We finally got our dream coop!

[Mrs. Foghorn Leghorn]

It took us from Nov 9, 2021 til Tuesday to get it done. We had some medical interruptions plus waiting on Florida heat to subside and finances. But, it was exactly what I wanted in my dreams and hubby built it to my short height specs. LOL. I did the painting work. The first 7 minutes of the video is the time lapse of the build. The last 22 minutes is my explanation of why and hows. Hope you guys enjoy it.

 

[BonnieBlue]

Congratulations on getting your dream coop! It looks very nice!

I am in south Louisiana, so I have a question about your metal roof. I would love for my dream coop to have a metal roof, but I am unsure how to keep the heat down in summer.

I love that you had a four legged helper, and I love the look your chickens have as they go in. You can just see them thinking "WOW! Nice!".

 

[Mrs. Foghorn Leghorn]

That's a great question and I think metal is hot because of their association with touching it. We have no seen our power bill go up on the house, only down. We thought that the added shade would keep it cooler vs wood or shade cloth that we used in the old coop. So, we'll keep a close eye on them once our nights begin to go over 70 in late May. I may even throw a thermometer in there just to see if we have enough ventilation added to the coop. We did go with metal because it was a free resource, but also, this coop will be nestled in amongst trees which occasionally shed a limb in a bad storm. Plus, we wanted drier feet for the hens. I felt so badly when they were stuck in a rain storm with very little coverage (unless INSIDE the coop).

My boxer can actually herd chickens. He helped me this morning when one escaped. I hope that he calms down a bit and starts ignoring them again. I think it is a new place, new excitement.

 

[Debbie292d]

It took us from Nov 9, 2021 til Tuesday to get it done. We had some medical interruptions plus waiting on Florida heat to subside and finances. But, it was exactly what I wanted in my dreams and hubby built it to my short height specs. LOL. I did the painting work. The first 7 minutes of the video is the time lapse of the build. The last 22 minutes is my explanation of why and hows. Hope you guys enjoy it.

So beautiful! How nice for you and the chickens!!

 

[Penpal]

If you used a white or cream it will reflect the light and stay cooler. You can also spray the hose on the roof to cool it off.

 

[SueT]

Re metal roof, our coop has a metal roof, but is shaded by trees. No problem in triple digit temps…..

 

[Mrs. Foghorn Leghorn]

So beautiful! How nice for you and the chickens!!

Thank you.

 

[Mrs. Foghorn Leghorn]

If you used a white or cream it will reflect the light and stay cooler. You can also spray the hose on the roof to cool it off.

Great ideas!

 

[Mrs. Foghorn Leghorn]

Re metal roof, our coop has a metal roof, but is shaded by trees. No problem in triple digit temps…..

Good to hear! Our coop is nestled in amongst lots of trees. I planned that purposely because their old cool was in the full sun. (Wooden roof)

 

[MrsNorthie]

Congratulations on getting your dream coop! It looks very nice!

I am in south Louisiana, so I have a question about your metal roof. I would love for my dream coop to have a metal roof, but I am unsure how to keep the heat down in summer.

I love that you had a four legged helper, and I love the look your chickens have as they go in. You can just see them thinking "WOW! Nice!".

We put a metal roof on our coop, it is at an angle on a raised frame and the top of the coop is framed separately, leaving air flow space between the roof and coop, that we covered the open space with hardware cloth. It adds a nice upper level ventilation.

It took us from Nov 9, 2021 til Tuesday to get it done.

That is awesome! You did a great job! It looks nice and shady and just the right size for the number of ladies that you have, to be comfy and safe. You will likely find that you need to add bigger ventilation on side opposite the chicken door, but you could do something that you could cover up on those rare colder winter days or in high winds. You will know more when you get temp measurements. from inside the coop.

We are adding turkeys this year, so building a new coop and run for them, and expanding our chicken run again, (37 chickens...5 boys..) and there were things that I wanted to do with the run construction that we didn't do the first time around, so part of the expansion will be some additional remodeling. Including adding a broody coop and run, within the run, so any hatchling peeps can safely get to know the bigger tribe as they are growing.

We are going to add some chicken/turkey proof planting boxes in the runs too, so they can graze on herbs and lettuces, and even some grass. We had a lot of rain this year and the chickens managed to destroy all the grass in their run. (it is too big to completely roof.)

There are so many things you do not think of in your first (even 2nd or 3rd) design. We are in SC, so I feel your pain on the summer heat. We are starting construction in the next few weeks, when I can take a week off of work to help the egg thief.