Our new coop for a newbie

[Cheepskate]

Looks like you have a well thought out coop coming along. I second the caution on raccoons, sneaky buggers, and clever too! Where in upstate are you?

 

[MoonShadows]

Thanks for all the compliments and suggestions. I am concerned about the ventilation, however, we live in upstate NY and our winter temps go below freezing for months. It can get down into the single digits and even below zero. So it's a balancing act. I was not planning on opening any windows in the winter even though they all have screens and hardware cloth. It would be easy enough to make those vents bigger. I don't know what to do. I suppose I can make bigger vent holes and have some plugs handy if I need them or I can pull the caps off and put in a roof vent. Suggestions?

Chickens, for the most part, can handle cold winter temps. Chickens produce tremendous moisture through respiration and poop...and also ammonia. Good ventilation is a must no matter what time of year. If you don't have enough ventilation in the winter, you run the risk of the chickens getting frostbite on their combs, wattles and feet...and the ammonia build up will damage their respiration systems. You need to worry more about ventilation than your chickens staying warm. Remember, they have feather coats.

 

[Rachy]

A beautiful coop, congrats

It's all a learning journey with chickens, enjoy your journey

 

[thisdman]

OK I finally finished the run. Lots going on but I did have the girls outside in a temporary run in the interim. The run is 30'x8' and its 7' tall. I gave the ladies access to the underside of the coop so they now have a total of 304 sq. ft. of run. Here's some photos.


I attached treated 2x4's to the coop for added stability. I buried and set in concrete the rest of the 2x4 posts. Framed the rest as you see. I also added some stairs which is quite obvious.



The top 5' of the run is built with 2"x4" welded wire fencing. The bottom is 1/2" x 1/2" hardware cloth I ordered from wayfair.com ($106 delivered, I bought 2 rolls 50' long). I dug a trench 1 foot deep and buried the hardware cloth. I also buried a double row of welded wire in there just because I had extra.



I covered the top with the welded wire. As mentioned previously I live in a wooded area and have a few red tail hawks and owls living right near the house.



Here's a look under the coop. The girls love it.



The door. Lots of overkill here, 4 things to get through. You have to step up and in here but this will help in the winter when it snows.


Please let me know if I missed anything or suggestions for improvement. I plan on making a roost or 2 for "all the single ladies", I only have those 2 corner ones right now because it was so easy to throw them up there. We are going to fill this with sand. Thanks and I hope this helps somebody, you know as long as I didn't screw it up.

 

[ParsonPlace]

Wow ! Really nice job. Love it ! Lucky hens.

 

[Blue CopperHen]

Very nice!