NEED TO BUY A COOP!

[Beekissed]

After you said that I started looking for sheds (I really don't want to pay $700 for a plastic coop, they are nice but so small!).

Can't find wood sheds at a cheap price but I am having my lawn man draw up a price on a plywood shed. He also has chickens so should know what to expect.

Question: I am only planning to keep maybe 4 chickens in this house. If I put large square pan type things UNDERNEATH the roosting bars would that catch most of the poop? So I could remove the large pans and dump without having to clean out the whole coop frequently?

Sure can. Some mount poop boards there that they scrape off. There's another option that's much more healthy for the chicken and might be a hard learning curve for a newbie, but you might look into a large thread on here called Deep Litter. It has multiple benefits and many are just going with that instead of frequent coop cleanings.

 

[momofthehouse]

After you said that I started looking for sheds (I really don't want to pay $700 for a plastic coop, they are nice but so small!).

Can't find wood sheds at a cheap price but I am having my lawn man draw up a price on a plywood shed. He also has chickens so should know what to expect.

Question: I am only planning to keep maybe 4 chickens in this house. If I put large square pan type things UNDERNEATH the roosting bars would that catch most of the poop? So I could remove the large pans and dump without having to clean out the whole coop frequently?

Yeah the wood sheds at Home depot and other stores are alot I noticed that as well. My husband is going to take the plunge and build one so we shall see ha! Yes I was going to do a poop tray that is plastic and I just take it out and empty it til I found the deep litter method thread. I might still do it in the coop but the run would be a good place to do the deep litter method too. Read up on it it is pretty neat and the birds get some good benefit from it. I too only want to build one coop and spend the money once. Read alot of my thread here and some of the others and you will soon learn all you need to know and then some. I have read so much this past couple of weeks that I literally had dreams about my coop and chickens ha!

 

[momofthehouse]

Remember, too, that chickens are birds, not household pets. They're more robust than they often get credit for. I used a cardboard wardrobe moving box as a brooder, and had my chicks in there while I built my own coop. If you want sturdy and readily available, check out using pallets and/or packing crates. They're readily available, and most places (my feed store, for instance) will give them to you for free or at minimal cost.

I stressed on building my coop. In hindsight, I went overboard and built a luxury resort for my birds.

Got a pic of this brooder you are talking about? Sorry I am a visual person

 

[momofthehouse]

I think the key is the height of the coop. You want most of your ventilation up high so the humid air can escape the coop, as far above the roost as possible so any drafts from that ventilation does not create a draft on the roost area. You want air movement but not any strong drafts directly onto the roost area in freezing weather.

I think large eaves 1-2 feet would be perfect for your climate with windows tucked up high under the eaves so you can keep them open when it's raining. I have a clerestory roof (see My Coop Page) and the soffits are wide open and covered with 1/2" hardware cloth to impede predators as are the upper windows.

And you want your roost higher than the nests so they don't roost(and poop) in the nests. As you figure out the height of your bedding and pop door, the height of the nests, then the roosts, then the ridge and/or soffit vents...it adds up quick.

So if I am going with 15 chickens. Orphington, Brahma, and Leghorn can you enlighten me on the height I would need in my coop based on your experience? Is there a standard for height of pop door and nests? I will be doing the deep litter method for the most part and see how it goes or sand in the coop (haven't decided) The run will be deep litter method. I know you want 3-4' of roost space for each hen and I have seen a staircase kind of method for the roosts but haven't seen if there is a requirement for nests and pop door size?

 

[ChicKat]

Yes I cut the holes bigger in the nesting boxes. My RRs are good size ladies and we're not using them. I cut one and they began laying in the box. I then cut the other and then both boxes were in use.

That makes sense. I had one of those wired into a rabbit hutch - and it was the MOST favorite nesting box of all the many choices that all the chickens at that time had. Maybe because the back was just hardware cloth at that point. Funny thing I have some photos of chickens doubled up and laying in one of those little plastic nesting boxes two at one time... Mine must be much more petite than yours. What a smart thing to do to get the box to fit the chickens.
:O)

 

[bluefrog87]

So if I am going with 15 chickens. Orphington, Brahma, and Leghorn can you enlighten me on the height I would need in my coop based on your experience? Is there a standard for height of pop door and nests? I will be doing the deep litter method for the most part and see how it goes or sand in the coop (haven't decided) The run will be deep litter method. I know you want 3-4' of roost space for each hen and I have seen a staircase kind of method for the roosts but haven't seen if there is a requirement for nests and pop door size?

Your tallest chicken (being very very generous with measurement) will be 2 feet. Orpingtons 14-16 in and 7-8lbs. Leghorns are small 6 lb chickens. Brahmas are huge and I've heard of the 15 pound rooster that is 22 in. Hens are smaller by a couple inches and pounds. So being generous to give room for error, 2 ft on the big side but chickens can duck if it's too small. and I've seen the 16 in x 4 in. Bigger is better with chickens (most of the time). My door is 2.5ish ft by 4 ft. They can all get in the door and out at the same time and I have 2 of those doors. There is less of an argument to who goes first when they all go first.

Be careful on mixing orpingtons in with others. They are the stereotypical nice guy and can get picked on. Leghorns are not mean or aggressive but they are more flighty which means they run away and they can also fly somewhat well for a chicken due to their size. Brahma's are just huge. Brahma's are kinda like getting the great dane of the chicken world. Very gentle giants.

The easiest roost bar you can build is a ladder out of 2x4s I recommend using screws over nails and be sure to consider weight of birds. Brahma rooster are 12-15 lbs ish and 10-12ish for hens. being generous for error. Try to get it as high as possible. You could probably get away with 2-3 ft increments

If you can, removable roost bars are a great feature but make sure you can make them secure enough so the birds don't remove them. This feature saves cleaning time

 

[GentFarmer]

Quote:
I just wrote a description on my blog yesterday comparing my Orpingtons to Golden Retrievers. They're lovely birds, and definitely have the sweetest temperaments. You just described my little flock to a T: 2 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Danish Brown Leghorns, 2 Light Brahmas, and 1 RIR. They all were raised together, and the pecking order was mild. Oddly enough, there's a Leghorn on the top and the bottom of the order, with everyone else snug in the middle. I actually ended up with the mix I have, because I brought them in before I moved up to my current location and wasn't sure which ones would do best here. As you said, the Leghorns are both flighty and rangey, and they go all over the place up here. The Orpingtons come up the stairs and knock on my door in the morning. And the Brahmas are hysterical with their size and excitement.

A couple other quick points on the descriptions: maturing rate. The Leghorns grew like gangbusters, and the Brahmas were definitely the last to fully mature. From a laying perspective, my Orpingtons have actually proven the most reliable, having not slowed a lick over the winter.

And a second on the 2x4 roost. Go with a flat roost bar rather than round. I've seen an old, discarded ladder used as a roost, and I opted for a long 2x4 a couple feet from the back wall of my coop and they're all cozy on it, except for the top hen. She roosts up on a rafter in a space I thought for sure would have been too small for any of the hens to get up into.

 

[GentFarmer]

Quote:
You can also go with a heavy-duty tarp stretched under, which is easy to remove and empty into a composter. It's a cheaper work-around if you don't want to build something. Also, cleanliness is next to godliness. If your flock is anything like mine, they'll make a bigger mess than you ever anticipated, and you'll end up cleaning more than you thought you would regardless of the precautions taken in advance. heh

 

[momofthehouse]

Your tallest chicken (being very very generous with measurement) will be 2 feet. Orpingtons 14-16 in and 7-8lbs. Leghorns are small 6 lb chickens. Brahmas are huge and I've heard of the 15 pound rooster that is 22 in. Hens are smaller by a couple inches and pounds. So being generous to give room for error, 2 ft on the big side but chickens can duck if it's too small. and I've seen the 16 in x 4 in. Bigger is better with chickens (most of the time). My door is 2.5ish ft by 4 ft. They can all get in the door and out at the same time and I have 2 of those doors. There is less of an argument to who goes first when they all go first.

Be careful on mixing orpingtons in with others. They are the stereotypical nice guy and can get picked on. Leghorns are not mean or aggressive but they are more flighty which means they run away and they can also fly somewhat well for a chicken due to their size. Brahma's are just huge. Brahma's are kinda like getting the great dane of the chicken world. Very gentle giants.

The easiest roost bar you can build is a ladder out of 2x4s I recommend using screws over nails and be sure to consider weight of birds. Brahma rooster are 12-15 lbs ish and 10-12ish for hens. being generous for error. Try to get it as high as possible. You could probably get away with 2-3 ft increments

If you can, removable roost bars are a great feature but make sure you can make them secure enough so the birds don't remove them. This feature saves cleaning time

Wow 4ft wide? They dont look that wide of a door. The door that goes out to the run? Also how high do you place the nest boxes? Can I clip the wings of the leghorns? Do you just place the roost bar whereever in the coop assuming you dont block nest boxes or door or above the door so they dont get pooped on when they enter ha!

I just wrote a description on my blog yesterday comparing my Orpingtons to Golden Retrievers. They're lovely birds, and definitely have the sweetest temperaments. You just described my little flock to a T: 2 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Danish Brown Leghorns, 2 Light Brahmas, and 1 RIR. They all were raised together, and the pecking order was mild. Oddly enough, there's a Leghorn on the top and the bottom of the order, with everyone else snug in the middle. I actually ended up with the mix I have, because I brought them in before I moved up to my current location and wasn't sure which ones would do best here. As you said, the Leghorns are both flighty and rangey, and they go all over the place up here. The Orpingtons come up the stairs and knock on my door in the morning. And the Brahmas are hysterical with their size and excitement.

A couple other quick points on the descriptions: maturing rate. The Leghorns grew like gangbusters, and the Brahmas were definitely the last to fully mature. From a laying perspective, my Orpingtons have actually proven the most reliable, having not slowed a lick over the winter.

And a second on the 2x4 roost. Go with a flat roost bar rather than round. I've seen an old, discarded ladder used as a roost, and I opted for a long 2x4 a couple feet from the back wall of my coop and they're all cozy on it, except for the top hen. She roosts up on a rafter in a space I thought for sure would have been too small for any of the hens to get up into.

Do you have any roosters? I think I will do a light brahma roster and try and orphington rooster and see how they do together cause I want fertile eggs too. Unless two roosters would be too many? The leghorn is kind of my egg bird not planning on using that breed for meat but if they gets annoying flying away all the time then might slaughter them. I will have five acres so not too worried but do they come back?? they will all start out as chicks together. My brahmas are my meat birds for sure so its ok if it takes them awhile same with orpingtons they are my meat but also I noticed they are good laying winter birds. Not sure on RIR I keep hearing mixed reviews on their temperment and I have three kids. My leghorn will be a white leghorn not sure if there is a difference in leghorns and their behavior? Just wanted to try them for their big white eggs

Yes I love the ladder idea of a roost but flat 2x4s in incrememnts of 2-3ft.

 

[momofthehouse]

Remember, too, that chickens are birds, not household pets. They're more robust than they often get credit for. I used a cardboard wardrobe moving box as a brooder, and had my chicks in there while I built my own coop. If you want sturdy and readily available, check out using pallets and/or packing crates. They're readily available, and most places (my feed store, for instance) will give them to you for free or at minimal cost.

I stressed on building my coop. In hindsight, I went overboard and built a luxury resort for my birds.

What are you using pallets for? brooder or coop or what?