Roost + distance + drafts, etc

[fmernyer]

So I'm reading lots of threads and my head is spinning and pretty much I'm gonna cop out and just ask with my own dimensions...

I'm thinking that my roost should be higher rather than lower. And with the placement of the windows and such it looks like I want to put the roosts about 12-14" from the ceiling and 12" away from the wall (since its a slightly pitched roof they'll gain a wee bit of space as they get away from the wall).

There will be about 2 inches of ventilation in the eaves right at the top of the coop front and back.

A window on the side of the coop closer to the back - 14" from the roof and approx 14" long.

So the roost would be below the vents in the eaves and just on top of the windows. I have the option of closing the windows. (right now 'window' means wire mesh with a shutter)

Math...carry the one...scribble....that means my roosts are approx 30" off the floor of the coop.

I could provide a ladder of sorts if that is too high for them. Is it too drafty - er - sounding? I figured more air is better and I could always shutter up.

As always - thank you!!!

 

[aggiemae]

Sounds OK. A square foot of ventilation per chicken in optimal and ideally there should be lots more in the summer so the shuttered windows are good. If the vents are under the eves there shouldn't be a draft.

We are in the process of building our coop and reading all the (often conflicting) advice here can be overwhelming. In the end I decided that the priority needs to be a good location followed by enough floor space, good access for maintenance and good ventilation are the most important considerations and that I can always make adjustments to the coop interior as needed.

 

[fmernyer]

Sounds OK. A square foot of ventilation per chicken in optimal and ideally there should be lots more in the summer so the shuttered windows are good. If the vents are under the eves there shouldn't be a draft.

We are in the process of building our coop and reading all the (often conflicting) advice here can be overwhelming. In the end I decided that the priority needs to be a good location followed by enough floor space, good access for maintenance and good ventilation are the most important considerations and that I can always make adjustments to the coop interior as needed.

Excellent point!! And thank you! Whew! Can't wait for it to be done! lol

 

[aggiemae]

Excellent point!! And thank you! Whew! Can't wait for it to be done! lol

Me too. It's fun to design but the building and especailly all the painting has proven to be tedious. Whenever a get discouraged or overwhelmed I go on line and look at the crappy looking finished coop people are trying to sell on craigslist or even better I check the prices for prebuilt 35 square foot coops with 100 square foot runs.

 

[Lmoreau70]

If I had mine to do over again and had the room I would have come out more than 12' from the wall with my top roost. The girls are messy and they are constantly pooping on the wall!