Started coop building today

[tiny529]

My husband and I (well, mostly my husband...) started building our coop today. So far we only have 5 chicks, but I'm hoping to expand our flock to both laying and meat birds. The coop is going to be 4x12 and the run is 16x12. We're kind of going by the seat of our pants, but my husband has built other stuff so he has some idea of what he's doing, carpentry-wise.

I'm a little worried about the finer details though... Like ventilation. He wants to put a corrugated plastic roof on and figures that the gaps between the top of the plywood walls and the bottoms of the corrugation will suffice. But will it? Is there something else that we should add someplace else? I don't want to freeze my birds out in the winter (we are in Southeastern PA... It can get pretty cold in the winter) but I also don't want to suffocate them in the summer.

Also, does it matter how close the roosts are to the nest boxes? My husband figures on putting the roosts at one end and the nest boxes at the other, so they'd be about 10 feet away from each other. I just worry that if they are too far apart that the birds will get lazy and lay their eggs in the pine shavings underneath.

I'm sure that I will come up with some other questions between now and finishing, but that's good for now.

Thanks in advance!

 

[M.sue]

The construction stuff is my husbands area. As for the having the roosts at opposite ends of the coop that is fine. Just make sure you have them at various levels. We have 3 in our coop.

 

[Ole rooster]

I just read in another of my post not the have the nest boxes under the roost, for obvious reasons. I have placed mine at opposite ends. But my coop will be only be 8 foot long. I made it 5 feet wide. I intend to get some pictures as soon as I can.

 

[tiny529]

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Thanks for the spam. I could use some helpful advice.

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[Velvet Hairpiece]

Everything that I've read, and I devoured all the information from books, magazines and of course this marvelous BYC forum, said that ventilation is super important. Chickens can stand low temperatures (especially pea combed breeds cause they're less prone to frost bite in their combs and wattles) and that even in the winter they should have plenty of ventilation (i.e. air flow up at the top) as what ends up hurting them is having cold, wet air that happens when there's not enough air ventilation.

The coop my awesome dad, boyfriend, and I just finished building has a sloped roof from front to back, with about a 6"x8' opening at the top along the front, and a triangle opening along the sides due to the slope of the roof, if that makes any sense. I live near St. Louis, MO so we have pretty hot summers, and fairly cold winters. From what I've read, that will be adequate ventilation for them.

So you may want to think about putting in more than just the little spaces from the corrugated roof. (And cover them with hardware cloth so that snakes and other little critters can't get inside!)

 

[Minniechickmama]

I am in colder climate than PA, and I am keeping the windows open this winter. You do need more ventilation than the space at the top for that size coop especially.
There is a thread on here from a breeder in Alaska if you really want to read up on how hardy the birds are.

Here is the chicken house I had built this spring. The 4-foot by 5-foot windows are going to remain open year around. Dry is the key to keep the frostbite away. I had smaller coops over the winter and I got condensation in them, even though I thought they had enough ventilation from the openings I had in them. I did have some frostbite, but not terrible. This year I am hoping this design will keep my birds happy and healthy. They will be out of the wind and out of the elements coming down from the sky

. There will be 9 pens in here (4X12 each). This summer has been hot and it does get a bit warm in the back, so I may add a fan at each end just to move air on the hot, sticky days when the wind doesn't blow.

As for the roosts, if you have them at opposite ends and it doesn't work, roosts are the easiest thing to change. Just don't put the boxes where they will want to roost on them instead, either on top or on the front or you will have a mess to keep up with.

Good luck.

Oops, forgot that picture:

 

[SirFarmAlot]

Minniechickmama.....that's one nice looking chicken coop.

 

[db]

My husband designed and built ours. It is built like a little house insulated top, bottom,sides. Walls are sheet rocked and painted, we put in a one piece linoleum floor and we also put lino leum 4ft up the walls. It has a ceiling fan, two slide up windows and for summer (we live in the desert) we put in a swamper. We leave the chicken run door open (I call it, as it is a race every morning) so the swamper has air flow. At night the window is open for swamper and ceiling fan is always left on. My husband designed and built the nesting boxes, I am finding they like privacy and are not using the 3 center boxes, only side boxes Our roof is a 20 year comp shingle with an eyebrow vent. The girls went in during winter and a heat lamp worked well low was about 50s inside, did leave the window gapped about 2". So far house worked, but we are now going to add on making a nesting area and a feed area, with a screened in space for them. They have a huge run so plenty of room. We just underestimated our size and needs, we have 26 girls.

He is also going to make a wash area for me. Oh and I use pine shaving on the floor and straw in the nests.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Quote:
Thanks. I have to go out and work on it this week to get the inside painting done and work on the dividers and it is so hot and humid that I am sweating just at the thought of it

I am happy and the chickens obviously love it, they get in there every chance they get if door is left open.

 

[VelvettFog]

Quote:
I think you will eventually come to regret the use of sheetrock. Even painted it will absorb more moisture than OSB or Plywood, and once that gypsum starts to break down, I have a fear that your birds will start to pick at the walls etc.


VF