Hi all. I have been researching and wanting to have chickens for years. My husband and I are working to solidify the coop plan. He will be building (he is a carpenter). We decided on an 8x8 “run-under coop” design. We have a smaller yard but would like 6 chickens. I figure this gives them more than enough room to move about. I know I will be using the deep litter method. We are planning 2 ventilations on other end of the roof (think gable end. The coop will be surrounded on its East and West side (abutting another shed and our 6 foot tall fence). The back of the coop will be facing south/west.
I’m really stuck on insulation. We don’t plan to heat the coop. We live in gardening zone 5 in Massachusetts. It gets cold here and snows quite a bit. We plan to install 2 small windows in front up higher, the nesting box access and a trap door to pull out bedding for composting on the “front” of the coop, this would be the side facing north. I’m assuming we should put a window on the back southwest side for light.
Do we need to insulate other than making the structure free of draft and providing hay bales near the roosting area?
We don’t have access to electricity, are there any watering devices that won’t freeze but don’t require heat?
I was planning Isa Browns but I’m not sure if they’ll be cold hardy enough, here.
Also, how far underground should the hardware cloth be dug for the run? Should is essentially go all the way under the entire coop underground or can her just dig down 12 inches or so to avoid digging predators?
Am I missing anything? Thanks in advance!!!
I'll start with 'anything else'
Step 1 - Check your local laws and ordinances. There are lots of sad stories on the board about how everything was okay, my neighbors loved the chickens ... until everything wasn't okay and somebody didn't love the chickens. If you have to fight city hall, you want to make that fight BEFORE you start your chicken journey. Some places limit the number of chickens you can own or whether or not you can have rooster. Often there are offset requirements that dictate where you place the coop relative to your own hour or to your neighbors property.
Step 2 - Try to determine what you want from your chickens. (and consider how likely your plans are to change) Do you want eggs? Do you want meat? Are you looking for fertilizer? ... there are some people on this board that care little to nothing about the eggs and just want the poop. Do you want 'farm animals' or do you want 'pets?' If you are looking for eggs, how many do you want in a week/month? If you are looking for meat, how frequently do you plan on harvesting a chicken?
Step 3 - Think about the lifespan of a chicken. Some of the biggest egg producers often live not much passed two years. Some can live 10 years. As chickens age their production slows down - in most cases quite considerably. Do you plan to cull and replace or, will you support older hens in their 'retirement?' Based on your answers in 1 & 2, plan on how you plan on continuing the flock. If you have a rooster will you let a broody hen raise a clutch of chicks? (Some breeds are more conducive to raising chicks than others and requires more research.) Will you buy more chicks? Will you buy pullets? If you going just for eggs, it can make sense to work your way up to your maximum number of chickens over a coupe of years. Otherwise, you can go from feast to famine.
Step 4 - Investigate poop management and what looks like it will work best for you. The two most common coop approaches are deep bedding (keep adding more material / clean out 1-2x / year) and poop boards (placed under the roost and cleaned daily or very near to it)
Step 5 - Now you are ready to start thinking about a coop placement. Keeping in mind steps 1-4, your next concern is property location. You want to avoid your run being in a low spot in the yard. If the place you want your run is often swampy and muddy, you want to pick a different spot. It is much easier to place the run in an ideal location than to try and deal with your run in a swampy location.
Step 6 - Now you can start thinking about coop FEATURES. If you will be introducing pullets, you should have space to quarantine the new birds to keep them away from the existing birds (research and understand quarantining) Introducing pullets or chicks you raise to pullets, at some point you'll need to keep them together but separated so that they older birds don't hurt the newer ones. (they can be shockingly mean.) If you intend to have hens raise chicks, mama bird typically protects the chicks when they need the protection, but they still need space as well as making sure a nesting box is setup somewhere that functions well for chicks. If you intend to do deep bedding, you need to have sufficient space in the bottom of the coop for the bedding .... it's going to build up and get deep. If you use poop boards, you'll need to be able to access those.
Step 7 - Research coop functionality. You want to make sure that you have the space and ventilation required for your maximum expected number of birds. I highly recommend reading
@Yakisugi Coop 's coop page: it has lots of thought out points on things like roost height / ventilation height, etc. You may make different choices, the but linked reference will help you make those decisions:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/yakisugi-coop.76398/
As
@aart pointed out, building a coop up against a fence corner presents some challenges .... especially for a larger one. You'll want accessibility to get in and work in that coop/run. If a coop is above ground and not walk-in, most any coop I've seen needs at least 1 side for clean out and 1 for egg collection
Two important points on insulation. ... It's a GREAT place for rodents to overwinter and stay longer if they like it there. There is almost no way to trap in heat without trapping in the air - especially at the top of the coop. Bad things happen if you trap in air - especially at the top of the coop. Unless you are in the northern parts of Canada, don't worry about insulation but instead worry about stopping drafts while having ventilation.
The almost singular alternative to not having a means of heating water is to bring fresh water to the chickens 1st thing in the morning, 1 hour before sundown, plus as frequently as necessary throughout the day to make sure they have regular access to fresh water.
