Shed-to-Coop Design Feedback Request

[YamYam]

Howdy!
I have a few questions and wanted some feedback on a future coop. It will be a 4x8 coop located inside the shed (pictured below). I'm planning on building onto the shed, meaning I'll only add four walls and a floor to the coop.

The shed is made of wooden lattice, which is quite old, but still holding up well. I'm planning on predator proofing the entire shed with hardwire cloth, however I was wondering if it could be safe to add hardwire cloth to the bottom 3' of the shed but leave the rest above as wooden lattice. The entire shed is 10' by 16', so it would be costly to add wire to the entire perimeter, but would this hold up against predators?

Any feedback is appreciated

 

[aart]

however I was wondering if it could be safe to add hardwire cloth to the bottom 3' of the shed but leave the rest above as wooden lattice.

Not really, many predators can climb and fit thru the lattice holes.....
...unless maybe the coop is impenetrable, but well ventilated, for night safety.

How many birds do you plan on keeping?

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!

 

[YamYam]

Not really, many predators can climb and fit thru the lattice holes.....
...unless maybe the coop is impenetrable, but well ventilated, for night safety.

How many birds do you plan on keeping?

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 3288266

Fixed my profile! The plan is to have room for around 10 chickens with the possibility of adding more-

And thanks for the advice, hardwire cloth it is!

 

[Raptor Chicken]

I'd like the measurements on the "shed" or lean-to.

My first instinct would be to rip off that lattice, add a little framing and enclose the whole thing with HWC and make the whole thing a coop. Then add on a run or fenced in area for a run.

But if you're not looking to get that involved I'd still recommend getting rid of the lattice, adding some framing and HWC, and you can put a coop inside that area.

How many chickens are you planning on?

Either case lattice is not a great protection barrier alone.

 

[aart]

The plan is to have room for around 10 chickens with the possibility of adding more-

4x8 is tight for 10 birds...and in your climate you'd be better off HCing the whole 10x16 with maybe 1 or 2 solidish walls for wind breaks.

 

[3KillerBs]

Welcome to BYC.

Since you're in Florida I strongly suggest that instead of building an enclosed coop you turn the entire structure into an Open Air coop -- a roofed wire box with a 3-sided shelter at the windward end. Chickens suffer in the heat and need maximum ventilation in hot climates.

You really do need the wire all the way around but you'll save a lot of money on lumber this way.

Here is my article on hot climate chicken-keeping: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/ You'll see my own Open Air coop featured in it.

And my article on coop ventilation: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

Some additional information,

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

• 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
• 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
• 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
• 1/4 of a nest box,
• And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

8 hens

• 32 square feet in the coop. 4'x8' is approaching the limits for a non-walk-in coop even with the access door in the middle. 6'x6' should be walk-in because even the tallest chicken-keeper won't be able to reach the far wall.
• 8 feet of roost
• 80 square feet in the run. 8'x10' is a nice looking number but, remembering the common dimensions of lumber, a roomier 8'x12' is actually easier to build. 6'x14' looks good on paper but would require a lot of weird cuts.
• 8 square feet of ventilation.
• 2-3 nest boxes.

12 hens

• 48 square feet in the coop. 6'x8' is more practical than 4'x12' since a long, skinny coop like that would be difficult to work inside.
• 12 feet of roost
• 120 square feet in the run. 10'x12' or 8'x15' -- 8'x16' means fewer odd cuts than either of those. 6'x20' is possible, especially if your run is an open-topped, fenced area instead of fully-enclosed with a solid and/or wire roof but risks social problems because subordinate hens need to be able to pass the dominant hens at a respectful distance.
• 12 square feet of ventilation.
• 3 nest boxes.

Open Air Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-positive-local-action-coop.72804/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/california-living.68130/

 

[YamYam]

Thanks for all of the replies! This was really insightful.
I agree with removing the lattice, and an open-coop would be perfect to replace it!
I'll update with the new plans soon

 

[YamYam]

The new plans are ready to go!
I'm now thinking of converting a corner of the shed into a 5x8 or 4x8 open-air coop. The wall facing the inside of the shed will be completely open, and the two adjacent walls next to it will have the top foot open to allow air flow. I decided to *almost* block of the entire side of the wall opposite to the open one since that is where most of the wind comes from. Now all that's left is actually building it..

 

[3KillerBs]

The new plans are ready to go!
I'm now thinking of converting a corner of the shed into a 5x8 or 4x8 open-air coop. The wall facing the inside of the shed will be completely open, and the two adjacent walls next to it will have the top foot open to allow air flow. I decided to *almost* block of the entire side of the wall opposite to the open one since that is where most of the wind comes from. Now all that's left is actually building it..

Are you going to have a separate run as well as the 5x8 coop area?

Many people, myself included, who use the Open Air concept for our coops, combine the coop and run into one area. But I also have an additional run -- 100 feet of electric poultry netting.

This gives me the flexibility to keep my flock in their coop full-time when appropriate (during last winter's Avian Flu issue and, recently, because of hawk migration season), or to let them out into the grass during the daytime.

 

[YamYam]

Are you going to have a separate run as well as the 5x8 coop area?

Many people, myself included, who use the Open Air concept for our coops, combine the coop and run into one area. But I also have an additional run -- 100 feet of electric poultry netting.

This gives me the flexibility to keep my flock in their coop full-time when appropriate (during last winter's Avian Flu issue and, recently, because of hawk migration season), or to let them out into the grass during the daytime.

Not exactly a separate run, but we like to section off areas of the yard with plastic poultry netting and let them roam in there (with supervision of course). I think grass is a necessity when raising chickens