Bought a coop now need to figure out best place to do water and feed

This is a small coop that says it is good for 6 chickens. I think I will put less chickens in there. I am going to add some sort of run to it too but trying to determine how to feed them. I like the idea of a pvc pipe for food but do I just cut a hole in the wire to get it in? I also like the bucket with nipples at the bottom for water but not sure where I would put that either. Could I put both in an added on run or do they need to be in the coop?

atlchicks said:

This is a small coop that says it is good for 6 chickens. I think I will put less chickens in there. I am going to add some sort of run to it too but trying to determine how to feed them. I like the idea of a pvc pipe for food but do I just cut a hole in the wire to get it in? I also like the bucket with nipples at the bottom for water but not sure where I would put that either. Could I put both in an added on run or do they need to be in the coop?

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this the same coop from the look of it.. maybe 2-3 chickens max ?

if you are going to build a run.. might as well turn this coop/run combo into a coop instead ?

That is pretty tiny. Any permanent food or waterers are just going to take away space from the chickens, and that wont be good. Not sure how you could do the bucket thing in there.

Be careful and make sure you've get the coop secured. From the screening, to the door and sliding cleanout tray, to the locks, this is not the most secure coop. If you have raccoons, you need to do some updating. At the very least you'll want some sort of runout of screening or pavers around the edges.

You can use PVC for feeders and waterers. For a waterer I used 3" PVC cut to length with a 3"cap glued on one end, then put a poultry nipple in it. That worked pretty well, and I just drilled tiny holes in the opposite end of the cap to run a thin rope through to hang it up. Just use something, maybe another cap, to keep out dust and debree. For the feeder I used a 2" PVC combined with a 3"cap, notched the cap about 1.5" half way around the cap so they can get their heads in their, and bolted it together with a small bolt. It helped to notch a small "v" at the bottom of the 2" pipe so the feed came out easier. My chicks are 7 weeks now and I'm still using these feeders and waterers but am starting to build some larger ones too. I keep food and water in the coop and in the run just so they can eat/drink in either place. Hope this helps.

BruceAZ said:

this the same coop from the look of it.. maybe 2-3 chickens max ? Thank you! So if I add on an extra run, do you think this coop can hold 4 chickens? And if I secure the run, would I have to lock the chickens up in the coop at night or could I leave the door open to let them go in and out? Thank you! if you are going to build a run.. might as well turn this coop/run combo into a coop instead ?

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Gridguru said:

That is pretty tiny. Any permanent food or waterers are just going to take away space from the chickens, and that wont be good. Not sure how you could do the bucket thing in there. Be careful and make sure you've get the coop secured. From the screening, to the door and sliding cleanout tray, to the locks, this is not the most secure coop. If you have raccoons, you need to do some updating. At the very least you'll want some sort of runout of screening or pavers around the edges.

Click to expand...

Gridguru said:

That is pretty tiny. Any permanent food or waterers are just going to take away space from the chickens, and that wont be good. Not sure how you could do the bucket thing in there.

Be careful and make sure you've get the coop secured. From the screening, to the door and sliding cleanout tray, to the locks, this is not the most secure coop. If you have raccoons, you need to do some updating. At the very least you'll want some sort of runout of screening or pavers around the edges.   

Click to expand...

Thanks! To secure the bottom of the coop, I was going to attach a plywood floor and then put vinyl over top the plywood. Does that seem like a good idea?

That coop is big enough for about 2 dual purpose breeds, 3 Leghorn types, or 4 bantams. The run is much to small for more than one or two birds, regardless of breed.

Thank you! I am thinking then if I want 4 hens that I should buy another coop and attach them between a long skinny run. I have a narrow area for the chickens as most of our backyard is actually turf. Kind of made it difficult to get anything too big! If I secure the run that I add on, do I have to lock them up at night or can I let them roam in the run and coop? I wasn't planning on a roof for the run, just hardware cloth. Thank you so much!!!

It's cute! Video states 6 full sized chickens, I really don't think so. Agree with BruceAZ, Gridguru & junebuggena, the size makes a BIG difference in keeping "happy hens" .... Coop = 4sqft per Run = 10sqft per Your idea of vinyl over secured plywood is good but what about cleaning? Another idea is securing hardware cloth to the bottom so predators can't dig in, a layer of shavings of the cloth? You can rake out the shaving when needed. Adding a Run to this set up a great idea. If you do that then put the waterer & feeder in this set up, making sure the weather can't get to it. I'm sure others will come up with ideas.

I live in Hawaii, my main problem is the heat, rain & wind. Hubby & I came up with this design....Dog house for a nest box, hens like roosting on the roof of is so we added a roost with poop board under. Works great! Shower curtains on EMT rods for windy/rainy days. Dust bath under the dog house and shavings on the ground. It's 8 x 12 x 7 if I go according to C/4 & R/10 I could add more hens but feel it would be too crowded and right now they're laying everyday so not messing with the equation. More room the better

From the pic, it looks like you have a huge yard with plenty of room for a simple 4 foot x 4 foot coop, and a run of at least 4 feet by 10 feet. Two small coops usually doesn't work out too well since they all try to squish into the same coop and leaving the other one ignored. They should be shut inside each and every night to protect them from nighttime predators.
And while your small, pre-fab coop will not work for what you intended, it is still a great thing to have around for integrating new flock members or to use as an 'hospital' coop for a sick or injured bird.