perchie.girl
RIP 1953-2021
Hi Guys
I feel Chicken coop design should be driven by: Climate, Quantity of birds, Access, and finally Aesthetics.
Climate determines how to protect from the elements. In most cases its a very simple affair the goal is to have Good air flow, Moisture control, Humidity in a cold climate is not good. IN the extreme conditions like latitudes where there is Midnight sun... insulation is an excellent idea, as long as you can provide good air flow to allow the moisture the chickens produce to escape.... If the whole coop is covered in snow That in of its self is excellent insulation. Humidity is a killer. As far as keeping them warm... Chickens put out a lot of BTUS so if they can group together... with fresh clean air they are good to go.
Quantity of birds .... rule of thumb. Double your space because Chicken math will get you eventually.... Oh and allow for the addition of more space... just in case your chicken math goes into Geometrical progression.
.like mine did.
Access... is a personal thing. But you want to be able to clean without too many "steps" for the process. Feeding should be as simple as you can make it. Watering The same.
Asthetics Ooooh there are some Purty coops out there. Before emulating one.... really look at all of the must haves above... easy to clean can you catch the errant bird How do you get food and water in how do you access eggs.
In my personal design I am satisfying my needs.
Climate:... Desert and very dry with high winds some hurricane force that are season driven. Deserts are defined by being Dry. While we do have hot days Mine is a mild desert. We only get about a months worth of temps over a hundred. The only thing I have provided is shade for those days. High up at 3200 feet we do get snow but only 72 hours worth. Water does not pool except in areas where there is organic material on top of the ground.
Quantity of birds: each of my 6 x 12 partitions will handle 18 birds at four square feet per bird. The Guineas are getting 180 square feet they are a much more active bird so I am allowing more space so limiting it to 36
Access: this is a big one for me because I am headed for a Wheel chair... At present I get about with a Rolling walker. It has a seat so I can do most chores as long as I can access with out an escapee. Hence the poultry house design. Everything necessary for me to tend my birds is from the Aisle. Food Water and eggs. the roosts will have Hammocks slung under them so Cleaning will be from the aisle too. Still working on the logistics of that.
Asthetics: are drivin for me by my ability to build. Therefore I can do the walls and partitions and access areas myself. That leaves the roof. I would prefer a single shed roof but I have to have someone who can climb a ladder build it for me. The roof will probably be my only new wood construction. I have the tin already.
I dont do litter in the traditional sense. With the exception of providing a soft landing spot for coming off the perches. I use Rice hulls for that. They are naturally moisture resistant and allow any droppings on them to desiccate. I use them for my horse on occasion to give her a soft bed... she wuvvs her rice hulls.
The aisles and work area for me have to be easy to get about. Therefore I have Rubber stall mats to use in those spaces where I will be working. The first diagram below is a floor plan an idea really which I will adjust when it comes time to build it. But being able to sweep those aisles and know i can move about un empeded is very important. The area will also provide feed storage and a place to Clean anything that needs it. Including washing my hands.
Oh and under the work counters I am providing space to isolate a bird if need be. But each of those partitions is ultimately configurable to different needs.,
Here is my next coop.... Havent built it yet but its more of a Poultry house than a coop.
The big door above is for truck access. I want to be able to back my truck off and unload directly into the coop. this door will also have a people access door in it.
Yep all dog kennel panels. The roof will be a single shed roof with a pitch of six inches over 24 feet. The two areas called Guinea are actually a single Ell shaped space.
there will be two solid walls one on the east facing side and one on the south. Both are directions of prevailng winds. My main issue is stilling down the air during winter to allow the chickens to warm themselves at night time. Chickens put out alot of BTUs.
deb
I feel Chicken coop design should be driven by: Climate, Quantity of birds, Access, and finally Aesthetics.
Climate determines how to protect from the elements. In most cases its a very simple affair the goal is to have Good air flow, Moisture control, Humidity in a cold climate is not good. IN the extreme conditions like latitudes where there is Midnight sun... insulation is an excellent idea, as long as you can provide good air flow to allow the moisture the chickens produce to escape.... If the whole coop is covered in snow That in of its self is excellent insulation. Humidity is a killer. As far as keeping them warm... Chickens put out a lot of BTUS so if they can group together... with fresh clean air they are good to go.
Quantity of birds .... rule of thumb. Double your space because Chicken math will get you eventually.... Oh and allow for the addition of more space... just in case your chicken math goes into Geometrical progression.
Access... is a personal thing. But you want to be able to clean without too many "steps" for the process. Feeding should be as simple as you can make it. Watering The same.
Asthetics Ooooh there are some Purty coops out there. Before emulating one.... really look at all of the must haves above... easy to clean can you catch the errant bird How do you get food and water in how do you access eggs.
In my personal design I am satisfying my needs.
Climate:... Desert and very dry with high winds some hurricane force that are season driven. Deserts are defined by being Dry. While we do have hot days Mine is a mild desert. We only get about a months worth of temps over a hundred. The only thing I have provided is shade for those days. High up at 3200 feet we do get snow but only 72 hours worth. Water does not pool except in areas where there is organic material on top of the ground.
Quantity of birds: each of my 6 x 12 partitions will handle 18 birds at four square feet per bird. The Guineas are getting 180 square feet they are a much more active bird so I am allowing more space so limiting it to 36
Access: this is a big one for me because I am headed for a Wheel chair... At present I get about with a Rolling walker. It has a seat so I can do most chores as long as I can access with out an escapee. Hence the poultry house design. Everything necessary for me to tend my birds is from the Aisle. Food Water and eggs. the roosts will have Hammocks slung under them so Cleaning will be from the aisle too. Still working on the logistics of that.
Asthetics: are drivin for me by my ability to build. Therefore I can do the walls and partitions and access areas myself. That leaves the roof. I would prefer a single shed roof but I have to have someone who can climb a ladder build it for me. The roof will probably be my only new wood construction. I have the tin already.
I dont do litter in the traditional sense. With the exception of providing a soft landing spot for coming off the perches. I use Rice hulls for that. They are naturally moisture resistant and allow any droppings on them to desiccate. I use them for my horse on occasion to give her a soft bed... she wuvvs her rice hulls.
The aisles and work area for me have to be easy to get about. Therefore I have Rubber stall mats to use in those spaces where I will be working. The first diagram below is a floor plan an idea really which I will adjust when it comes time to build it. But being able to sweep those aisles and know i can move about un empeded is very important. The area will also provide feed storage and a place to Clean anything that needs it. Including washing my hands.
Oh and under the work counters I am providing space to isolate a bird if need be. But each of those partitions is ultimately configurable to different needs.,
Here is my next coop.... Havent built it yet but its more of a Poultry house than a coop.
The big door above is for truck access. I want to be able to back my truck off and unload directly into the coop. this door will also have a people access door in it.
Yep all dog kennel panels. The roof will be a single shed roof with a pitch of six inches over 24 feet. The two areas called Guinea are actually a single Ell shaped space.
there will be two solid walls one on the east facing side and one on the south. Both are directions of prevailng winds. My main issue is stilling down the air during winter to allow the chickens to warm themselves at night time. Chickens put out alot of BTUs.
deb
