4x8 coop designs!

[lisamg11]

Beginner with chickens and construction. I want to build a 4 x 8 Coop. My biggest concerns are ventilation, an easy roof, and warmth for the winter months! I live in Ohio and we see all weather types. These last few winters have brought us -20° temperatures. Please help!

 

[JaceAgain]

I did vents in between rafters, hardware cloth. In the winter I stuffed them with stuff around the house, old air filters rolled up and some egg crate foam we had, it worked perfectly. Its a big coop, 4x8 x 7-8ft tall(7 on one side, 8 on the other).

 

[lisamg11]

Thank you!

 

[skylavaulter]

This is our coop so far. The roof is easy since it is just a lean to shape. Rafters covered in plywood and shingles. You can do windows for ventilation that can be covered with plexiglass in the winter. You can also leave small gaps in the eaves of the rafters under the roof for ventilation high up in the coop so the wind and rain can't get in.

 

[JaceAgain]

 

[JaceAgain]

Eww that roost looks gross lol. I just added a poop shelf, finally, that should help 0.o
Edit to add, I got a TON of supplies from new construction dumpsters. The roofing fabric and materials, some of the wood,enough scrapps to make the nest boxes, etc. If you have any around you going up, its worth a raid
We also made the door dual season, when its nice I pull the plastic cardboard out and it stays nice in the coop.

 

[fishwithaface]

This was our coop this year. You can easily insulate it if you measured the inside for plywood walls and insulation.

 

[fishwithaface]

And thats the pen we built with it.
We built the coop for 180, And the pen for 70
But that does not include the chicken wire. We got that for free.

 

[PapaChaz]

no harm in insulating the coop, and you definitely want to make sure you block all drafts and direct wind blowing ON the chickens, but even in winter, maybe more so, you need ventilation above them. Leave the vents in the eave's and the peak of the roof open so the moisture they emit breathing and just in general can vent out and not settle back on their combs and cause frostbite.

being new to building anything, the lean to roof is by the simplest to build for you. Just make a wall on one side of the coop taller than the other by 6 inches or so and it'll be fine. For a 4x8, you want to slope your roof side to side and not end to end. You don't really even have to worry about cutting the ends at angles, you can leave them straight and just let your roof decking hang out far enough to cover.

 

[aart]

Go tall easier to ventilate.
Single plane slanted roof with wide over hangs, leave low and high eaves open (but covered with 1/2" hardware cloth), place plane of roof facing prevailing winds.