Coop too Small?

[chickmommarains]

Hi everyone! I have been reading like crazy to try to get everything right for my first coop/run. I have 8 five week old chicks (2 Cochins, 2 Brahmas, 2 Buckeyes and 2 Bantams) living in my garage that need to go outside very soon. I have built an enclosed run 12'x8' with an elevated coop inside. A friend who has some experience came to help with building and design and built the coop 8'x2'. I am a little concerned the coop is too small. We plan to fence a large portion of our yard outside the run where we can let them roam during the day, so I'm not concerned about total space per bird, just the coop. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I'm also struggling with how to place the roost. I can post pictures if that might help. Thank you so much in advance for any words of wisdom.

 

[123RedBeard]

Good morning!

According to http://www.louispage.com/blog/bid/24427/Heavy-Chicken-Wire-Fence your 17 gauge stucco wire should be fine ... Backed up at the bottom with hardware cloth

Made by Keystone Steel and Wire in Peoria, Illinois, this "saltwater netting" is woven from heavy 18 gauge wire. 18 gauge wire is more than 30% heavier than the 20 gauge chicken wire available in your local retail store.

Hard to tell from the last picture, but it appears that blue rectangle I added is the door/access, and the red line is the floor line ...


Also guessing that the red line is 8 long... And guessing that the upright studs are 2' 6" apart ... am I right so far?

I would remove the boards inside of the green square, and build two nesting boxes, each about 15"w X 16" D X 16" H with a lockable access door from the outside ... kinda like mentioned/shown here http://www.thegardencoop.com/blog/2011/03/10/external-nest-box-plans/ but, I'd make the roof hinged, not the wall ... and only a "two holer"!

And yes, if you extend the floor and walls more it could work, and maybe just stucco wire the the roof, since your gonna put corrugated roofing over the whole run anyways ... Add a few extra vent on the addition too!

The "EASY WAY" to add a roost is to take a 8' long 2'X4" (really 1.5"X3.5") and mount it across the 8' span with the wider 4" side facing up ... usually it is recommended to allow 1' of roost space per bird ... however not all chickens are the same size nor temperament ... you have two smaller bantam's so you may get away with 8' of roost space ... only time will tell ... it is also recommended that the roost is higher than your nesting boxes, and not too close to (parallel) with a wall to allow them room to turn around ... 15"-18" should be enough clearance, they also need room above the roost to not bump their heads when they fly up ....

 

[123RedBeard]

Yes, a picture would help.

Yes, it seems like it would be too small ...

How tall is it?

Are nesting boxes inside of the 2X8?

Welcome to BYC!

 

[chickmommarains]

I had one other question. We lined the bottom of the run with stucco wire and I plan to fill with dirt for the ground. Will 1ft of dirt be enough for them to scratch in or should I cut out the wire in the center leaving a skirt, but allowing them a patch in the middle where they could dig as low as they want without hitting wire? Thank you again!!

 

[123RedBeard]

One foot should be deep enough ...

 

[FridayYet]

Hi - and

I'm thinking the coop is probably too small for 8 chickens, but part depends on where you live and whether your run is covered.

You might get away with it in Southern California, but not up North where they have to be inside out of the weather for long periods.

If you can, make the wire apron go out instead of in.

 

[chickmommarains]

Yes, the nesting boxes are inside too. It is about 3ft tall. I will post pictures shortly. I don't have the final wall up yet, but struggle with the best way to expand it structurally. I'm

 

[chickmommarains]

FridayYet - I do plan on putting a roof on the run, so it will be dry. I am in Sacramento, CA where we get some rain (some years), but only maybe a few weeks out of the year where it drops below freezing at night.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Photos will definitely help to better understand your setup. Standard Cochins and Brahmas (which it sounds like you have) are large birds among other large fowl breeds --- 2 feet wide is not a whole lot of space for even smaller birds to stretch, extend wings, etc. While it is great that you plan to allow them to range the yard during the day, it is best to consider a worst case scenario (ie times you have an active predator stalking the flock, inclement weather for extended periods, etc) that makes it necessary to confine them strictly to the enclosed run or that they would further choose to stay within the confines of the coop itself and not even venture out into the run or yard.

 

[chickmommarains]

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This is what I'm working with. Help!