Building a chicken coup ...HELP?

[April Manier]

What about heat and light requirements? Any thoughts?

We are in zome 7b, so its not too cold, like lows in the 20s.

 

[RustyDHart]

I have a window every 4 ft. and one large one at the end of the coop.....I have lights every 8ft.....some I leave on during these dark, dreary, wintery days to aide the chickens in laying plus they do need to see.... I have an insulated building and no heat for the birds....sometimes a small heater for me.....it stays above freezing in the coop...it's cool....but comfortable. I'm in zone 4.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What about heat and light requirements? Any thoughts?

We are in zome 7b, so its not too cold, like lows in the 20s.

I always give mine the option of whether they want to go out or stay in. It was 4 degrees F when they made this decision.

They need to be able to see in the coop. I have a regular window on my 8' x 12' coop.

As long as the coop is well ventilated but you don't have drafts blowing directly on them when they are sleeping, cold does not seem to bother them, especially if your low is only around (+)20 F. They are wearing a down coat. Think of all the wild birds outside where it really does get cold. Your chickens will do fine. My real worry is the coop getting too hot in the summer, not too cold in the winter. But in the summer a draft can hit them while they are sleeping and they'll enjoy that, so I open the window in the summer.

The way I handle it is to have the coop plenty tall so the vents are well above the roosts.

 

[chris09]

What about heat and light requirements? Any thoughts?
We are in zome 7b, so its not too cold, like lows in the 20s.

If you have the slope of the roof on the north and south then you can have a steep pitch on the south facing roof and cover the roof with *corrugated pvc then have as meany windows as possible on the south wall you really only need lights for for when you go in at night.

As for heat I don't heat my coops.

Chris

 

[lesa]

If you insulate, no need to heat the coop. A window and electricity are nice. I enjoy being able to switch on a light, when I check for eggs. This time of year, it is dark so darn early. Here in zone 4, I do use a heated waterer, which requires electricity. A window provides light for you and the birds! And a very nice way to aid air exchange. So easy to find a cheap or free window to add to any coop design.

 

[Kassaundra]

We are also zone 7b, the summers are much harder on the chickens then the winters, that has been our experience over this first year w/ chickens. We do not heat the coop either, we do have a tin can water warmer so the water doesn't freeze, so we have electricity to the coop for that, we use heavy extension cords. We also do some light, not for heat but for our convenience, easier to see in and do bed check before closing everyone up, also for a couple of hours in the evening to encourage egg production in the winter.

Our coops are raised which I really like, gives the girls a place outside in the rain, or snow, or heat. We are adding an automatic door which I am going to love can't wait until they are finished and installed.

We have a home made feeder that holds enough feed for a month or so, and allows them access to the food 24/7 I really like that, anything that makes it easier or where you don't HAVE to be hands on EVERY day if you don't want to. (go on a trip or do something at night don't have to worry if the preditors are getting the girls or if I'm running late don't have to worry about feeding the girls).

Our coops are small, when I was planning them I was worried more about cold then heat (didn't know any better) so I was thinking more body heat in smaller area would be better for the chickens, I would change that I would make more room.

 

[thistlebloom]

My coop is uninsulated and I don't heat. It's roughly 5 x 7 and sided with 2" thick boards. The coldest it's been in there was -2 when it was -20 outside. The girls were fine, they remained active and even came out for brief periods that day. I always give them a warm meal at least once a day when it's really cold. There's a large window on the south side and a small one on the north so it's plenty bright. I said this before, but if I did it again I would make it bigger.

 

[StupidBird]

Kassaundra, can you please share a photo of your home made feeder that "holds feed for a month"? I'm just shooting for a long weekend away.

 

[Wisher1000]

Here is my set-up. I started with just the covered run which is 12x16. The chickens and guineas did fine with only the end covered for a year. I put up tarps in the winter to keep it dryer (protected from blowing rain) but that's all. I then added the closed-in part on the east end. I call it the coop and the original part is the run. I had someone build the covered run for me and it is well built. It has 4x4's set in concrete, 2x4 welded wire all the way around, metal roof, and an 18" skirt buried about 6" underground all the way around. I built the coop addition myself and although I can't say it is as well built, I think I did pretty well for a forty-something woman with no construction experience!

This is the whole structure which is 12x24. It sits on a hill with a southern exposure. There is some shade but not as much as appears in this pic, it was taken early this morning. I plan to eventually cover the OSB with siding.

This shot shows that the enclosed coop part is built up off the ground and has lots of windows. They are just framed openings with hardware cloth covering them. I stapled plastic over all of them last winter but may not this year. The door is recycled and was painted. I sanded most of the paint off and sealed it with clear polyurethane. The window by the door is 2x2 and lets me see what is going on inside before I open the door. All I have to do is stand on the top stair and peek in.

This is the SW corner. The white thing below the gable is a roll up blind (also recycled.) I let it down in the summer to provide shade from the afternoon sun and roll it up when they need that warmth. The tarp was an attempt to keep the water in the corner from getting too hot. It will come down soon.

These pics were taken from the doorway and are of the inside of the coop area. I have a partition to separate the coop from the storage areas. It consists of a couple of 2x8's mounted on the floor and bird netting above. I hope to replace it with a framed wall and chicken wire, at some point. The above pics show the right side and with the two east facing windows that are 2x4 each and the vent area in the gable end. Next to the door is a 2x2 window (that you can't see in the pic) and on the back wall is a 2x4 window. I may cover the back and side windows with plastic and leave the smallest one and the gable vent open. I really haven't decided yet.

This shows the opposite wall that backs up to the run. The box on the floor is where the nestboxes are. They enter from the run and I can access them from this side. I have not made doors for it yet so I have some scrap OSB there to keep the hens from getting into the storage area through the nests.

Here is the inside, I have cardboard boxes (the kind copy paper comes in) filled with pine shavings for the boxes themselves. They slide out to inspect and clean, and when one gets yucky, I just throw it on the burn pile because I have a steady supply from work! On top of the nest boxes is a brooder cage. The top is off of it and I am storing some feeders and spare water there right now. The cage is about 2x4 and has a removeable top and bottom. I can use it on the floor of the coop for an introduction aid, in the truck to transport birds, here as a brooder or for a sick bird. It has been one of my favorite and most useful additions.

Here is the coop area behind the brooder and it shows the partition and the pop door that opens to the run.

This is the inside of the run. The entrances to the nest boxes are on the right. I hung burlap over them so that the hens feel hidden (although if you look closely, you can see one of my SLW hens in second one from the right.) I cut slits in it and frayed the cuts to make a space for their heads to poke in. That is a round mirror that the guineas use to remind themselves what beautiful birds they are. and the pop door is on the left. Here are some closer shots.

The little black cup in the lower right corner of the pic holds crushed oyster shell.

The object leaning against the wall is "The Chicken Gitter" (and it says so on the side!) I use it to reach the girls at night when I need to lift one down from a roost that is over my head. It is just a scrap of 2x2 nailed to the end of a two foot long 2x4. I use that thing all the time!

...and this is my brocolli.

 

[lighthawk]

Kassaundra, can you please share a photo of your home made feeder that "holds feed for a month"? I'm just shooting for a long weekend away.

Not sure how many chickens you have but with six full grown Barred rocks I have to fill these once a week.

I also have 4 unions and four extensions I can use to make them taller to hold more feed if necessary. I am rarely gone more than a couple of days. So I have never used them.