Urban Coop Design - Tacoma, WA

[RiversideChick]

Just finished our urban coop for our 8 hens. Designed by my husband. Includes padlocks on the run door, nesting boxes and large door on the coop (for cleaning it out). There are 2 exterior nesting boxes. The smaller door for the hens to enter and exit their coop remains open for now - we buried the hardware cloth about a foot deep on the bottom edge of the run so I'm very confident that we will not have predator issues. The roof is black tinted solar roofing to allow maximum light in the winter. We plan to install fans in the summer inside the coop when it gets hot, but for now temps are in the 40s during the day.

We have a rough approximation of the design in SketchUp if anyone is interested. The design was highly influenced by the current limitations of our yard layout and the local city code requirements, but could be adapted pretty easily to fit other spaces.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Looks nice. Where's the ventilation for the coop itself? On the one wall we can't see?

Since the whole thing is covered I'd high suggest putting some "windows" on the wall facing into the run, as well as possibly some louvered vents on the outer walls.

 

[RiversideChick]

There's one vent (hole cut in the siding covered in hardware cloth) inside the run above the nesting boxes. We will add more but since it won't even get into the low 60s for two more months here we figured that would be enough to vent fumes/ammonia. We built the whole structure in two days because my husband's work schedule changed suddenly due to COVID-19 (he works out of state for extended periods of time). I would say it's currently 90% done - we still plan to add trim and paint, plus additional tweaks to perfect functionality, but for now it keeps our hens warm and dry until we have the ability to finalize it.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Definitely look at where you can add more. 8 birds should have a minimum of 8 sq ft of ventilation but the more you can bump it up, the better. It'll make the coop more comfortable, dry, and appealing to the birds.

 

[aart]

We will add more but since it won't even get into the low 60s for two more months here we figured that would be enough to vent fumes/ammonia.

Venting needs don't really change with temperature, they need it all year round.

Pretty nice coop and run.
Will it be shaded in summer?
Clear coop roof could make for an oven that no amount of venting will 'cure'.

Got aprons?
Good examples of anti-dig apron installation.
If rodents are prolific, burying the apron ~12" would be good.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wire-around-coop.1110498/#post-17093528
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208

 

[RiversideChick]

Venting needs don't really change with temperature, they need it all year round.

Pretty nice coop and run.
Will it be shaded in summer?
Clear coop roof could make for an oven that no amount of venting will 'cure'.

Got aprons?
Good examples of anti-dig apron installation.
If rodents are prolific, burying the apron ~12" would be good.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/wire-around-coop.1110498/#post-17093528
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/new-coop-project.1169916/page-2#post-18481208

Yes, there are aprons.

There is afternoon shade on the coop. I will closely monitor the temps over the summer, we are prepared to add shade cloth or something else if needed over the summer. As I said before we also plan to install some small fans over the summer to keep the air moving.

 

[aart]

Yes, there are aprons.

Could just leave those big coop access doors open then.