Flow can be controled by how much air comes IN to the coop too, air flow requires an IN and an OUT.

In one coop we put a ven low on the left side, and put rat wire on the upper right-- the air is often rushing thru, alsmost too much. THe left vent has a cover so air only enters from the bottom-- hard to explain.. but not driven tby wind-- and birds perch above, out of the flow. Never a moisture issue even when they spill water.

Again look at the open face idea and the cave effect of the closed other end. A design that works in a large coop--

 

[efalls]

I worry about water getting in when it rains. the entire floor is vented and the whole roof peak is vented. there will be a door where the chickens go in and out...
I thought about cutting a vent in the top of the outer wall but thats just letting the windy rain right in...

 

[Arielle]

I worry about water getting in when it rains. the entire floor is vented and the whole roof peak is vented. there will be a door where the chickens go in and out...
I thought about cutting a vent in the top of the outer wall but thats just letting the windy rain right in...

We let the roof material hang over a couple inches to prevent that. Roof vents are not as good as they are cracked up to be-- we have tried it on our own house and the horse barn. We had better ventilation thru the end vents.

 

[ScouterJoe]

Where you have the side of the A frame hinged, are you worried about rain leaking in?

 

[efalls]

Where you have the side of the A frame hinged, are you worried about rain leaking in?

I plan to have a rubber flap to stop the rain from leaking in.

 

[Arielle]

We have a similar door on a coop and oddly it doesn't leak.