Starting a coop build, it is my first build and first chickens so feedback is very welcome

Pics
Metal lath is installed in the windows. It will be redone sometime because the frame is really vulnerable; it is soft, knotty, and not treated in any way but it was laying around in the way. And because we made them square before we realized the rough openings are not square. And the mesh needs to be painted black so the mesh is easier to see through. And because the rain will run down the mesh inside the siding boards and pool between the siding and the frames of the lath and the frame of the building.

I nailed the lath onto the framed using the left over roofing nails through washers. Then we slid the frames in with the mesh against the wall boards so that the nails/washers are out of sight from inside and outside. They fit very tightly. A few nails are driven into the studs and beams just inside of the frames.

We went back to plan A (lath inside) even though we will redo it because we didn't want to put nail or screw holes into the siding boards until we figure out how to handle the battens being in the way. And we were tired when we started it yesterday.

Today, I sealed all the knots on the inside by painting them with Kilz premium 3 primer. It would be overkill, I think, except so many of the knots are really, really, really big. I'm hoping this paint will help hold the knots in place. I'll use caulk and maybe filler or glue too.

I bought 5 gallons of barn paint for the finish coat (its latex). Acrylic would be much better for raw wood, for rough sawn wood, and for knots. But it costs twice as much. My better half is making a case for better paint because paint is one of the things that you get what you pay for. We will decide by tomorrow.

The chicks have been exploring the tops of the cardboard walls of their space in the garage for several days. And the top of shelf beside their spaces for two days. Hence, our willingness to stop gap the window construction.

The second picture is on a couple of them discovering a chick toy I hadn't thought of - a half full 2 liter bottle - between these two chicks and a couple of others all pecking at different heights on the bottle, they had a reasonable tune going.
 

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The plan is 10x14. It will be board and batten pine siding and doors, plywood floor, 4:12 shingled roof on plywood with almost 12" eaves, 2 single pane "barn windows" that open inward from the bottom (hinges at the top of each window) and hook open more than 90 degrees up. It has double doors 3'x7' each on the west end and a single 4'x7' door on the south side near the east end. The 4 or 5 hens will get the east 6 or 7 feet of the building; garden tools and chicken supplies get the west end. Woven wire with a 2" x 4" mesh to divide the chickens from the rest of the building. That makes 10 to a little over 15 square feet per hen. They will go out some but not reliably enough to count that for space per bird. I will be able to bring some entertainment in to them regularly, although that will be a lot easier vary in the summer. Is that enough space for most breeds or should I make sure to pick breeds that are more likely to tolerate confinement?

I'm upper midwest so it gets cold and can get very snowy. Zone 5b (or so). Lowest it normally gets is ten below or so (F.), it doesn't stay there longer than a few days. Weeks straight of teens and mid twenties is common, though. Highs in the summer hit 90's and stayed there for several weeks last summer but it does cool off nicely at night. It is humid. Very little wind as we are sheltered by a steep hill and woods to the windward side and it isn't often windy here anyway.

My winter ventilation plan is to leave the south side door fully open and everything else air tight. If that doesn't work - I can build a wood's open-air style coop inside the main coop. or part of one. I'm not just building the woods' coop as a compromise with my better half. In the summer, open the ridge vent and soffit vents and whatever doors and windows seem to make it most comfortable. It will get morning and evening shade from trees - full sun from about 8 to 3:30.

Predator protection: I expect raccoons will be the most likely threat but everything from least weasels to bald eagles and black bears is possible. Metal lath (like for stucco, it is 27" x 8' with 1/4x1/2 diamond-shaped mesh) on the ground for the apron around the outside. And to screen the bottom 50" of the south door. And the west door if I can figure out how to make it movable enough. Maybe put a frame around it and slide it open inside the framing. The rest of the openings (eaves, windows, upper part of doors) : 19 gauge hardware cloth with 1/2 x 1/2 mesh.

I'm still working on roosts and nests.
Nipple waterer on a bucket or on a pvc pipe from a bucket.
This for a feeder: https://www.abc.net.au/gardening/factsheets/diy-rodent-free-chook-feeder/12322946 for dry feed. I'm working on feeding fermented rations. And how to give them oyster shell and grit. Is there any reason a "sandbox" of sand and stones wouldn't provide grit as well as dusting and entertainment?
Bedding: Sweet PDZ under pine shavings and fall leaves from the trees. Maybe some chopped straw (from my own rye field - is there any reason not to use that?)

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I would invest in a good electric fence. I am getting some. Plastic coated relocateable and runs on solar. I am told to bait the fence for the bears and well they get zapped on the nose and never come back. Just built my coop 4' X 8' for my 13 girls. Your'sa looks great. How many chickens are you planning on? FYI I am also making 2 runs so one can recoop while they destroy the other.
 
I would invest in a good electric fence. I am getting some. Plastic coated relocateable and runs on solar. I am told to bait the fence for the bears and well they get zapped on the nose and never come back. Just built my coop 4' X 8' for my 13 girls. Your'sa looks great. How many chickens are you planning on? FYI I am also making 2 runs so one can recoop while they destroy the other.
Between 4 and 6 because that is what I think will reasonably fit in the coop without consistently leaving it for a run or free ranging. If I could have a run, I would like an automatic pop door and electric fence, though.

Actually, that isn't the whole reason... I picked that size because I thought 4 - 6 hens would reasonably fit. That is the smallest number I thought would feel like a real flock. Three might be enough to meet their social needs but it didn't feel like a flock to me.
 
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I bought 5 gallons of barn paint for the finish coat (its latex). Acrylic would be much better for raw wood, for rough sawn wood, and for knots. But it costs twice as much. My better half is making a case for better paint because paint is one of the things that you get what you pay for. We will decide by tomorrow.

Barn paint is specifically made for rough, unfinished wood. I've had excellent luck with it.
 
Wednesday, second coat of primer on the walls. This time with a different brand name which the paint store guy said works better than the Kilz version for sealing knots. Zinser (spelling ??? ) Bulls eye 123 latex. It is also a couple of dollars less expensive. I was trying to ask whether they had acrylic high hid primer. He said there is both acrylic latex and acrylic oil but there isn't enough difference to notice.

Thursday, since I can clearly see the color difference between what has one coat and what has two coats, I started a third coat. I had other obligations all day so took the evening. I got about half way, interior only) before it occurred to me that I may have missed the purpose of primer. Maybe it is just to provide a layer of something the top coat will stick too better it would to the bare wood. Maybe it is the job of the top coat to smooth out color. So I whiched to putting it on the ceiling. I got about half way on that too - before it got too dark to see (an hour and a half after sunset).

When I got my hands clean enough to use my phone, I found search responses say sometimes more than one coat of primer is needed if the wood absorbs the paint to a great extent. So, I guess I will do the other half tomorrow.

At least it means the boards have seasoned enough to take paint well.
 
Ten minutes into painting this morning, I knocked the full gallon of paint off the ladder. It fell about 5 and a half feet. Sigh.

Thankfully, it landed directly upside down. That kept it from splashing out (much) on the way down and when it landed instead of doing something like this: https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=E/fBmpne&id=C11557C935970EED1A9720F1800781B3F9AA31CD&thid=OIP.E_fBmpneFnuJy6HL1JjtqgHaFj&mediaurl=https://th.bing.com/th/id/R13f7c19a99de167b89cba1cbd498edaa?rik=zTGq%2bbOBB4DxIA&riu=http%3a%2f%2fwww.dumpaday.com%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2013%2f01%2f2-paint-spill-accident-having-a-bad-day.jpg&ehk=iaKEaDfNrpytoikXwpo0NL5ImHeljgKKwj8P4Zxt3Hk%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&exph=465&expw=620&q=Paint+Spill+Accident&simid=608004602845802909&ck=770FF5831926D850301409A47350C1B8&selectedindex=40&form=IRPRST&vt=4&sim=11

and it stayed contained while I went for materials to clean it up. I scraped it up with two trowel-like things and ended up losing only a half inch or less of the gallon. I hope black jack sticks to paint.

Most of the priming of the inside and underside of the roof is done.

As for the mesh for across the south door... I'm on plan D (I think, unless I forgot one we abandoned). Plan A was framing squarish sections like we did the windows. That seemed like too much work and not enough stability. Plan B was Plan A except vertical seams so with the same problems. Plan C was bolting two pieces lengthwise. We started that one. It didn't need washers; I overlapped the pieces by two holes. It went well enough as long as I was close enough to reach the bolt and the nut at the same time. As I waited for a second pair of hands, I moved it around and decided I don't like the weight or look.
Plan D is running a wire rope through the holes. I haven't started yet so don't know whether to try straight up/down or to try a hemstitch of some sort.

For the dividing wall inside, I found a screen door from a sliding glass door (door wall, patio door, whatever it is called) at the nearest Restore yesterday. And four wheels. Two are from a crate, I think. They will go wheel side up under the door. The other two are double wheels from a kitchen chair. The wheels on each are just far enough apart that the screen door fits between them. They will be mounted on the beam above the door as guides. It isn't what I envisioned but I think it will work. The window screen might need some reinforcement to hold the chickens. It doesn't have to keep out predators.

It has been very hot (for around here)... and it is delightful in the shed with the doors open... cool, airy, dry when it rained. I thought it might get hot with the black roof but since it doesn't now, with the longest days, and so on, I have nothing to worry about on that aspect.
 

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