Where Do I Even Start?!

[Emma Miriam]

I also highly recommend at least one vent at the roofline.

However, your shed is 13 feet tall, so your current idea of vents may not actually cause cold air to blow on roosts. How far off the ground will the bottom of those vents be? Even if they're only 6 feet off the ground, that could work as long as your roosts aren't higher than 3.5 or 4 feet. Of course, since your roof is so much higher, some rain might come through the vents, so you'd have to watch for that. Bottom line: eave vents are definitely the best for airlow. I'd try to put AT LEAST one vent up near the roof to allow moist air and odor to escape. But if the vents you're thinking of are at least 6 feet off the ground, they could work. Put that window opposite the door as high as possible.

Those nesting boxes sound great! And your backyard sounds like chicken paradise. As for roosts, I'd imagine the chickens would just poop on the shelves...so you'd have to clean them if you put them up. Just roosts are fine.

I may have missed this, but how big will your vent in the door be? How big will your window be?

 

[Exotica]

The deed is done! So the window is only 16 inches wide and 12 inches tall. It is also two feet above the roost/nest boxes! The window is also placed much higher than the cut on the door - it is only a feet below the roof! the window opposite the door is really high! The door is also cut (if you look at the picture, the first two boxes on the door provided an outline for a huge cut. Half the door is gone honestly.. and if needed, can be covered with cardboard. As the galvanized steel mesh, I have now decided to buy double the amount and put it on both sides of the door/both sides of the wall as well as stretching it out as far as I can and screwing it at least 5-6 times. I don't get raccoons here nor cats but I'm thinking they might come if I have chickens? I live in suburbs surrounded by city but I'd rather be safe than sorry. How would I get about putting a roof vent? Do I just ask someone to cut a small hole near the roof?

 

[Exotica]

For some reason I won't let me edit my last post and add pictures. It keeps refreshing and I keep losing what I posted ): Anywho..


^ It looks like the window is opposite the hole in the door since the hole in the door is so large but it isn't! It is about half a feet or a bit more above the door!


^ The nest boxes are three feet above the ground, the window is two feet 1/2 above the crates. I'll be sawing the sides off so it looks a bit better haha! There is already a wood piece on the bottom of the crate to prevent bedding from falling out. I'll also be covering it with cardboard so it stays dark and cozy! What I love about this is that since I used four wide head screw per crate, it is SUPER sturdy but can be taken off to be hosed off! Yes!
Two cuts for $70? Not too bad!

All that's need to be done is to make a roost! I will be making a two bar roost with 2x4's so they can be laying down. I'll also be attaching shelves to the sides of my .. dare I say it? Coop!

I have also decided that I will purchase double the amount of galvanized steel mesh to put on both sides of the wall and door! Of course I'll also be stretching it out and screwing it in multiple places. I live in the suburbs surrounded by city so I've never seen any raccoons nor do we have any stray cats but you never know! I'm thinking they'll find us if we have chickens!

I measured the temperature in there and it is a comfortable 80 even though tonight is not a windy night and we barely cut it out. I think by tomorrow morning it'll be even cooler inside! I can always cover it up with cardboard if it gets too cold but I doubt it will in sunny California! <3

Bonus question: I know it's a huge debate but is feed with animal protein better? I'm leaning towards that. Can I just feed them gamebird feed? Or is that too high in protein? I don't know if anyone has heard of H&H feed (http://handhsoyfreenongmofeed.com/feeds-make/chicken-poultry-show-bird-rations/) but they use animal protein, mill their food fresh every two weeks, and the gamebird formula has 28% protein! Would this be good? Is there better?! Also, how much would 5 large laying hens eat in a month?

 

[junebuggena]

2x4s wide side up work great. They sit on their feet when roosting, so you only need the roosts to be wide enough for their feet to fit flat. Make them two different heights, sometimes a high ranking hen will refuse to let lower ranking birds on 'her' roost. They need to be at least 6 inches higher than the nest boxes.
How are you planning on keeping rain out? Southern California can get hit with nasty storms from time to time. Will there still be ventilation if the windows need to be covered? You need ventilation at all times, that's why we all suggested eave vents near the roofline.
As for the feed. It's not formulated and balanced for a chicken. Chickens have different nutritional needs than game birds. It's not just about protein content. Feed them something that is specifically formulated for chickens.

 

[NotSoFancy]

Hello. Your hen house is going to be great! And so are you. I built me first hen house about a year ago. I have had to remedy mistakes, but all is good now. I wish I had know about this site back then. There are some amazing people with a lot of knowledge posting here. Good luck!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Animal protein is superior to vegetative sources because if a feed is vegetative, it needs to have synthetic lysine, methionine and often tryptophan added to supply sufficient quantities of the 13 amino acids essential to chickens.
That said, 28% protein is too high for any age chickens. If you already bought it, buy some lower protein finisher feed or grower feed in the 15-18% range and mix them together.
I usually feed 20-22% protein for the first 4 or 5 weeks then cut back to 18% and eventually 16% at about 12 weeks.

I have heard so many comments over the years about avoiding drafts with chickens and I agree with that if the chickens are wet. However I'm not a fan of that advice otherwise.
Chickens are outside in the wind all day. Chickens can live in trees. How do you keep a draft out of a tree? I know people with nice coops and attached open runs and their chickens choose to sleep in the run year round. The wind blows right through. I have huge windows on east and west walls at roost height open year round. That means the wind blows right across by their noses. Fresh air, whether still or breezy is far superior to less than fresh.
Chickens are outdoor animals. Healthy chickens aren't wimps that need to be protected from a breeze. If they were, I wouldn't raise them.

 

[Exotica]

2x4s wide side up work great. They sit on their feet when roosting, so you only need the roosts to be wide enough for their feet to fit flat. Make them two different heights, sometimes a high ranking hen will refuse to let lower ranking birds on 'her' roost. They need to be at least 6 inches higher than the nest boxes.
How are you planning on keeping rain out? Southern California can get hit with nasty storms from time to time. Will there still be ventilation if the windows need to be covered? You need ventilation at all times, that's why we all suggested eave vents near the roofline.
As for the feed. It's not formulated and balanced for a chicken. Chickens have different nutritional needs than game birds. It's not just about protein content. Feed them something that is specifically formulated for chickens.

Ahh, I see!! Luckily I haven't purchased it yet! I'll stick with their layer feed which is about 16% protein! Does that company seem okay though? Any recommendations? I'll be sure to make them six inches higher then the coop and make more than one roost! As for ventilation if there are storms I was thinking about just putting diapers on my girls and having them run around in my huge garage and leaving their coop open. There's a protruding roof and I have six feet high cement walls surrounding my backyard so I doubt winds will blow rain in. For now this will have to do but when I get my financial aid in two-three months, I will also add some roof vents! If not, I have a tower fan that rotates and has three settings that I don't mind letting them borrow!

Hello. Your hen house is going to be great! And so are you. I built me first hen house about a year ago. I have had to remedy mistakes, but all is good now. I wish I had know about this site back then. There are some amazing people with a lot of knowledge posting here. Good luck!

I'm already in love with this community! Everyone is so sweet and so helpful. I've never been so excited to keep checking back to a forum before!! Thank you!

Animal protein is superior to vegetative sources because if a feed is vegetative, it needs to have synthetic lysine, methionine and often tryptophan added to supply sufficient quantities of the 13 amino acids essential to chickens.
That said, 28% protein is too high for any age chickens. If you already bought it, buy some lower protein finisher feed or grower feed in the 15-18% range and mix them together.
I usually feed 20-22% protein for the first 4 or 5 weeks then cut back to 18% and eventually 16% at about 12 weeks.

I have heard so many comments over the years about avoiding drafts with chickens and I agree with that if the chickens are wet. However I'm not a fan of that advice otherwise.
Chickens are outside in the wind all day. Chickens can live in trees. How do you keep a draft out of a tree? I know people with nice coops and attached open runs and their chickens choose to sleep in the run year round. The wind blows right through. I have huge windows on east and west walls at roost height open year round. That means the wind blows right across by their noses. Fresh air, whether still or breezy is far superior to less than fresh.
Chickens are outdoor animals. Healthy chickens aren't wimps that need to be protected from a breeze. If they were, I wouldn't raise them.

Beautiful coop!! Ahh, how I wish I could have a coop like yours. To be quite honest, originally I wanted something separate from the shed that I could easily collect eggs from. Since I do not have the funds though, the shed/house will do ): Come to think of it, I completely agree! I will be adding some roof vents or putting a tower fan in there for now! As for the feed, I haven't purchased it yet - thank god! They are still only 2.5 weeks! I'll stick with their laying feed. Do their ingredient seem find though? Do you have any feed recommendations?

Thank you everyone for taking the time to answer my questions. Blessed I am to stumble upon such a wonderful community<3

 

[junebuggena]

Chicks should not be fed layer feed. Layer feed is intended for actively laying mature birds. Chicks need chick starter or grower feed. The calcium content in layer feed can be deadly to young chicks. And the protein content is too low to support growth and feather development.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

X2
Layer feed is for those actively building egg shells.
Layer is about 4% calcium. all other feeds are about 1% calcium, which is sufficient for all birds not needing the extra calcium to build shells.

 

[Emma Miriam]

Goodness, I missed a lot in one day! Let me try to catch up...

Window and door vent look excellent! And I like that the window is high up. I'd say you've got a pretty good amount of ventilation for now...maybe next summer you can add a vent under the eaves.

Nestboxes look great too! If they aren't attached too securely yet, I might move them down to 2 feet off the ground so that the roosts can be higher...if the nesting box height is too close to the roost height, the chicks will start sleeping (read: pooping) in the nest boxes.

I'm curious, what do you mean by buying extra galvanized mesh and stretching it out farther? What I did (and it's worked well so far!) is buy enough 1/2 inch hardware cloth to cover the opening, plus a few inches. So for your 12x16 window, cut a 14x18 inch piece of hardware cloth, so it can overlap one inch on each side. Then, use screws and washers to attach it to the wood (you can alternate with staples if you want). If you attach the hardware cloth on the INSIDE of the window rather than the outside, it'll not only look nicer, but it will be harder for predators to pry at the connection points. Just make sure you buy 19 gauge hardware cloth with 1/2 inch openings.

That feed brand looks nice, and I see they sell chick starter, grower, and layer. Seems like a great brand! But I absolutely agree with what everyone else said: stop feeding your little chicks layer feed and buy them a back of chick starter feed. It should be 18-20% protein and very little calcium. Do you have a Tractor Supply or a True Value store near you? Any place that sells livestock feed? They should have chick starter. Some brands have a combined chick starter/grower, and that's ok too as long as it's 18% protein.

If you can't get to a feed store tomorrow to get the new feed, I'd make your chicks some scrambled eggs! That has almost all the nutrients they need, and they'll be fine with that until you can buy chick starter.