Does anyone else suffer from coop dissatisfaction?

[turtlebird]

NHchicks,
I have 6 nest boxes for 16 chickens and each day, only two or three are utilized. I think that is somewhat normal. As for the asthetics of your coop, thankfully chickens don't suffer from vanity as we do. Try to appreciate the beauty of the effort that your DH put into making your coop. That ought to make it shine like gold! Got any of those rose-tinted glasses laying around?!
It doesn't take much to make the chickens happy.

 

[old geezer]

yep----chicken math--

..

...

...

.--my next coop may well be the size of fort apache---

---it's already in the thinking stages and my old coop is only 4 months old...

 

[annaraven]

Yep. I would love to have the space for a bigger better coop and run. But that would require buying a different house and I'm pretty happy with our new house. ;-)

My next project is for the ducks anyways... Wanna get them out of the coop into their own space.

 

[TreeHugger]

I'm currently working on Coop #2. I love Coop #1 but I really wanted another Coop. Every year I have a new chicken project and these are the only projects I seem to have motivation to complete. I've built larger runs, added on breeder pens, built little houses for the breeder pens....you get the point

 

[gryeyes]

Well, had I known about chicken math, before its effect worked on me, and that it WOULD work on me, I would have considered building a very nice big coop. Now I have a whole bunch of little coops, so my back yard is like a compound. Which is okay, but I do yearn for one nice, big, roomy place to go to gather eggs and say good-night to all the girls (and boys).

 

[fldiver97]

Well, I bought a pre-fab coop as I did not think I could build one myself and I planned on 4-5 chickens. I got the girls in the spring, added a safe sturdy run with a roof. Live in a smaller city, small backyard flock is all I can have. And yes, I wanted more chickens but have to compromise. What I did find out was that almost all pre-fabs are sold as holding twice the amount of chickens you should have unless they are banties. I knew after a few weeks that the coop was not big enough or suitable for me. So I converted the garden shed into a coop. I am fine with space, have 6 chickens now and tons of room. I did make quite a few changes though going into second winter. Added MORE WINDOWS, took roost down and changed location. New ramps too. But I did not built the nestboxes in, nestboxes can be moved out for cleaning, same as the lower roost and the ramps. The window addition required 'the saw'.....but I was more than ready to do it to get more light and summer ventilation.......I guess in a sense I am lucky that I don't have the skills/knowledge to do nice carpentry...

... I learn as I go, hope one day it will come in handy sometime when I get a "real coop".....

 

[Cargo]

I keep tinkering with my tractor/coop almost every day.

So far I have built 4 Different feeders, several waterers, built a platform that converts it into a fixed coop for the winter. Added roll up sides for the winter. Added a window with plans for a second. Changed out a Hardware cloth panel with a door. Added a shelf for the nipple waterer to sit on.

Pretty soon I will undoubtedly want to build a new one to see just how light I can make it.

 

[wildeflowers]

I love our coop. It is the squarest building I've ever seen, thanks to my friend/handyman that built it for me (we paid him, of course!). BUT, I would like another about the same size, because at some time, I would like to do a small breeding project, and it would be a little difficult to do it with just the one space. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the way he put the nest boxes in, but it works.

 

[sheila3935]

My hubby built my first coop in May for Mothers day. He really didnt know what he was doing. He didnt put a roost up or make nest boxes. Just a 8X8 coop. No windows, and got me 2 2 month old chickens from our neighbor. Surprise! First thing I did was thank him very much I had been wanting chickens for a long time. Then I said we need windows so he put 2 in. then we got 6 more 2 month olds. I said we need a roost so he put one in. Then we got 6 10 day old Barred rocks. No brooder. They lived in a large bird cage for the first few weeks. Then I said we need a run for the babies to be out in during the day. So he built me a small run with a top on it. Then I said we need another coop so I took his shed. It was metal so I said it needs windows and a screen door, so he added that. we got more chicks this time a horse trough was the brooder. In the mean time he gets a wood shed from a friend and put it together from himself. babies got big. Said we need to add on or I take your shed again so he added onto his wood shed for the babies. Got more babies. Metal shed no good for winter. So he added on to the first coop and let me have the wood shed for the other babies. Now I have one coop thats 16X8 an another thats 14X8. Good thing cause I just hatched 22 chicks

I have a wonderfully patient husband.

 

[7L Farm]

Holy Cow !!!! After 5 months of tweeking it I'm somewhat happy. I just now have the hot wire hooked up to an outdoor timer.I have the pop door on a timer. I just checked & everything is working. I now am tossing around the idea for the poop board under the roost. My chicks are definately living the high life.I could make Miller Beer a good commercial.LOL!!!