*Updated pics* I Need ideas and advice for coop doors and windows please. We've converted a grapevin

[ChickenCanoe]

I have friends here with chickens that opted to sleep in their pen all winter this year with a perfectly good coop to go into and it was a pretty cold winter here. No health problems at all.
There's no way to prevent drafts when they sleep outside. I don't buy into the draft concern thing as long as they're dry.

 

[wvchix]

Is this too much ventilation around the roof? It can get pretty cold in the winter, here in West Virginia! I want good vetilation but I also worry about losing heat when they need the heat lamp.

We still need to put the siding on the front of the coop.




Here's the roof from inside the coop, and around the outside:



Overhang on back of coop:



overhang on right side:



roof inside of coop:



We are going to add trim on the corners where the siding meets in the corners outside. I'm not sure how much of the roof overhang needs covered up. We are planning on putting hardware cloth around it to keep preditors out.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

That looks fantastic.
Hardware cloth well secured is a must. Expanded metal works well too.
You won't need a heat lamp unless you have chicks. Most breeds of adult chickens can handle temps well below 0 F. Heat lamps use a lot of electricity which ain't free.

By selecting breeds adapted for one's climate, heat will never be needed. The breeds that most people keep were developed in cold climates in the 18th and 19th century or even much earlier. How did they provide heat for them without electric and heat lamps? They didn't. They still exist so they didn't die.

American class, Jersey Giants, Wyandottes, New Hampshires, Plymouth Rocks, Delaware, Dominique, Buckeye, Java, Rhode Island - those are all developed in some cold states.
Chanteclers - Canada is real cold.
Araucanas, Ameraucanas, EEs. Chile gets real cold.
Continental class, Welsummers, Barnevelders and Polish come from Holland. Holland is cold in the winter.
Campines, D'Anvers - Belgium is cold in winter.
Marans, Houdans, Crevecoeurs, Faverolles, LaFleche - France gets cold in the winter.
Orloffs - Russia - pretty darn cold.
Naked Necks - Romania - pretty darn cold.
Jaerhons - Norway, yeah cold there too.
Icelandics, need I go on?
Same goes for the English class.

My point is, if you must have birds like Shamos, Cubalayas and Fayoumis, be prepared for a big electric bill.

 

[3riverschick]

Since you coop has a one angle "shed-type" roof, you want your ventilation vents along the top of the tall wall. (the side you haven't enclosed yet.) That is where the foul air will naturally rise and gather. I use those louvered metal screw-on vents which have a hardware cloth backing.

 

[wvchix]

That looks fantastic.
Hardware cloth well secured is a must. Expanded metal works well too.
You won't need a heat lamp unless you have chicks. Most breeds of adult chickens can handle temps well below 0 F. Heat lamps use a lot of electricity which ain't free.

By selecting breeds adapted for one's climate, heat will never be needed. The breeds that most people keep were developed in cold climates in the 18th and 19th century or even much earlier. How did they provide heat for them without electric and heat lamps? They didn't. They still exist so they didn't die.

American class, Jersey Giants, Wyandottes, New Hampshires, Plymouth Rocks, Delaware, Dominique, Buckeye, Java, Rhode Island - those are all developed in some cold states.
Chanteclers - Canada is real cold.
Araucanas, Ameraucanas, EEs. Chile gets real cold.
Continental class, Welsummers, Barnevelders and Polish come from Holland. Holland is cold in the winter.
Campines, D'Anvers - Belgium is cold in winter.
Marans, Houdans, Crevecoeurs, Faverolles, LaFleche - France gets cold in the winter.
Orloffs - Russia - pretty darn cold.
Naked Necks - Romania - pretty darn cold.
Jaerhons - Norway, yeah cold there too.
Icelandics, need I go on?
Same goes for the English class.

My point is, if you must have birds like Shamos, Cubalayas and Fayoumis, be prepared for a big electric bill.

Thank you! I wish I would've had this helpful info this winter when I was running a heat lamp in my existing coop! Glad I know now!

Since you coop has a one angle "shed-type" roof, you want your ventilation vents along the top of the tall wall. (the side you haven't enclosed yet.) That is where the foul air will naturally rise and gather. I use those louvered metal screw-on vents which have a hardware cloth backing.

That's good to know. I'm covering the overhang with the hardware cloth today. I need to go buy the vents when I'm out tomorrow. Thank you for the good idea!

 

[wvchix]

Has anyone used Lexan for the windows?

 

[cosbackyard]

Not for windows, simply because I had scrap glass around. But I do use it for my coop door:

 

[wvchix]

Thank you! Lowes sells 8 x 10 sheets of it and I am thinking about making 2 small windows out of it and putting a double door in between them, on the front of the coop.

Not for windows, simply because I had scrap glass around. But I do use it for my coop door:

 

[wvchix]

The coop is almost finished! We still need to add a few more finishing touches and finish the run, but we were able to put the girls inside tonight!

 

[cosbackyard]

Looks fantastic! Nice job.