Sharing my coop build

[fuzzi]

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Lowes didn't give me my roofing with the rest of the order, had to tarp it for a week and paint it.

Gorilla cart?

 

[Debbie292d]

Very nice! Good job!

We stuck a shutter vent in the human door and an exhaust fan on the other side, where a window was. A vent could have worked there too but we wanted the fan.

 

[MMelton67]

Gorilla cart?

They are great! Had a smaller one before and bought the biggest one this year. Love them.

 

[MMelton67]

What's your timeline for these additions?
Is your goal lots of eggs or....?
Wondering if you'll stagger the additions to have eggs each winter with fresh layers

Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!
View attachment 3706996

I've got 16 Australorps ordered for a delivery around the 1st of March. Our primary goal is self sustainability and selling enough eggs to pay for the upkeep along the way. If it looks like we can pay for me to build a 3rd coop and run system in late spring/early summer I will. If not, then wait till another 1st week of March time. I'm choosing heavy layers with cold hardy attributes for best laying during winter months. Right now, we are getting 4-5 eggs a day from 26 week old Lavender Orps and Barred Rocks. I wasn't expecting that rate given the season and age and I'm sure it will slow down during Jan/Feb. It's just two of us and I'll be running eggs down to the local fire/ems department the rest of the winter.

 

[MMelton67]

When you're talking about ventilation for chickens, think in terms of square feet, not square inches. The usual rule of thumb is 1 square foot, per chicken. Open 24/7/365. "Open" means covered with hardware cloth, to keep out predators.

Ideally, the ventilation should be above the chickens' heads when they're on the roost. So think high openings, to vent out ammonia from their poop. Also, in the winter, if you have cold temps, you want the moisture from their breath to vent out as well. Moisture and cold is what leads to frostbite on combs, wattles, and toes.

Your climate makes a difference, too. What works for me in Michigan might not work for you.

huh. Ok. so, in a 64 square foot coop that should be good for 16 chickens (at 4sf per large bodied chicken) you're saying I need 16 square foot of open wall? Sorry, but that doesn't make sense for cold weather. Please explain to me how exactly to do that and where you get that data point from. I've not seen it anywhere yet.

 

[rosemarythyme]

huh. Ok. so, in a 64 square foot coop that should be good for 16 chickens (at 4sf per large bodied chicken) you're saying I need 16 square foot of open wall? Sorry, but that doesn't make sense for cold weather. Please explain to me how exactly to do that and where you get that data point from. I've not seen it anywhere yet.

Ventilation is important in cold weather as frostbite can occur as high as freezing if moisture isn't allowed to escape the coop, which is why you still want ample ventilation up high even in cold weather.

In hot weather you ideally want the option to open up even more ventilation if possible.

A couple of good articles about ventilation vs. drafts:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop.47774/

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

 

[saysfaa]

... Please explain to me how exactly to do that and where you get that data point from. I've not seen it anywhere yet.

There are several ways that work well. I did it this way...

A 4x7 door open 24/7/365 for 5 hens. Windows, eave vents, ridge vent, and people doors are closed for the winter. That makes nowhere for the wind to go so it doesn't come in even on very windy days no matter which way the wind is blowing. Yet, constant fresh air wafts in at least as fast as the chickens use it - their warm breath rises. I've tested it with filmy plastic hanging from a stick to show how the air moves. I needed the filmy plastic because it is a lot of air moving but it moves so slowly.

A small amount of snow also wafts in sometimes but only the first couple of feet and it doesn't stay long no matter what the weather does.

I've been very happy with it for three years here in the upper midwest.

Edit to add: the proportions of height and width to depth matter. There is some range to what works but there are limits. Mine is 10' deep.

 

[saysfaa]

Oh. And I got the data from Prince T Woods' book "Modern Fresh Air Poultry Houses"
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924003138272&seq=7

He was well-known in his time (a hundred years ago), editor of several major poultry journals among other poultry related activities. His books describe many people in the poultry world adopting his advice on ventilation and the health benefits they noticed in their chickens. He figured it out mostly by observing his own flocks in different types of coops, from what I've gathered from his books.

 

[aart]

Right now, we are getting 4-5 eggs a day from 26 week old Lavender Orps and Barred Rocks. I wasn't expecting that rate given the season and age and I'm sure it will slow down during Jan/Feb.

How old are they?
Most chickens will lay thru their first fall/winter,
then next fall/winter they will stop laying to molt,
that cessation can last anywhere from 1-3 months.
Unless you use supplemental lighting, and there are pros and cons to that.

 

[fuzzi]

They are great! Had a smaller one before and bought the biggest one this year. Love them.

I just got my first, after reading about their uses on one of @gtaus threads.

(in September, grass isn't green right now!)