sn0wwhite's Wichita Coop for the Twin Cities

[sn0wwhite]

Meh. A bit of a set back tonight. Discovered that we weren't level on the left so we had to undo a bit, recut and re-fasten. But a couple more 2x4s are up and the back wall is now fastened. Although it appears I have departed from the plan, I think I can still make it work. My ventilation is just going to either be lower or I will add a window in the back for venting instead. By the way, with as secure as this coop is going to be, do you all think that a closing pop door will be needed? Could I just leave it open for more ventilation or will that make it too cold and drafty?

 

[aart]

Meh. A bit of a set back tonight. Discovered that we weren't level on the left so we had to undo a bit, recut and re-fasten. But a couple more 2x4s are up and the back wall is now fastened. Although it appears I have departed from the plan, I think I can still make it work. My ventilation is just going to either be lower or I will add a window in the back for venting instead. By the way, with as secure as this coop is going to be, do you all think that a closing pop door will be needed? Could I just leave it open for more ventilation or will that make it too cold and drafty?

The beauty of screws over nails, easy to undo and fix!

Do the plans include an apron to deter diggers?
I know you've got some blocks down, but a hungry determined animal could make it under those.
An apron of 2x4 fencing going out 12-18 inches buried a few inches deep will stop them before they get to the block.

Draftiness would have to be experienced and evaluated, depends on the location and which way the wind blows.

 

[sn0wwhite]

Yes, I love the leftover deck screws we're using. We've had to undo and redo quite a bit, but mostly because we discovered something should have been in place prior to the other thing.

Hmmm the block is at least 8 deep by 8 wide. On the right and back there is cement too close to dig and I was planning to put a block path in front. I could bury hardware cloth on the right then. Would that eliminate the need for a pop door? I like to sleep in so I was thinking I would make the opening to fit an ADOR1 door and just get it later if needed.

The winter wind will be blocked mostly by my house and the coop house and I was going to do plastic wrapped panels for the lower 2/3s or so of the run because it is Minnesota and we will get a ton of snow. That's why the clear roof may not work for me either.

 

[aart]

8'' inches deep is nothing for alot of diggers. Looks like the outside of the block is even with the outside of the wood framing. You could attach 2x4 fencing to the bottom wood frame, don't need HC unless you have enough left over, go down a few inches then out 12-18. You can also just leave the fencing on the surface of the ground, staking the outer edges, and let the grass or what ever grow up thru it. But those pavers set all around the bottom edge would do the trick too.

Good that the prevailing wind comes from the house side of the coop, and the pop door faces the leeward side, should be good to leave it open without snow, rain or just really cold wind blowing into the coop.

I think the polycarbonate (much stronger and more resistant to impact than the PVC stuff) roofing material holds up to snow load fairly well if it's properly supported, and your rafter system is substantial. The polycarbonate is clearer than the pvc too, but I don't know if you could see clearly thru it, it's not quite like glass.

Sorry, I'm babbling...design engineer obsessively delving into build detail possibilities...just ignore that parts you don't want to hear about lol

 

[waltandlori]

There is usualy printing on the OSB that tells you which side goes out, I think it is the rough side. I'll look at mine if you need. I built a totally different coop because mine is inside a fenced area. I used some wood I got from work that held pieces of stuff on the back of trucks. It worked ok but would have been easier to just build stick by stick. I did build my own window, but found some aluminum storm windows that I'm going to modify the holes already cut. However the chickens will never see this one anyhow... the goats got that coop lol. So much for planning.

Walt

 

[sn0wwhite]

Oh, no, I hugely appreciate the input! I'm a data geek so things that aren't spreadsheets or databases are not my things at all! And despite that, I don't do math well WITHOUT a spreadsheet or query. I prefer to write code so it's repeatable. heh.

When you say 2x4 fencing, do you actually mean to bury wooden 2x4s? Won't they rot?

 

[aart]

Oh, no, I hugely appreciate the input! I'm a data geek so things that aren't spreadsheets or databases are not my things at all! And despite that, I don't do math well WITHOUT a spreadsheet or query. I prefer to write code so it's repeatable. heh.

When you say 2x4 fencing, do you actually mean to bury wooden 2x4s? Won't they rot?

I often use cadd to do the engineering math..hehe....spreadsheets too.

No, metal mesh fence,14 ga 2x4 field fencing... like this

 

[sn0wwhite]

There is usualy printing on the OSB that tells you which side goes out, I think it is the rough side. I'll look at mine if you need. I built a totally different coop because mine is inside a fenced area. I used some wood I got from work that held pieces of stuff on the back of trucks. It worked ok but would have been easier to just build stick by stick. I did build my own window, but found some aluminum storm windows that I'm going to modify the holes already cut. However the chickens will never see this one anyhow... the goats got that coop lol. So much for planning.

Walt

Thanks, Walt. Does Out mean up and under the metal roofing, or underside towards the ground? I didn't realize I needed to know that and now I've painted it!

and ooooh... I'd love goats! and Sheep... but they are all illegal in my city. Like my rooster who will be dinner when he starts to crow.

And, I see, Aart - that makes more sense. I do think I'm going to have some hardware cloth left over though... even if it's just using the stuff I have on their temporary run now.

We worked about 4 and a half hours tonight, got the coop house floor and back wall finished and did some more rafter work.

I found that my doorway is 40.25 inches wide at the top and 39.75 wide at the bottom. First off, that's a really wide door, and second, will a slight trapezoid door work or will I just have small gaps or do I need to undo some things to fix this? Or buy a pre-hung door, add hardware cloth and reframe it? I hope not the last option... I expect I won't ever get closer than 1/8 to 1/4 inch in my measurements anyway.

 

[aart]

.......I found that my doorway is 40.25 inches wide at the top and 39.75 wide at the bottom. First off, that's a really wide door, and second, will a slight trapezoid door work or will I just have small gaps or do I need to undo some things to fix this? Or buy a pre-hung door, add hardware cloth and reframe it? I hope not the last option... I expect I won't ever get closer than 1/8 to 1/4 inch in my measurements anyway.

Can you post a pic of it?

 

[sn0wwhite]

I

Can you post a pic of it?

Is this close enough?

Or

It's not as far off as it appears in this pic, and I can see that we can tighten that header which will pull it in some.