What to do for Light in a small coop?

[Sinfonian]

We designed a 6'hx6'wx3'd coop with the bottom 2' as a mini-run that we can move around if necessary. We aren't planning on any windows but can't see anyting but natural light for the primary illumination source. The roof is going to be slanted to keep it lighter (the original design was for heavy trusses). I am considering using one or more of those non-corregated fiberglass clear panels on the roof to provide daylight. We are going to hook up electrical to the coop, but it'll be cord based, so I don't want to rely on artificial light all the time. Do you see any major downsides to using the flat panels for light?

Thanks!

 

[elmo]

Heat. When the coop is in the sun, you'd be surprised how much it will heat up inside the coop. I tried the clear panels as a roof on my 4' by 4' small coop and quickly realized it would not work at all for summer. If you can move or keep your coop in the shade in warm weather (and monitor inside temps carefully), these panels might work.

The other problem that I didn't factor in was "cover." Chickens don't really like to be out in the open, exposed to aerial predators. I notice that mine stick under trees and shrubs in the yard, and when they cross out into the open they always keep a nervous eye cocked upwards. If you use the fiberglass panels, you might consider using the white ones rather than the clear. White panels are also somewhat cooler in the summer as they tend to reflect rather than absorb light.

Chickens and other birds don't really like going into dark places, so you're right to consider lighting inside the coop as a factor. What about your vents? If you're builidng adequate vents (about 1 square foot per bird), the vents themselves might allow enough natural light inside the coop.

 

[Sinfonian]

Thanks for the comments elmo. The coop will be under the shade of a mature pear tree and our summers in the Seattle area are rarely very warm. Still I may consider something other than clear for the panels, but I will do just about anything to avoid lighting my small coop 365 days a year.

Thanks also for the vent calculation. I'd need 4SF of vents, which is a huge amount for my small coop, I was considering leaving a six inch gap at the roof line and cover it with welded wire. That's 3SF on a 6 foot run. Louver vents would be placed near the bottom to create air flow. The plan is to build early March.

As for cover, we don't have much in the way of overhead predators her. I'd like to see a crow take on a chicken. So my ark was going to go bird netting just to keep in the hens, with a tarp for rain cover.

Thanks for the help. Despite all the research we've done, I'm sure there are things we're not considering.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Let's talk a moment about nomenclature because I think we may be using terms differently. When I talk about the "coop" I mean the closed in, solid sided part. The "run" is the part that has hardware cloth wire sides. So the coop is the "indoor" part and the run is the "outdoor" part. Usually you hear a rule of thumb to allow 4 square feet per chicken indoors plus 10 square feet per chicken outdoors. I think these are really minimums, and more space is all to the better.

Ventilation is something you design into the coop (or closed) part of your housing because the run part is already well ventilated just by being build of wire in the first place. Sorry, I don't really understand what you're referring to when you write "That's 3SF on a 6 foot run." Careful with the louver vents near the bottom. Air flow is good in warm weather but you don't want airflow over your chickens as they roost in cold weather. That constitutes the dreaded 'draft," to be avoided.

The inside of the coop doesn't need light at night, of course. Chickens will go inside to roost before sundown and will want out at daylight. As I mentioned before, they don't like to go inside a coop that's dark during the daytime, so light will need to get in through the vents or the roof panels. I don't have windows in my small winter coop, either. But the vents and white corrugated roofing make it plenty bright inside. Artificial light isn't necessary.

You're right, crows don't take on full grown chickens (although they will attack chicks). I never noticed how many hawks were in our urban neighborhood (inside the city of Dallas) until I got chickens. There are lots of them, particularly in the winter. Bird netting should do the trick keeping hawk out of your run, though.

You do have a pretty rainy climate, right? I'd say that's your primary planning challenge, then. You'll want to be able to site your coop where the ground will not stay flooded because chicken droppings plus moisture equal stinky.

As far as the electrical hook up, are you thinking you might need to add heat in the winter? You probably won't need it, since most standard chickens can tolerate even freezing temperatures fine as long as they have dry, draft free but adequately ventilated housing. Especially in a coop as small as the one you're considering, with a very narrow 3 foot width, it would be difficult to add supplemental heat safely. For example, it's recommended that a heat lamp be at least 18 inches from all surfaces, top, bottom and sides. Can't do that anywhere in a coop that's only 3 feet wide. I think you may well find that 3 feet as one of the dimensions is quite cramped and difficult to work with otherwise, too.

What kind of chickens are you planning on getting?

 

[patandchickens]

It is infinitely safer and more effective (in general anyhow, and frankly I'm having a real hard time thinking up any baroque odd exceptions) to have your clear light-transmitting panels be in the WALLS rather than the roof. MUCH less chance of overheating the coop, and much easier to do something about if you guess wrong and *do* start having overheating problems.

So that would be what I'd suggest.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[wsdareme]

I live just south of Seattle, let me tell you, there are more red-tailed hawks than pigeons these days. A trip up I-5 or 167 and you will see a hawk sitting on every light pole. And hawks love chickens! Even the little hawks will take out a hen. Plus, there are raccoons and possums galore, so make sure your coop is sturdy enough to keep them out. You'd be amazed what they can tear their way through.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Oooh, excellent point.

 

[Sinfonian]

Thanks all of you for your comments. I'll say first that yes we have hawks, raccoons and opposoms. My coop will keep them all out no problem with secured plywood and welded wire over any vents. Only my arc (I'm not planning a run as I want to move it around the yard) will have bird netting as it needs to be flexible. I doubt any predators we have around here will attack in the day, or if they do, they would be stopped by bird netting.

Elmo, I appologize for using the term run. Poor choice of words. I mean length. My coop will be 6 feet long by three feet wide/deep. The three feet width will allow it to move through gates and reaching into to clean. By saying I would have three square feet of vents, I meant along a 6 foot length at the roofline, there would be 6 inches of open space. Make sense?

I am confused about the bottom vents though. I was planning on the lower vents to create air circulation. I do see how bottom vents could create a draft. How do I design proper circulation without creating a draft? Low inflow, heat rises, exits... isn't that airflow? My current plan is for two smallish louver vents at the bottom and that 6 inch gap at the top. Is that sufficient?

As for heat, I would be using either a heat lamp bulb, or more likely a 40 watt incandecent bulb in a tin can to provide just enough warmth to keep it above freezing for the half a month a year where it drops below freezing at night. I would be experimenting by monitoring the temperature of course. Thanks for the warning about the safety concerns surrounding heat lamp bulbs.

I am planning on four chickens, one of each; Golden Laced Wyndotte, Welsummer, Barred Rock and Buff Orpington. Their good layers and cute.

Lastly, I'll consider the wall for the white panel, but like the idea of the roof to catch the sun better for light. It's rare we get 85 degree weather here (a week a year at best). I hope with white panels it won't be too bad in our mild summers.

Thanks folks, this is very helpful! I love it here.