Store Bought vs. Built DIY

[PullumAmans19]

What are the dimensions and how many birds are you housing in there?  Can you get any photos of the interior?  Was the mobility the selling point for you?

 The demensions are 4x6 and I can house 12 chickens (if needed, right now I'm starting with 4) into interior is standard pressure treated with one roost. The mobility isn't really a big selling point for me because I want to raise it up 2 or 3 feet.

 

[ScottandSam]

Quote:
Fwiw 4x6 is better for 6 birds 12 is too many. Rule of thumb is 4 sq foot per bird.

Scott

 

[PullumAmans19]

Fwiw 4x6 is better for 6 birds 12  is too many. Rule of thumb is 4 sq foot  per bird.

Scott

I was told 2sqft per bird because I will have a large run and they will only be into sleep, however I cannot legally have 12 chickens, that is just the limit of the coop.

 

[Percheron chick]

The average hen is 1 sq ft. Add a feeder and a waterer and at 1 hen per 2 sq ft, they don't have room to turn around. Start with the 4 and you will soon realize just how much room they need.
They will spend time inside when they lay, when it's windy or raining, when it's too hot or too cold, if they get spooked... You need to have enough room in the coop for all of them to hang out when necessary.

 

[Paganrose]

The average hen is 1 sq ft. Add a feeder and a waterer and at 1 hen per 2 sq ft, they don't have room to turn around. Start with the 4 and you will soon realize just how much room they need.
They will spend time inside when they lay, when it's windy or raining, when it's too hot or too cold, if they get spooked... You need to have enough room in the coop for all of them to hang out when necessary.

Yep-this! Also if you have 12 birds in that amount of space there will be issues with pecking, feather pulling and fighting. Not to mention to amount of waste they produce means you will need to change bedding very often! Really the 2 sqft is feasible only if you have bantam breeds.

 

[PullumAmans19]

I

Yep-this! Also if you have 12 birds in that amount of space there will be issues with pecking, feather pulling and fighting. Not to mention to amount of waste they produce means you will need to change bedding very often! Really the 2 sqft is feasible only if you have bantam breeds. 

I am not getting 12 birds though, it's is not legal where I live so it doesn't pose a problem

 

[Folly's place]

It's very small, and unless the unseen side(s) are hardware cloth covered windows, there's no ventilation. It needs some work, and maybe five standard sized birds at the most. Mary

 

[chillyk]

I will be getting chicks for the first time and want to have the coop ready to go. I would go prefab if there is a high quality one to recommend. All the prefab comments have been negative,

I am probably handy enough for a DIY if it is not overly complicated and does not entail setting posts in concrete.
It is for a suburban backyard to house 4 LF.
I have seen the garden coop
http://www.thegardencoop.com/chicken-coop-plans.html
I would purchase the plans and hardware from them and the lumber and other building supplies locally.

I have also considerd a prefab from https://www.mypetchicken.com/catalog/Chicken-Coops/Red-Cedar-Backyard-Coop-4-6-chickens-p2216.aspx

Any advice or information is greatly appreciated

 

[rosemarythyme]

The bottom coop you linked, the red cedar, realistically can hold about 3 chickens max. Not enough floor space inside the structure and not enough roost for 4 and I don't see any real way to alter it to expand either of those to accommodate another (can't really panel out the sides to turn it into a coop only, as you still don't have space for a longer roost). I do like that it sounds more sturdy than most prefab coops but that's about it.