2021 New flock, New coop and run!
As always, I ordered chicks before I even knew where I was going to put them! To be fair, my original plan was to put them in the existing coop and run with some upgrades.
My (original) plan was to get 10 chicks that would eventually be 10 hens. Our 10-11 year old coop and run are 12' by 15' run with a 4' by 8' coop on stilts to preserve the space under it as "usable" space. Plenty big enough for 10 hens, a bit above the "minimum" even, except the coop...I know when I built it, I had room enough for 7 hens there (I only had 3 because at the time, that's all my area allowed), so I knew I was going to need a bigger coop. I also have one of those tiny coop/run combo things that are "okay" for 1 or 2 (maybe), 3 if I leave it open and they're only sleeping in it, that was given to me by a friend. I actually would love to add is to my run to use as nest box space, but I don't know if that's such a great idea either. Probably best to save it as "time out" or a mini "hospital" so I don't have to completely move hens out if they get injured? At any rate, having that in the old coop area really cuts down on space, so I am back to looking at my shed. I believe it's at least 8' by 12' (will get out this weekend and actually measure it), plenty of space inside! We don't lose the "shed" use since its actually 2 stories and we can move anything in the lower half that needs to stay into the upper half (accessed only from the outside, it was originally built as a playhouse above a shed).
Need to add ventilation, hoping to keep it to the 2 sides of the shed that don't face our neighbors houses to (hopefully) reduce noise going that way), but will do whatever is best for my hens. The run is going in April 5-9 when my parents are coming up to visit (all current safety measures in place for this). They are bringing me a treasure trove in the form of a giant trailer full of building materials (plywood, lumber in all sorts of lengths and widths, 2" by 4" fencing, T-posts, and some chain link as well, plus wheelbarrows and all sorts of goodies)! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to build a larger run for my incoming flock when I have access to completely free supplies to do so! So now, the plan is for a (roughly) 10-15' by 15-20' run attached to my shed, all cobbled together with supplies we have on hand, I have hardware cloth (50-75' leftover), but will have no problem buying more as we need it. This time around, we have raccoons who have moved into the area, so I know I need to dig down and bury some hardware cloth to keep them from digging under. I also have put in a bid with my husband to buy me an automatic coop door as an anniversary present this year (I gave him a wooden sign with our last name and wedding date on it....bit of an inside joke, we have been together for coming up on 18 years, but only married for 4 years, neither of us can ever remember the year we got married (2017), so I had this sign made that clearly has "Est. April 1, 2017" on it.
No way to forget now!
Also, my plan to get 10 chicks turned into 15 chicks because shipping costs were greatly reduced and I save $25 by ordering more chicks! More info to come as the plan develops into an actual coop and run!
My (original) plan was to get 10 chicks that would eventually be 10 hens. Our 10-11 year old coop and run are 12' by 15' run with a 4' by 8' coop on stilts to preserve the space under it as "usable" space. Plenty big enough for 10 hens, a bit above the "minimum" even, except the coop...I know when I built it, I had room enough for 7 hens there (I only had 3 because at the time, that's all my area allowed), so I knew I was going to need a bigger coop. I also have one of those tiny coop/run combo things that are "okay" for 1 or 2 (maybe), 3 if I leave it open and they're only sleeping in it, that was given to me by a friend. I actually would love to add is to my run to use as nest box space, but I don't know if that's such a great idea either. Probably best to save it as "time out" or a mini "hospital" so I don't have to completely move hens out if they get injured? At any rate, having that in the old coop area really cuts down on space, so I am back to looking at my shed. I believe it's at least 8' by 12' (will get out this weekend and actually measure it), plenty of space inside! We don't lose the "shed" use since its actually 2 stories and we can move anything in the lower half that needs to stay into the upper half (accessed only from the outside, it was originally built as a playhouse above a shed).
Need to add ventilation, hoping to keep it to the 2 sides of the shed that don't face our neighbors houses to (hopefully) reduce noise going that way), but will do whatever is best for my hens. The run is going in April 5-9 when my parents are coming up to visit (all current safety measures in place for this). They are bringing me a treasure trove in the form of a giant trailer full of building materials (plywood, lumber in all sorts of lengths and widths, 2" by 4" fencing, T-posts, and some chain link as well, plus wheelbarrows and all sorts of goodies)! I couldn't pass up the opportunity to build a larger run for my incoming flock when I have access to completely free supplies to do so! So now, the plan is for a (roughly) 10-15' by 15-20' run attached to my shed, all cobbled together with supplies we have on hand, I have hardware cloth (50-75' leftover), but will have no problem buying more as we need it. This time around, we have raccoons who have moved into the area, so I know I need to dig down and bury some hardware cloth to keep them from digging under. I also have put in a bid with my husband to buy me an automatic coop door as an anniversary present this year (I gave him a wooden sign with our last name and wedding date on it....bit of an inside joke, we have been together for coming up on 18 years, but only married for 4 years, neither of us can ever remember the year we got married (2017), so I had this sign made that clearly has "Est. April 1, 2017" on it.
No way to forget now!Also, my plan to get 10 chicks turned into 15 chicks because shipping costs were greatly reduced and I save $25 by ordering more chicks! More info to come as the plan develops into an actual coop and run!
- Previous page: Overview