UPDATE: Time to call in the experts! I *still* need some help please!

[StellaBlueMama]

Wouldn't ya know I just got my post all finished and accidentally DELETED it? Lol...just my luck
Hi all! I'm Laura, and I have been scouring these forums for a long while...but I'm honestly so overwhelmed with confusion I figured I should say HELLO (!!!) and ask for some help. I'm so stubborn & independent I'm just driving myself crazy, and every time I think I get things figured out ---- I think of something else and change my mind! I'm hoping someone would be kind and put me outta my misery! (Strike that...HELP me!)
Okay...so first let me say I'll take any guidance offered...but I mainly need help with windows/ventilation and where/how to put my roosts and feed/water. I have 7 chick(ens) who are nearing 8 weeks old...and with the long weekend coming up I have, have, H-A-V-E to get this coop done. After all, I've only considered getting chickens for FOUR+ years...subscribed to chicken magazines read forums, blogs, and researched until I finally decided "once I get the coop...THAT'S when I'll get the chicks!" Well, I got SUPER LUCKY while on my fourth vacation day staring at a pile of wood - trying to wish it into a coop - and found an amazing coop done by a local builder on Craigslist for $150!! Okay...coop, check. But I have so much I still can't figure out and I'm running out of time.
Details:
The coop is facing south, with a tilt to the east. The coop is 4' wide and slopes from 5' to 4' front to back. It was all made with the zip-system wood (basically osb with built in waterproofing) and it really heavy-duty. The front has a human door with vinyl coated hex netting sandwiched in between two boards, leaving an open "window" that's about 12" x 20" (covered with a trash bag due to rain in the pic...and I'm gonna have to build an awning or overhang - and reinforce or possibly redo the door because of the gaps between it and the coop)
Inside there was already a chicken door cut, which I made bigger (need help with the guillotine door too!) that will be basically north/northeast. The inside has 2x4's to support it , and the roosts he made just take up too much room. I'm gonna build nest boxes on the east side this summer...so I'm hoping with my door pulley and nest box together it will be convenient. Here's the front/side view:

Here's the chicken door, and the other side on that same wall had shelves for nest boxes which will be coming down:

Here's the opposite side (pardon all the supplies and mess)

So....how can I maximize the space leaving room for the food/water? Where should I put the roosts...especially with that wood that sticks out all over inside? I'm hoping to add on the nest boxes on the wall between the chicken door and where the shelves are now. What about windows & ventilation? Same wall as chicken door...back corner on same side...or diagonal in one of the corners maybe??
My last post was more concise, and I'm hoping my attempts to explain with great detail didn't muddle things!
I soooooo appreciate any/all feedback -- I'm an "over thinker" and just need someone to give me some courage to just bust it out and get it done. So far, I'm pretty proud of what I've done...all by myself!
Thanks in advance for even reading this massive post!
Laura

 

[Judy]

The main issue I see is ventilation. They need a lot of it, and it it best at the highest point of the coop. so the warmer, humid air escapes well. I would probably cut some major holes in the top of the wall on the highest side, and of course add roof overhang to protect them. Just cover the holes with 1/4" hardware cloth. Depending where you live, you might need to add another window for the air movement. (I'll post some links for you to look at.) Unless it is very, very cold where you live, that is an awfully enclosed building for a coop.

I would forget about nests for now. All they need is a cardboard box, a 5 gallon bucket on its side, an old dresser drawer -- whatever you have around. Even a little extra hay in a corner or behind something works well. They like to feel they are sort of hidden. I personally lke that my nests can be moved around and changed out. I have a plastic bin, open on top, with a cutout in front that makes a great broody/baby chicks nest, and some of them like it to lay in. You can wait and see what they like best, whether front or top opening, single or communal nest.

At 8 weeks you don't absolutely have to make a decision about roosts, either. They might choose to sleep on the floor, cuddled together, at first, and you could even put them in the coop without a roost at first. I would put one 2x4 board or fat branch up with screws, myself, flat side up if a 2x4, so I could change my mind easily -- but then I change my mind a lot. Mine is about 30" high which works pretty well without a ladder or ramp. For 7 adult chickens a 6' board will be plenty. Put it across a corner if you don't like any of the walls for this. If that window in the people door opens, it should be enough ventilation while they are this small, but if you have real winters, or for storms, they will do best with something else as a permanent arrangement.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/445004/woods-style-house-in-the-winter/0_20 (just to show how open a coop can be in cold weather areas)

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/163417/please-show-me-your-hot-weather-coops/0_20

 

[chfite]

To get a feel for roof overhang and other proportions, take a look at this diagram for the Purina Mills Coop. http://poultry.purinamills.com/NUTRITIONMANAGEMENT/HenHouseHutchDesign/

Ventilation would be a big concern for a house as enclosed as yours is.

You mentioned vinyl coated hex wire in the door. I would take that out and replace it with hardware cloth or add a layer of hardware cloth over it. Even coated with vinyl, chicken wire is not secure in a situation where it faces to the outside world.

By the way, that was an incredible deal for $150.

Chris

 

[SobbaChickens]

Laura, were we separated at birth? lol Every morning I walk out to greet my chicks in the brooder and then I check the future coop/run area to see if the chicken coop fairies have visited yet

You got a great deal for 150, just more ventilation. Isn't it crazy how much ventilation they need? Great reply Chris, I found it very helpful myself.

 

[StellaBlueMama]

Meant to post new - not edit!

 

[StellaBlueMama]

Okay....update time! I finally got brave and just cut some windows/ventilation:

As you can see, as well as the "front door window" I added a 12x15" window on each side (these face south/southeast) and a hole that is 5x27 on both the east & west side. Each of these will have a way to be closed (once i build the trim and attach the closing wood pieces that will be on hinges) I didn't cut any holes on the north side, as that's where the pop door is....and where the winds will typically blow from in winter. After all that - I still wasn't getting the air movement I thought I'd get in the coop. Not on the floor at least.
So...since I needed to add an overhang anyways...I'm now considering raising the roof (which you can also see in the pic above...but here's another one)

I figure I'll leave a gap enough for a 2x4 across the 4 existing support beams in my roof - and build the overhang. It would give a few inches that would probably stay open year round. (Covered with hardware cloth, of course)

Does this even sound like a good idea??

Again.....I more than appreciate any guidance and/or feedback! I'm a gal with no previous building experience - so I'm making it all up as I go.
Laura

 

[StellaBlueMama]

Also, I have a vent like this:

Would it be beneficial to add some vent type thing on a lower wall of my coop? If so, where would be best?

Thanks soooooo much!!
Laura

 

[JackE]

Also, I have a vent like this:


Would it be beneficial to add some vent type thing on a lower wall of my coop? If so, where would be best?

Thanks soooooo much!!
Laura

I wouldn't bother with anything like that. Something like that would just clog up with dust in a chicken coop. Just cut a biiiiiig hole, and cover it with hardwarecloth.
Jack

 

[StellaBlueMama]

Good call! Never thought about it getting clogged! Thanks Jack!

What about my "raise the roof" idea? Anyone? (....and I can't help but picture the hand/arm motion every time I say it.... LOL)