So you wanna have chickens, eh?

[Tororider]

Irving,
With regards to insulation, I have heard its more important to keep it draft free than actually insulated. I insulated my coop, and my girls still got a touch of frostbite on their combs.

 

[irvingj]

Thanks again for all the suggestions & comments!

I have it set up --hopefully-- so I can control drafts but still have adequate ventilation. All 3 windows will be openable, but can be shut & locked down; they all gave gasketing on all 4 sides. The gable vents will be closed off when necessary with-- not sure yet, but maybe just some triangle-shaped pieces of styrofoam board. I'm guessing that, even in the coldest weather, at least during daylight, I'll want a small vent space in the gable ends and just crack the window(s) a bit.

Mike- wife's folks are from up around Kirksville. Where's Dunnegan?

 

[Tororider]

Sounds perfect.

 

[Mike Costello]

Irvingj--Dunnegan is about 35 miles north of Springfield just west of Hwy 13. There's not much there, just a collection of houses and a couple of mom n pop grocery stores. It's typical of a lot of very small towns in rural Missouri--many aren't even incorporated. I actually live closer to Bolivar even though my official mailing address is Dunnegan. Regionally, its Southwest Missouri. Mike.

 

[irvingj]

Thanks, Tororider! I'm hoping all will work out OK, hopefully I've covered all the bases.

Finally made some more progress this afternoon; weather was conducive to painting-- a second coat on trim, more trim added, the gaps under the eaves have been closed.... Now, on to the nest box design. I'm thinking 3 nest boxes for 10 chickens should be good, each around 1 square foot in size. Can't wait to get the birds out of their cardboard boxes (and out of my garage)!

 

[Mike Costello]

The rule of thumb on nest boxes is: 1 nest box for every 4 hens. So you have it covered.

 

[Tororider]

Might want to make them slightly deeper and slightly taller though. The extra height will give you some room to put a lip on the bottom to keep the wood chips/hay in the box. Keep us up to date with pics when you get a chance.

 

[irvingj]

Well, it's been slow progress lately, but I finally finished the nest box frame, primed it, and mounted it to the outside of the "house." It's supported by two 2x4s that go along the length, on the inside, one at the floor of the nest box frame & one along the top. Chicken access door also sorta completed- we'll see how long those chains last!

My idea is to cut access holes into the nest box on the inside, leaving a lip of 3-4", and adding a piece of 2x6 --or similar-- as a "landing" in front of the access holes. It just takes me soooo long to figure out how do to what I can see in my head (once I get to that stage, at least!).

Meanwhile, the "girls" are getting bigger.... And I'm still getting lots of help & advice from grandson..,

 

[Mike Costello]

Are you planning to gather eggs from the inside of the coop or the outside? I made a coop awhile back that allowed me to gather eggs without entering the coop. I simply installed a hinged roof on the nest box. You can even match the coop's roof if desired. Just a thought. Mike.

 

[irvingj]

Exactly the plan, Mike, even right down to the matching 6:12 roof pitch (though I'll admit it doesn't look that way in the photo...)

Wife's headed for KC tomorrow; brother's 40th B-day.