Need advice for getting/building a coop and run

[chickens763]

from Central NC.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hot-climate-chicken-housing-and-care.77263/

Depending on just where in the state you are, an Open Air coop might be a good option. They're easier to build than an enclosed coop because they are, in essence, a roofed run with a 3-sided shelter at the windward end. Mine is featured in the article above.

A hoop coop could also be an excellent option. They're often considered the easiest coops to build for people with limited tools and little handyman experience.

Open Air Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/jens-hens-a-southern-texas-coop.75707/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/my-positive-local-action-coop.72804/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/california-living.68130/

Hoop Coops

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hoop-tractor.69336/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/hoop-coop-brooder-with-roll-up-sides.75720/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-biddie-bordello-a-hoop-coop-run-combo.72189/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/permanent-hoop-coop-guide.47818/

These look like good options, but what about when it gets cold?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

These look like good options, but what about when it gets cold?

What chickens consider cold, and what we consider cold are two radically different temperatures. The crtical idea is that the coop be well ventillated, so that moist ammonia laden air can move out and dryer, fresh air can move in in a way which does not create drafts on your birds. They have down jackets they can't take off.

-10 Celsuis is not cold (to them). -10F is plenty fine for them too. But if moist air is trapped in the coop, it becomes a recipe for frost bite.

One of the hardest things about building for chickens is to get over the habit of treating them like humans, and building as if we were building for ourselves. The only "human" concesions I make in my own builds for my birds is to make sure I can (carefully) walk on the roof for yearly maintenance, and that I can stand up/use a tool with a handle inside. Everything else is built with them in mind.

 

[Acre4Me]

Where I live it's humid, but can get pretty cold winters (coldest is -10C)
I only have to worry about hawks, I've never encountered any other predators around my area except for some housecats.

Great! Not very cold to a chicken! That’s only 14F. Cold, but not terrible. But, as already mentioned, cold and wet is not good. So, ventilation is good. Just make it so drafts are not at roost area where they sleep. Shade in the summer.

We elevated our coop 2.5 ft above ground, and we can walk all around it, although it’s tight next to the barn. So the elevation provides shade in summer. We grow vining things up the south fence for extra shade (birdhouse gourds have provided best shade of everything we’ve tried).

Our coop is walk-in for ease of maintanance , so we have a few stairs up to a deck. The deck extends several feet to the side, so we can push the wheelbarrow right up to it, next to the people door for ease of cleaning. The chicken pop door is part of the human door.

Nest boxes are stacked two high, with the lowest boxes floor level. Therefore, with the elevated coop, we open the doors on the back of the nest boxes and the nest are right at arm and shoulder height.


We keep the upper ventilation open nearly always, although we fo have covers if needed. These upper vents are well protected by the roof that extends several feet in either direction. However during the extended extreme cold and high wind event just before Christmas, we had a significant amount of snow in the actual coop!! So, we should have covered the vents. Some people use furnace vents or similar material to minimize the wind when needed in a pinch, just keep the chickens from accessing ANY material they can pick apart or destroy, because they will.

 

[3KillerBs]

These look like good options, but what about when it gets cold?

Properly acclimated chickens are fine down to at least 0F as long as they are dry and out of the wind.

I have a tarp on part of one wire wall right now to shelter the roost from direct wind since my part of NC can get severe storms from any direction. I normally put it up in late December or January and pull it off in late February or early March, but it went up early this year because of Hurricane Ian.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/prepping-coop-and-run-for-wind.1550228/

That's all the winter protection my birds need. I can tell because when I go into the coop on a windy day and stand in the roost area there are no drafts. You can tie a light ribbon or a strip of plastic grocery bag onto a stick to check for drafts.

A gentle waft is OK, fluttering isn't.

It's alright if there is air movement in the wire section as long as the roosts are draft-free.

 

[BellaBean]

Hello, I am currently planning to get a coop/run for 6 chickens but don't know where to start, and i'm not made out to start coops from scratch. Should I just buy a coop and run, and does anyone have any recommendations? Please let me know.
EDIT: I do not currently have any chickens, sorry if that wasn't clear, i'm only planning.

Hi there!
We have the Omlet Cube and it is *awesome*. Expensive, but awesome. Actually, I had one, had to sell it, and when we were in a spot for chickens again we got another one. Extremely easy poop removal. Comes apart easily to power wash it in the summer. Also got the automatic door for it and that was definitely worth it. We're in Colorado and holds up extremely well in the climate. Best of luck!

 

[dawntreader]

Think carefully about the number of nesting boxes. We have 7 hens, and 3 nesting boxes. The nesting boxes all get used every day, and reduce the amount of squabbling that can occur when multiple hens want (need) to lay.

 

[3KillerBs]

Think carefully about the number of nesting boxes. We have 7 hens, and 3 nesting boxes. The nesting boxes all get used every day, and reduce the amount of squabbling that can occur when multiple hens want (need) to lay.

View attachment 3407054

I have about 15-18 currently laying and though they have 6 official boxes and a pet carrier on the ground my birds only lay in 3 boxes on any given day.

Not always the same 3, but usually only 3.

 

[chickmag55]

Hello, I am currently planning to get a coop/run for 6 chickens but don't know where to start, and i'm not made out to start coops from scratch. Should I just buy a coop and run, and does anyone have any recommendations? Please let me know.
EDIT: I do not currently have any chickens, sorry if that wasn't clear, i'm only planning.

I have an Eglu cube and love it! https://www.omlet.us/chicken-coops/

 

[Poconopixi]

Hello, I am currently planning to get a coop/run for 6 chickens but don't know where to start, and i'm not made out to start coops from scratch. Should I just buy a coop and run, and does anyone have any recommendations? Please let me know.
EDIT: I do not currently have any chickens, sorry if that wasn't clear, i'm only planning.

Check out Omlet. I have 2 of their coops and a walk in run, auto doors. I've had no issues with predators. No issues with red mites and they are so easy to keep clean. Pricey but worth the investment.

 

[TN Chick Mom]

I wanted to share a different POV. We started with the largest pre-fab coop/walk-in run we could find with a goal to allow free range time everyday. I went into it knowing our 5-6 girls would outgrow it at some point but it was already tipping what I was comfortable spending as a 1st timer. I caulked it well and put 2 good coats of exterior paint on it before putting it together, then reinforced the whole thing with hardware cloth. It definitely has some design flaws that we've worked to mitigate and some we just live with. Despite living in the heart of our city, we are predator central (coyotes, fox, wild dogs, pet dogs, raccoons, possums, and most of all a shit ton of hawks. After too many close hawk calls, we decided to add on a 8'x12' (accessible space) covered predator proof run because all the coop/runs that I liked are $8-20K. I designed it to match our original coop and to look similar to the high dollar ones. We've built it ourselves and it's been a labor of love (and near divorce). It only needs the roof now, which hopefully will be up tomorrow.

You don't have to do everything at once. All in (including all the tools we had to buy), we're probably at ~5K over 12 months. Do what you can and what fits in your financials. Happy chicken parenting!