Please stop me if I'm about to make a big mistake

[crowdofmyself]

Thank you! Now I need to come up with an avatar and start a coop page...

 

[aart]

STOP!!

That coop will only hold like 1, maybe 2, birds.
Ventilation is lousy.
The autodoor won't fit on it.

Cart is not going to be stable enough.
Cart 18x32 Coop 39x42.
..and how to attach it......well....

(for I am not handy)

This could be a major issue.

There are much better ways to set up a chicken habitat with the money you've already spent(hope you can get some of it back).

 

[Chickassan]

Scrap, your idea. I'm not usually one to say that but don't do it. I'm one state up from you and just climate and freak weatherwise your coop is going to get hammered! We get 50 to 60 mph wind gusts sometimes and small ground anchors will not hold anything down in that. The coop will sweat in the summer, get frost inside in the winter and predators will love you've kept the chickens fresh in tupperware. You need a hefty strong coop for the south with very, very good ventilation and predator protection. Even if you aren't super handy you can learn, I did. My coop is just pallets and scrap, iv'e had to add on 3 times. This is the latest addition "as you can see by the mess" but the entire left side, the floor is a big machinery pallet the walls are siding that was free "door too" roof was scrap tin and trim is just fence pickets.

 

[crowdofmyself]

That coop will only hold like 1, maybe 2, birds.
...
The autodoor won't fit on it.

I understand the other cautions you posted, but I don't understand these two.

I was only going to get three chickens but I have to order a minimum of four, and the My Pet Chicken people assured me that this would hold four. (Remember, this is only for night-time roosting and laying. They'll have a 10x10 run during the day.) And then I saw this video, so I'm confused about why you'd say it will only hold one or two birds:

https://goo.gl/9FYHVW

I do understand the problems one asks for when chickens are crowded....

Hentronix in the U.K. makes a door opener specifically to fit this coop. Here's an installation video of their earlier model with my coop; followed by a video of their newer one used on a side-opening door:

https://goo.gl/JwCe56
https://goo.gl/BFRZC1

They told me they are now working on a video of installing their new model of the door opener on my specific coop.

One of the reasons I went with this coop is because we have a terrible red mite problem here. And my efforts 10 years ago to build a coop myself were a disaster. Another reason is that I am in a suburban area, and the neighbors would not be happy if I put a big wooden coop here and I would not be able to maintain it properly because I'm a little old lady who has trouble with things like yearly wood preservative applications and such. And I've already bought the coop and door opener...so please don't tell me to start over from scratch! That just means I won't be able to have chickens. A guy in California with this same coop said he had to put in a mister for when the temps get to 110 degrees but that it was working for him to keep the chickens from getting heat stroke.

 

[crowdofmyself]

Scrap, your idea....View attachment 1443502

Thanks for sharing your coop pix, Chickassan. My reply to aart is partially a reply to you, too. I'm feeling depressed now, so I'm going to go out in the yard and dig in the dirt...

Thank you.

 

[Chickassan]

Now, don't be depressed. When you get it and have it set up i'm sure we can help improve any major issues. Now, seeing that coop next to a man @aart is right , 4 won't fit well as adults. I don't know how attached you are to buying from MPC but Meyer hatchery only has a minimum of 3.

Thanks for sharing your coop pix, Chickassan. My reply to aart is partially a reply to you, too. I'm feeling depressed now, so I'm going to go out in the yard and dig in the dirt...

Thank you.

 

[TheGoldenGirlz]

Use that structure for what it was made for. I’m about 15 minutes from Athens, I see coops on Craigslist all the time! Buy a coop(lots of different prices) and use a dog kennel(again, Craigslist) for a run. Good luck, and don’t give up!

 

[JDN]

I think I would put the coop under the gazebo, maybe build a table for it. Then you have 90+ square feet, the formex is shaded, and they'll only use it to roost/lay. But, I'd go on FB marketplace or Craigslist and buy one, or a really big dog house.

Your in Georgia, your climate problems are going to be HEAT more than anything else.

Instead of rocks on the hardware cloth, use sod staples (basically long U shaped nail things) and let the grass grow through or put mulch down and plant something.

 

[crowdofmyself]

Now, don't be depressed. When you get it and have it set up i'm sure we can help improve any major issues. Now, seeing that coop next to a man @aart is right , 4 won't fit well as adults. I don't know how attached you are to buying from MPC but Meyer hatchery only has a minimum of 3.

MPC has a minimum of 3, too, but they told me I had to get 4 where I live. But I just checked with Meyer and they will ship me only 3! Yay! That solves more than one problem. Do they have a guarantee if you order all females and they send you a rooster by mistake?

 

[Chickassan]

Yes, they do! They also have a live ship guarentee so lord forbid if one doesn't make it they'll replace it.

MPC has a minimum of 3, too, but they told me I had to get 4 where I live. But I just checked with Meyer and they will ship me only 3! Yay! That solves more than one problem. Do they have a guarantee if you order all females and they send you a rooster by mistake?