Ventilated but Free of Drafts

[3KillerBs]

I don't actually have them yet: I am building the coop this week from online plans and picking up my brand new flock this weekend!

http://www.ana-white.com/woodworkin...n-coop-planter-clean-out-tray-and-nesting-box
I'm planning on turning the door (opposite to the nesting boxes) into an open mesh wall for summer, add some holes at the tip of the gable ends for permanent ventilation, and leave the floor opening open at all times (or maybe close it a bit in winter, using a piece of wood with still some holes in it)... Though this might not be enough ventilation for the winter months. In that case, I would need to use the little side windows as permanent vents (instead of closing them in winter), and then I would have to lower the perch as the original plan puts the perch just in front of those windows.

That's an awfully tiny coop. And much too closed up for Texas.

You may do better with a more secure version of my Camp Cockerel -- basically, building a run and putting a 3-sided shelter on the windward end.

Some useful links for you:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/repecka-illustrates-coop-ventilation.77659/

Open Air Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-positive-local-action-coop.72804/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/california-living.68130/

I hope it all works out well on your tight timeline.

 

[NestingMillenial]

Oh I'm actually making it bigger than the plan shows (the planting area didn't need to be that large) but I also only plan on having 4 chickens so while I'd love a larger backyard and a real flock, it's not for right now! Ahah
Edit: I should explain that the hens will be free to roam the backyard all day, they are definitely not staying in that ridiculously small run any more than maybe 30min or so until I get to them in the morning!

Your links are very useful though, I'll modify my plans and adapt with that new information in mind! Thanks

 

[3KillerBs]

Oh I'm actually making it bigger than the plan shows (the planting area didn't need to be that large) but I also only plan on having 4 chickens so while I'd love a larger backyard and a real flock, it's not for right now! Ahah
Edit: I should explain that the hens will be free to roam the backyard all day, they are definitely not staying in that ridiculously small run any more than maybe 30min or so until I get to them in the morning!

Your links are very useful though, I'll modify my plans and adapt with that new information in mind! Thanks

For 4 hens have a look at this coop -- my first one, which the experts here helped me design so that it met all the minimums for a 4-hen flock in a hot climate: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

 

[NestingMillenial]

Awesome, thank you very much!!

 

[jthornton]

Large overhangs on the roof help a lot with windy rainy days. In Texas I'd design a coop with two sides with just hardware cloth for summer and wood covering for winter over the hardware cloth.

JT

 

[NestingMillenial]

Large overhangs on the roof help a lot with windy rainy days. In Texas I'd design a coop with two sides with just hardware cloth for summer and wood covering for winter over the hardware cloth.

JT

Ok, if I stay with the design I had in mind, I could basically get rid on one more wall on the non-nesting-box area... I'll see if I can incorporate all that in the initial general ballpark shape, or just change it all if that doesn't seem feasible!

 

[Koiandchicks]

I live in Kentucky and right now the outdoor temperature is 19 degrees Fahrenheit. The entire south wall of my coop is 1/4 inch mesh wire and the girls are just fine. I use a variation on the P.T. Woods open air poultry house... it is deep enough that breezes die out before reaching the back of the coop where the chickens stay... in the summer I open a window and it draws air through for a cooling effect... chickens need protection from wind and summer heat not the cold

How deep is this coop?

 

[aart]

How deep is this coop?

@Koiandchicks The post you quoted is from 2016 and the member hasn't been around since 2018,
so you won't get a response from them.

 

[Koiandchicks]

@Koiandchicks The post you quoted is from 2016 and the member hasn't been around since 2018,
so you won't get a response from them.

Ok. Does anyone know how deep a 3 sided coop should be to generally avoid breezes and rain?

 

[aart]

Ok. Does anyone know how deep a 3 sided coop should be to generally avoid breezes and rain?

Use the Woods dimensions?