Coop....

[joz]

.... Plywood, although more expensive lasts years beyond what OSB does. Learned this the hard way when the Building Inspector demanded that we use OSB for the walls and floor on an extension. A couple of years later, I fell through the floor where it had rotted from water and chicken litter. Then the walls began to disintegrate. The older part of the building with plywood was still in great condition some 20 years after being built.

A BUILDING INSPECTOR demanded you use OSB? Over Plywood? Like, a city inspector? Feh. Idiot. (the inspector, not you) OSB is just glorified chipboard. Friends don't let friends build with chipboard. Or, lately, MDF. Anything particulate like that, relying on glue for integrity, will soak water like a sponge and fail spectacularly.

Insulation prevents thermal transfer. In winter, your chickens will produce enough heat inside to warm the space, and the insulation prevents that heat from escaping (temps move from warm to cold). In summer, unless you've a wee air conditioner, the insulation may prevent the transfer of heat from the sun on the structure through the wall/roof (tho I think in that case radiant barrier might function better), but the air inside won't necessarily be any cooler than the air outside, particularly if you've got sufficient ventilation and airflow. I believe you might actually risk retaining the heat overnight that will build up inside during the day, if you close the coop at night and reduce the airflow.

In such case, providing a little ventilation near the bottom of the coop, near the ground in a shaded area (like a basement or crawlspace.... areas that stay cool since the thermal mass within it doesn't get heated up during the day) will encourage passive cooling..... Major ventilation zones at the top allows the heat an escape, the minor ventilation at the bottom allows for cool replacement air (think of a vacuum... the warm air that has risen won't necessarily vent out the top without air to replace it). Attic fans work on this principle, but assist with power: crack the windows in the evening at the opposite end of the house from the fan, turn the fan on; all the hot air at the ceiling is sucked out, and the cool evening air is sucked in.

Point being... insulation will not cool off a space. It may keep a cool space cooler than the outside, but after a day or so they will equalize if no effort is made to differentiate the temps.

Am I making sense?

As cold hardy as chickens are, I don't think 20* winters are worth the hassle of installing insulation and designing a cooling system.

 

[nachoqtpie]

So... I'm thinking... if I make it 2' off the ground, that would leave me about 4' (aprox because of the roof slant) of coop height.. and since I want to put perches on one side, I should make that the side that doesn't have the "window" right?

 

[vfem]

Have you seen my silkie coop girl? Almost the same! I leave vents between all the rafters and have them exposed. I have a north facing window on the front where they have the nesting boxes, and I put the nesting boxes the same way on the back. I like it my way! No insulation at all, I'm more concerned about summer heat then winter cold here. During the summer I run misters from the hose to keep everything moist and cool.

That green box is our version. It's 4'x5'. The opening for the ramp is under the coop and run is under it, and then goes off to the side.

 

[SuperChemicalGirl]

Build way more ventilation than you think you'll ever need. A nice cross breeze makes the coop cooler in summer, too. Remember that when it starts to get dark, even when it's still hot out, the biddies go in the coop to roost. It's horrible to see them with their wings out, panting.

I'm in Maine, and while my coop is insulated and has a lot of birds in it, I always have at least 2 windows out of my 3 open. The windows only get closed if there's a blizzard, only because it blows snow into the coop and then melts and then the shavings freeze. Birds are much hardier than you think cold-wise, as long as they have a place to snuggle and get out of the wind, they're fine. Mine go out every single day, regardless of the temperature. Again, I only make them stay in if there's a blizzard actively snowing and blowing, and that's only because they'd come out and go under the coop and get snowed in under there. I shovel the run, and let them out at the next opportunity.

I really wouldn't worry about temperature. I have all kinds of birds, from banties to turkens to brahmas to leghorns, and I haven't lost a one to cold.

 

[so lucky]

In my 4 x 8 coop, we left the south end just screened in (Heavy duty wire, of course) The north end is screen, but with a door that can be kept closed unless more ventilation is needed. The roost is on the north end, so on summer nights, they sleep pretty much in front of the screen. I also have some small holes drilled high in one wall, just in case it needs some draft when the north door is closed. I don't have electricity out there, either, so on really hot nights, I have run an extension cord and left a fan run outside for a few hours, blowing air in. This has worked very well, and the chickens have all told me how much they like their house. If I get nervous about a cold spell, I can put some plastic up temporarily, to cover most of the south end. They also utilize the two feet under the coop. It's their "go to" place if it's hot, raining or snowing.

 

[nachoqtpie]

vfem.. are you saying that your nesting boxes are on the opposite side of the window or UNDER the window? Do you cover that north facing window in the winter at all? This makes me want to pay for a Jam class just so you can oversee chicken coop construction!

 

[digitS']

8 adults in .

. . a 45" by 45" coop?

I think you will have most of them sleeping outside, Nacho'.

Steve

 

[nachoqtpie]

It's going to be 4'x8'. That's just what we're using as a guide.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Thanks guys!

I've seen it get to about 20-25 here before... but that's very unusual. We still wear sweatshirts till it's about 55!

I was thinking of actually making the top 4-6 inches all ventilation, but I think I like the idea of the big windows better. I could put a couple pieces of trim up there to hold a sheet of plexiglass in the winter if it gets too cold, but I might make it into something I can raise and lower to keep the rain out of it... kinda like a big shutter. Do you think that if I cut a hole into the side and used some hinges to attach it back to the coop at the top and then sort of prop it open 6-9 inches it would give them enough ventilation?

We're not running electric out there, so the only AC will be provided by Carolina Ocean Breeze. There' usually a pretty steady breeze around here tho, even if it is light. It does get pretty warm around here tho.. so I am kinda worried about that... but not enough to run electric out there.

Sounds like you were thinking something like what we have. This is when we were building it, but in the winter we have plexiglass so they can still have the sun, but not the wind and the rest of the time, we have hardware wire screens that go in so that we can leave the windows open and keep predators out. Most of the time, we leave the hinged wood part up and only close it if it is really windy.

 

[lesa]

Very nice coop, Stubborn! That looks great!