We live in a mild climate...

[OScarlet]

...could we make a coop like this that is completely open if you added roosting bars and a nest box? My 12 year old son has only ever seen frost on the grass once and it wasn't a good frost, a really wimpy one that melted if you looked at it hard. We have lots of predators in our garden, raccoons, skunks, possums, rats...

 

[HeatherEmme]

I guess that depends on your winters really...Some people on here use open air coops and they could probably give you more insight on that, but I would think you should enclose at least some portion of your coop not only for safety purposes regarding nighttime predators, but because they need shelter from rain or wind. I also gather that chickens like privacy when egg laying (not all but some). Some even seek out bushes etc..then again some will lay where ever. Our winters are mild here, but I personally would not go with a completely open air coop. That's just me.

 

[MelissaTXRn]

Absolutely. Cover with some hardware cloth for ventilation and security. A frost isn't going to hurt them.

 

[OScarlet]

Will drafts/rain hurt them? We don't have hurricanes or crazy weather but we do get some wind and rain.

Do the nest box/es need to be in the coop or can they be in the run?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

They need to have a bit of shelter so they can not be afraid at night on the roost. You don't want them to feel they are on display for the predators. So I'd close in three sides and leave the fourth open. That way they can be out of the rain and wind, which they need to be even in warm temps.

I favor covered kitty litter pans for nestboxes.

 

[getaclue]

What you have pictured will work fine if you cover it with wire, or hardware cloth. As you said, you have predators, so the chickens have to be secure. Nesting boxes can be as simple as a couple of milk crates with hay in them, or a couple of the small plastic totes with an opening cut into the side with hay in them. It won't hurt them if they get misted on during a rainstorm, except in the winter. During the winter, you can staple some heavy plastic around the sides, leaving a bit of the top portion open, so moisture doesn't build up inside, which helps against frostbite. I live in the central part of Florida, where heat is a major factor, and our winters are fairly mild too, so enclosing a coop is not a viable option unless you add fans, and/or misters to the coop, which is very expensive for those of us that are not in it on a large scale.

 

[Arielle]

I have removable section of my coop walls. Allows flexiblity when the weather changes. In the summer the girls can handle the direct open breeze; in the winter we put the window cover back on. THis is large, 25% of the back wall. Front door is opened during the day. Would like a "sceened door" for the front door-- someday. . . . I also have roost at various heights, below, at and above the breeze.


Need protection from wind, and especially wind and rain combined. I suggest an open front, 3 sides covered, with a very large window of rat wire for a cross breeze. I suspect summers might be very hot were you are??

 

[getaclue]

Arielle, yes it is VERY warm, and humid most of the year here. In this part of Florida, we too have very mild winters. That is why I suggested heavy plastic, to protect from the wind/rain during the few winter cold snaps.