It may seem counterintuitive, but the metal roof will not roast the chickens. Because it's shiny, it will reflect...not absorb...the radiant energy of the sun. It's the same principle behind those reflective panels for parked cars' dashboards.
Chickens in the Hamptons? Who does their nails?
Some chick from Riverhead.
For a fabulous but more traditional coop - go see Bunny WIlliams' at the Trade Secrets Show.
It's magnificent.... as are the poultry !!!
It's magnificent.... as are the poultry !!!
The coop is lovely to look at, but not very functional for raising chickens.
The radiant floor heating is completely unnecessary. A chicken's feathers act as a down comforter, keeping them warm through the coldest of winters. We keep cold-hardy breeds in our coop outside Boston, which have smaller combs (larger combs face a bigger risk of frostbite) and they do just fine in the winter.
A light in a coop, mentioned as an alternate heat source, is not there to provide heat, but only to encourage winter laying, which not all chicken keepers do. A heat lamp could easily set a coop on fire, so is not recommended. It is most important to have good ventilation in order to disperse winter humidity and ammonia from their droppings.
In fact, chickens are more at risk from heat exposure than winter cold, and that metal roof makes me very nervous for them in the summer. I would guess that the coop gets very hot from the sun, and doesn't provide a cool, shady place to hide from the summer heat.
The radiant floor heating is completely unnecessary. A chicken's feathers act as a down comforter, keeping them warm through the coldest of winters. We keep cold-hardy breeds in our coop outside Boston, which have smaller combs (larger combs face a bigger risk of frostbite) and they do just fine in the winter.
A light in a coop, mentioned as an alternate heat source, is not there to provide heat, but only to encourage winter laying, which not all chicken keepers do. A heat lamp could easily set a coop on fire, so is not recommended. It is most important to have good ventilation in order to disperse winter humidity and ammonia from their droppings.
In fact, chickens are more at risk from heat exposure than winter cold, and that metal roof makes me very nervous for them in the summer. I would guess that the coop gets very hot from the sun, and doesn't provide a cool, shady place to hide from the summer heat.
The firm wanted publicity and they got it. I agree that metal roof is going to roast the chickens . The only one who benefited from the radiant heating in the coop was tha contractor who installed it .
Its beautiful. And I think the chickens will be very pleased.
If I was asked to build a chicken coop, as opposed to say 'designing' one, I think I might have done a lot of research on what sort of environment makes a healthy chicken. What do chickens need? What would make the labour of looking after them easier and more efficient?
It is not reported if Mr. Cassell asked those questions. That would have made a more interesting article.
It is not reported if Mr. Cassell asked those questions. That would have made a more interesting article.
Chickens all over the world don't have heating, and they survive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you would have a bunch of dead chickens in the winter, tonight it's 7 Farenheit and our chickens are fine without heat AND we will have eggs in the morning. Your coop is beautiful though...
I would like to know how this works out long term. I also was worried about that metal roof, and is that an opening under the roof on one side that raccoons could get in?
I am glad that the architects had fun, and that the owner is devoted to his chickens, but I am somewhat worried.
We could have used more photos of the chickens using the coop. The Times runs short of photos in some features. I don't know if they're trying to save on disk space or download time or what.
I am glad that the architects had fun, and that the owner is devoted to his chickens, but I am somewhat worried.
We could have used more photos of the chickens using the coop. The Times runs short of photos in some features. I don't know if they're trying to save on disk space or download time or what.
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But, can't critters crawl over that door?
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What, no mini bar?
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I think it's great that more and more people around the U.S. are getting interested in urban/suburban farming. When people grow their own food and raise their own chickens, they make more informed decisions about what they put in their bodies. They also becomes more attuned to the natural ecology.
Support local.
Support local.
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Cute, but lots wrong with it. My chickens are pampered, and I'd never let them stay in that coop. It has almost no ventilation- that is a major health hazard, the chickens need fresh air. Humidity is the danger to them in the winter, not cold. They're wearing down coats, after all. Also cedar is unhealthy, it has chemicals in it that can be poisonous. The metal roof will make it hot in the summer- heat is a much greater danger to chickens than cold. They won't die of cold, they'll die of heat stroke or of frostbite and respiratory problems from humidity and inadequate ventilation.
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Lighten up folks. Haven't you noticed how few laying stations there are? This is all for play. Although my aunt would have loved the swing down access door for reaching the elevated(!!) laying stations from outside. If you look carefully at the side view above the first Q&A you can see this. I was about 10 when she taught me to gather the eggs when I would visit for a week or so in the summer. It was dirty, bend-over work, easier on me than her.
By the way, I wouldn't worry about the birds' health from getting too hot in the summer because they'll just stay outside the coop in the Hamptons sea breeze. The problem may be their laying their eggs outside. That used to happen in August in Ohio occasionally.
By the way, I wouldn't worry about the birds' health from getting too hot in the summer because they'll just stay outside the coop in the Hamptons sea breeze. The problem may be their laying their eggs outside. That used to happen in August in Ohio occasionally.
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It must be oh so nice to be really, really rich.
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This is indeed an aesthetically compelling coop. I'd like that ceiling in my living room. But some design elements have little to do with what chickens need.
Radiant floor heating? A heated coop of this size is not only unnecessary, it's not good for poultry health. Heat speeds up the rate at which their manure outgasses ammonia, which can compromise respiratory health. Chickens simply need shelter from wind and wet. Their combined body heat heats the coop sufficiently. A claim that, without heating, "you'd have a bunch of dead chickens in winter" is ridiculous. Look out your window, those pigeons are thriving.
Radiant floor heating? A heated coop of this size is not only unnecessary, it's not good for poultry health. Heat speeds up the rate at which their manure outgasses ammonia, which can compromise respiratory health. Chickens simply need shelter from wind and wet. Their combined body heat heats the coop sufficiently. A claim that, without heating, "you'd have a bunch of dead chickens in winter" is ridiculous. Look out your window, those pigeons are thriving.
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(continued)
Some chicken coops are outfitted with a light in the winter. This isn't for heat so much as it is to stimulate more egg laying during winter's short days. In small coops even that's a bad idea because lighting can be a fire hazard, particularly when coop bedding and feathers are so combustible. Ventilation is far more essential to get rid of moisture build-up and ammonia, even more important in the summer. Chickens typically do well in cold weather, but heat is stressful and can be a killer.
Which gets us to that metal roof. Summer's heat is absorbed by metal. It's not clear from the photo, but if that metal is installed right on top of the wood ceiling w/o insulation it will be a hot-box on the worst summer days. Looking at the photo, I also wonder if the walls and ceilings are made of cedar. Another respiratory antagonist. It may have been chosen to resist insects but, again, we're talking about what's best for chickens. They scratch all day because they're looking for their favorite treats, bugs.
Some chicken coops are outfitted with a light in the winter. This isn't for heat so much as it is to stimulate more egg laying during winter's short days. In small coops even that's a bad idea because lighting can be a fire hazard, particularly when coop bedding and feathers are so combustible. Ventilation is far more essential to get rid of moisture build-up and ammonia, even more important in the summer. Chickens typically do well in cold weather, but heat is stressful and can be a killer.
Which gets us to that metal roof. Summer's heat is absorbed by metal. It's not clear from the photo, but if that metal is installed right on top of the wood ceiling w/o insulation it will be a hot-box on the worst summer days. Looking at the photo, I also wonder if the walls and ceilings are made of cedar. Another respiratory antagonist. It may have been chosen to resist insects but, again, we're talking about what's best for chickens. They scratch all day because they're looking for their favorite treats, bugs.
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I was wondering about the metal roof: roast chicken in July?
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Unlikely that chickens can die from the cold in the Hamptons. I live in Maine and my chickens did fine all winter long with no heat. Keeping their drinking water and eggs from freezing is a challenge though.
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Nifty design, but it's not true that chickens will die in the cold. Protected from wind and water, chickens can withstand very low temperatures. Think about all the birds that are still around during the winter -- they wear their down comforters!
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Johanna is correct. We have 100 chickens near Seneca Lake in upstate NY. Last winter the temperatures were -10 on and off and the chickens did just fine without heat. We use light to keep the egg production up rather than for heat. Chickens have thousands of feathers so they don't need additional heat typically.
One aspect of the coop that could be improved is that the roosts should be round wooden poles rather than being made of metal. Making a chicken roost on a cold metal pole isn't great…wood is a much 'warmer' material when you have to sit on the roost pole all night when it's cold out. Most books on how to build a chicken coop advise using wood for this reason.
It's fine to make the coop on the small side but if the owner stuffs too many chickens in too small an area they will cannibalize one another.
Having worked in a high-end architecture office for many years I have been witness to many design mistakes, such as the metal roost pole, but on a much grander scale. Architects pride themselves on being able to study any situation presented by a client and design a solution but there are often significant aspects that end up just plain wrong. After all, it is about the chickens, isn't it?
It may be the best chicken coop the architects have ever designed but it's most likely the only one they have ever designed. Sometimes being clever doesn't match good old vernacular design - design without the designer.
One aspect of the coop that could be improved is that the roosts should be round wooden poles rather than being made of metal. Making a chicken roost on a cold metal pole isn't great…wood is a much 'warmer' material when you have to sit on the roost pole all night when it's cold out. Most books on how to build a chicken coop advise using wood for this reason.
It's fine to make the coop on the small side but if the owner stuffs too many chickens in too small an area they will cannibalize one another.
Having worked in a high-end architecture office for many years I have been witness to many design mistakes, such as the metal roost pole, but on a much grander scale. Architects pride themselves on being able to study any situation presented by a client and design a solution but there are often significant aspects that end up just plain wrong. After all, it is about the chickens, isn't it?
It may be the best chicken coop the architects have ever designed but it's most likely the only one they have ever designed. Sometimes being clever doesn't match good old vernacular design - design without the designer.
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I was expecting to see pashmina shawls neatly folded and artfully tossed over the deviding walls of the egg laying beds. REALLY? Radiant heated floors? Our chickens don't have that, I guess a hundred and fifty years ago the family that built the barn they reside in today must have knitted warm chunky sweaters for all their girls to keep warm through the cold winter.
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