Where Do I Even Start?!

[Exotica]

Hello! I posted here earlier asking if a coop was large enough.
Long story short, after much begging my parents have agreed (I'm 22 but to save money since I'm a college student -
I live with my parents) to use their shed/house (we use it as a shed but it is constructed as if it were a one bedroom house)
in the backyard! Right now, I have 4 Australorp's and a Barred Plymouth Rock.
They are all 2 week old!

My hens will be free-ranging all day! They'll just be sleeping in here at night or when it rains. Luckily, I live in sunny California
so weather is not a problem. Where do I even start?!


^ My little sister is about 5 feet tall and about 125 pounds

About the house/shed:
- It is about 12 ft. wide x 12 ft. long x 13 ft. high
- It is insulated
- The floor is cement
- There are no windows (so no ventilation)
- (It's on the far left side of my backyard so the girls have way more space to forage than the picture shows!)

My plans:
- I will be adding five nest boxes so they all have their own. I'll add more as I add to my flock!
- I'm going to make a six foot roost and some shelves! As the flock grows, I will add!
- I plan on using aspen shavings and collecting the chicken poop daily with a kitty litter scooper to use as fertilizer.
- I will hang my feeder and waterer (or buy a nipple waterer).
- Do they need light? It's pitch black in there! I'm thinking about buying a solar power light - charging it in the morning then
putting it in there at night!
- The biggest problem right now is that the house has no ventilation. Since it is insulated and I live in California,
it's very warm in there! I plan on hiring someone to cut a window where the top two box designs on the door are
(except it will be one connected cut). From there I will buy some chicken wire and nail it from the inside. I'm not concerned
about it being cold, but if it does get too cold with our mostly mild winters, I'll put some cardboard box over it or move my
heating lamp out there by extension cord (I have the kind that clips to something so I'll clip it to a shelf and block it off)
Of course during the day I plan on leaving the door wide open so it doesn't smell too bad in there.

Am I missing anything else?! I'm brand new to this!

Thank you for reading this long post and possibly replying!

With love,
Ashley.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The shed is plenty large enough for 5 hens. They won't need nor use 5 nests. In one building I have 4 nests and 10 birds only use 2. In another building with 3 nests, 12 birds all use a single nest. When more nests come in handy is if any go broody.

When I first saw the picture I wondered where the ventilation was. That will be your biggest issue. Chickens don't die from cold, they die from heat and bad air. They'll need more ventilation than a hole cut in the door. I would make at least one large window in the wall away from the prevailing wind. That would probably be on the east wall.
Chicken wire keeps chickens in but isn't safety from predators. Raccoons and other things that like to eat chicken can tear chicken wire apart. Openings need to be covered with hardware cloth and not just tacked on. Predators are persistent and strong. They'll find any weakness. I extend the hardware cloth beyond the opening and then when I trim out the window, the hardware cloth gets secured by the trim boards so a predator can't pry it away.
Unless you live in the high Sierras, you needn't be concerned about cold at all. It often gets below zero here and has hit -19. My coops have huge openings on both east and west walls. I've lost a bird to heat but never to cold or bad air. So my point is, never close off openings, no matter how cold it gets.

Pine shavings will be better than aspen. However, if you can keep the aspen bone dry, it will be OK. Hardwood shavings, if wet can get harmful fungi.
That's another reason to have good ventilation. Chickens put out a lot of moisture with respiration and feces. Then if water is spilled in the bedding that makes matters worse.

Hanging feed and water is a good idea. Keep the rims of both around the height of their backs. That will limit how much debris they can scratch into them.

They won't need a light at night but you might. Whether day or night, you'll want to have some light to work in there.

Keeping it as clean as you are planning, there will be no smell.

Good luck.

ETA

No need to apologize for living at home.

 

[Emma Miriam]

Hi! First, I'll just say that I'm jealous about that shed. It's beautiful and won't be hard to convert into a coop!

As ChickenCanoe said, you really don't need that many nesting boxes. I mean, there's nothing wrong with having extra, but generally the rule of thumb is 1 nesting box per 3 or 4 chickens. You'd be fine building two for now and adding on later. Of course, if you want to build them all now and get it over with, feel free!

Your two main issues: ventilation and natural light. Cut ventilation windows towards the top of the shed, preferably under the eaves, and cover them securely with hardware cloth. The more ventilation, the better! Cross-ventilation is the best, so cut those ventilation windows up high on the coop on at least two sides, if not all four! Then, I would cut a larger window into the east or south side of the coop, lower down. You could attach acrylic to it, or use hardware cloth for more ventilation. All these openings will allow air to escape and will also let natural light in (you only need light during the day, not at night...you want it dark at night so the hens sleep and so that they lay their eggs properly). If you need help with dimensions for these openings, let us know! You want 1 square foot of ventilation per bird, and more is better, especially in a warm climate.

Hope that helps! Keep asking questions.

 

[3baymares]

If it were me, I would think about building a roosting coop attached to the shed maybe on the left side. Maybe a 4 by 6' that is off the ground on stilts with one 6' roost and two nesting boxes stack at one in. The roof would be a single pitch slopping the same angle as the existing roof line but underneath. I 'd build it sturdy and have loads of ventilation. My reasoning is that the shed is big and looks hot presently so there would be a lot of ventilation work to be done. I think it would cost you the same as well. That's my two cents. I built one in Florida long ago (when I was in high school)
and it worked great and kept them safe.

 

[ksguy]

Hi Ashley. The first thing that stands out to me in your post is the financial aspect. You've probably been harped on by your parents already, but speaking as somebody 8 years out of college and still paying down loans, I'd advise being as frugal as absolutely possible. You mentioned that you live at home to save money, which is commendable, but then go on to say you'll hire somebody to put a window in the door, which could be a significant expense depending on who you find to do it. Also, a single opening won't really give you much air turnover - which is what's important in ventilation - so unit of ventilation per dollar spent will be pretty low.

I read your other post about the chickens sort of being dropped in your lap by your mother and sister - I'd gently prod your mom into helping pay for the necessary accommodations if you are going to be the one actually caring for them.

I too am converting an existing shed (12' x 8') to a chicken coop, so I'm in the middle of a project almost identical to yours. On a building that size I think you'll need a minimum of two windows at least 24" x 24" either on opposite sides, or on adjacent sides - neither side facing the prevailing wind. This will allow some cross ventilation which will get you good air turnover, but not create a breezy environment in the coop. That will be your most significant expense. If it were me, I'd be watching craigslist like a hawk. You can probably score a free or super cheap storm or screen door of some kind that will fit your opening, that you can use to just replace that wooden door. Some sheet metal screws will hold hardware cloth onto it just fine, to replace the screen and/or glass. Also watch for windows. People who upgrade windows in their houses a lot of times post the old windows on craigslist for next to nothing. You'll have to be willing to accommodate random sizes, though - which in your case isn't too bad since you have to create the openings anyway.

As for getting them installed, I really don't have any firsthand advice, as I'm a very handy person. Your college might be a good place to start, depending on where you go to school. If there are any industrial or construction type majors offered, try to contact a professor in that department and see if he or she can recommend a high quality, trustworthy student that might be able to work for you on the cheap.

As for other materials, again, watch craigslist. I scored lumber for my coop interior by watching for pallets and used deck materials, and made my roost bar from a large tree limb.

Wish I had more to offer!

 

[room onthebroom]

Hi Ashley.
I live in So Cal too. I've only had chickens for about 5yrs, but one thing I can tell you for sure is that you will never, ever need to put a heater in there. There have only been a handful of times that its been cold enough for us to worry about them (the people back east are laughing at me right now) on those very rare occasions, I have thumb tacked a thin piece of (aired out) burlap on the eves of the coop near the windows. This still lets a lot of air in, but buffers a bit of the wind & rain during a particularly cold storm. After the storm was over I took them right off. You can also give them snacks in the winter like corn, which raises their body temp a bit.

By far, the biggest weather issue you will have is keeping them cool & protecting them from Santa Ana winds. Question; Does your property gate blow open during a Santa Ana? Do you have a tree that drops huge branches during one? Will your chickens have a place to hide? Mine have never hidden in the coop during a Santa Ana, they always seem to hide in a giant cactus in the far corner of the property. They will die of thirst rather than walk out of a hiding spot during 45 mph winds, so go out during your first Santa Ana, find out where they are hiding & put water out there.

Lots of shade, watermelon, & shallow trays of water for them to walk thru will help keep them cool.

Here's a question for the people who have more experience than me ... What if she took off the existing door & put up a metal security screen door & put a couple roof turbine vents on the roof? Would that be secure enough & provide enough ventilation? It would certainly be way cheaper & easier that cutting thru drywall, but I don't know if it would be enough... What say the community?

 

[ksguy]

Hi Ashley.
I live in So Cal too. I've only had chickens for about 5yrs, but one thing I can tell you for sure is that you will never, ever need to put a heater in there. There have only been a handful of times that its been cold enough for us to worry about them (the people back east are laughing at me right now) on those very rare occasions, I have thumb tacked a thin piece of (aired out) burlap on the eves of the coop near the windows. This still lets a lot of air in, but buffers a bit of the wind & rain during a particularly cold storm. After the storm was over I took them right off. You can also give them snacks in the winter like corn, which raises their body temp a bit.

By far, the biggest weather issue you will have is keeping them cool & protecting them from Santa Ana winds. Question; Does your property gate blow open during a Santa Ana? Do you have a tree that drops huge branches during one? Will your chickens have a place to hide? Mine have never hidden in the coop during a Santa Ana, they always seem to hide in a giant cactus in the far corner of the property. They will die of thirst rather than walk out of a hiding spot during 45 mph winds, so go out during your first Santa Ana, find out where they are hiding & put water out there.

Lots of shade, watermelon, & shallow trays of water for them to walk thru will help keep them cool.

Here's a question for the people who have more experience than me ... What if she took off the existing door & put up a metal security screen door & put a couple roof turbine vents on the roof? Would that be secure enough & provide enough ventilation? It would certainly be way cheaper & easier that cutting thru drywall, but I don't know if it would be enough... What say the community?

Interesting idea on the roof turbine vents. A 12 inch turbine vent pulls out around 400 cubic feet of air per minute in a 5 mph breeze. Based on the footprint of her building, it's capacity is around 1152 cubic feet. So, one vent in a 5 mph breeze would completely exchange the air in her coop every 3 minutes - that's great in my opinion. And you can pick one up for about $40 at the orange big box store. As for the door, I agree - see my earlier post.

 

[room onthebroom]

Interesting idea on the roof turbine vents. A 12 inch turbine vent pulls out around 400 cubic feet of air per minute in a 5 mph breeze. Based on the footprint of her building, it's capacity is around 1152 cubic feet. So, one vent in a 5 mph breeze would completely exchange the air in her coop every 3 minutes - that's great in my opinion. And you can pick one up for about $40 at the orange big box store. As for the door, I agree - see my earlier post.

Thanks for the detailed input ksguy. I've been debating whether or not to add a turbine on a new coop we're about to put together & you've definitely convinced me to go for it.

 

[Exotica]

Thank you everyone for you invaluable advice!
Luckily, the guy that mows our lawn also knows a bit carpentry. We are cutting the window in the door as planned and also a window facing opposite the door! I believe that would be enough for ventilation? All for only $70! It's a steal!! I will then buy LARGE pieces of galvanized steel mesh (I'm thinking about having them go at least a foot out on the 12' x 12' back window and as far as the door will allow so it will still open) and make sure to screw them in in multiple places!
Currently, I screwed into place two large milk crates then added a high wood bar so the eggs wont stay out/the pine bedding will stay in (I also put cardboard to line it so bedding will not fall out the holes). I'll then cover them with cardboard box so it's nice and dark (I can throw the cardboard away and replace when it gets too dirty). That's just for now, if it doesn't work out I know a place that sells them for $30 each!
I have 6 foot high cement walls surround my backyard so even when we have storms, wind does not blow as much into our property. The fences are all locked in place! We have lots of shade!! My whole backyard is lined with trees! We have water apples, persimmons, Chinese apples, papayas, a lemon tree, a small orange &peach tree that has low branches for them to hop on to hide! We also have a lot of vegetables growing that they can eat if the fallen fruits bore them!

Now all I have to do is make a roost and would it be good to attach some shelves for them to hang out on? I have some leftover shelves that I'm not using!

 

[junebuggena]

You want the ventilation high enough that the chickens on the roosts aren't getting drafts blowing on them all night. The higher you get the ventilation, the more effective it will be, and the healthy your birds will be. Roofline vents are best. Relying on a window in the door and a window opposite will put roosting birds right in the middle of the air flow. BAD idea. The window is a fine idea to let light in, but it needs to able to be shut at night to prevent drafts. Your main ventilation needs to be as high up as possible.