Plan is to construct an 8x8 coop with slanted roof covered in spare tin roof panels which are in decent shape. Front will be 4 feet from floor and rear wall 5 feet. Want to raise the coop at least 2 feet off the ground. The space below is a place for chickens to take cover from rain and sun as well as a place for feeders and water. Will also add a run for the chickens constructed of 2x4's and wire.
Chose a sunny flat location with solid ground and excellent drainage (Hawaiian Acres). Need some advice on setting the foundation. Should we use foundation blocks or pier blocks with straps? Can they be set on the ground on gravel added below blocks or piers?
Used these plans as a guide for floor and support below which is 3 4x4's as skids and 2x4 joists with 3/4 plywood floor. http://www.i4at.org/surv/poultry.htm (also attached as pdf)
After 10 years of having layer hens and using a variety of temporary and more permanent solutions, that looks like a fine hen house but not well suited to the tropics. It looks like it would get hot and the hens don't lay when they are too hot. It also looks like it blocks a lot of light which may discourage them from laying in winter. These are all things that you can overcome by modifying the design but at some point one has to wonder if they are spending so much time overcoming the structure's intent that maybe it's the wrong structure. Also wood, humidity, heat, and poultry make for a very difficult situation when the bird mites, fowl pox, and coccidia make their rounds. Really the only concerns one needs to make for designing a hen house is that they get enough shade, can get out of the rain, safe from dogs, cats, and mongoose, and is convenient for you to work in.
(09-16-2020, 01:16 AM)terracore Wrote: After 10 years of having layer hens and using a variety of temporary and more permanent solutions, that looks like a fine hen house but not well suited to the tropics. It looks like it would get hot and the hens don't lay when they are too hot. It also looks like it blocks a lot of light which may discourage them from laying in winter. These are all things that you can overcome by modifying the design but at some point one has to wonder if they are spending so much time overcoming the structure's intent that maybe it's the wrong structure. Also wood, humidity, heat, and poultry make for a very difficult situation when the bird mites, fowl pox, and coccidia make their rounds. Really the only concerns one needs to make for designing a hen house is that they get enough shade, can get out of the rain, safe from dogs, cats, and mongoose, and is convenient for you to work in.
Yes I totally understand what you have explained. Thank you! I think that the majority of plans on the Internet are designed for non tropical climates, or at least what I clicked on. Time to rethink this and keep looking and listening.
