Advice for overwhelmed soon to be chicken owner!

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More advice, set up a coop before the chickens arrive (now!). Prefabs can be beefed up, if that’s the way you decide to go. I got a little prefab for an isolation coop/broody hen coop. I added latches and reinforced the floor to make it more secure. I discarded the roosts and put a larger single roost in. This is a plastic coop that we had to assemble, like lincoln logs. It is sturdy but pretty small. It sits within a run.
latch 1.jpg latch 2.jpg
coop.jpg
 
Welcome to BYC! You're in the right place to learn what you need to know for a happy chicken-keeping experience.

Carlyb22 said:
I’m getting a prefab coop to start. It’s got an attached run and should be plenty is space for 4 birds
Click to expand...

I looked at that coop. It's *marginally* better than some prefabs, but it's measured in inches when you need feet.

It's also badly deficient in ventilation, which is critical for us residents of the Steamy Southeast. (If you put your general location into your profile it will help people give better-targeted advice). For us, an Open Air coop is an excellent option, well-suited to our climate.

Here are the numbers for you:

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

  • 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
  • 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
  • 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
  • 1/4 of a nest box,
  • And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.
4 hens
  • 16 square feet in the coop. 4'x4' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber.
  • 4 feet of roost
  • 40 square feet in the run. 4'x10' or 5'x8'. 6'x6' is a bit too small, 6'x8' is more generous and easier to build than 5'x8'.
  • 4 square feet of ventilation. A 2'x2' window is theoretically enough, but in practice doesn't create any air FLOW so better to spread the venting around (and even better to exceed the minimums, especially in warm climates).
  • 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice
This is a coop designed specifically to meet the needs of 4 hens: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

I suggest that you plan plenty of run space because, due to their crests impeding their eyesight, they don't forage well and are not predator-alert.

Carlyb22 said:
Any suggestions where to get a coop if I can’t build one??
Click to expand...

Do you or any friends/family members have any handyman skills at all? The coop I linked, with it's Monitor Roof, would be complex for a beginner, but a simple shed style coop is a good first project.

Alternately, converting an appropriate-sized shed is almost always a better use of money than buying a pre-fab, which will also need a lot of work because you'll have to open up a LOT of ventilation, replace the worthless door latches with something predator-proof, reinforce the structure over time, and generally keep fussing at it as parts fail.

The easiest build for a complete amateur -- and an option well-suited for our climate, is a hoop coop.

This is a particularly good one, though 1/2" hardware cloth is a better option than the chicken wire because dogs and raccoons go right through chicken wire. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-biddie-bordello-a-hoop-coop-run-combo.72189/

This is another good one: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/permanent-hoop-coop-guide.47818/

Some hoop coops skip the wooden frame at the bottom and just use 4 U-posts to secure the cattle/hog panel. https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/23607034/
 
3KillerBs said:
Welcome to BYC! You're in the right place to learn what you need to know for a happy chicken-keeping experience.



I looked at that coop. It's *marginally* better than some prefabs, but it's measured in inches when you need feet.

It's also badly deficient in ventilation, which is critical for us residents of the Steamy Southeast. (If you put your general location into your profile it will help people give better-targeted advice). For us, an Open Air coop is an excellent option, well-suited to our climate.

Here are the numbers for you:

The Usual Guidelines

For each adult, standard-sized hen you need:

  • 4 square feet in the coop (.37 square meters)
  • 10 square feet in the run (.93 square meters),
  • 1 linear foot of roost (.3 meters),
  • 1/4 of a nest box,
  • And 1 square foot (.09 square meters) of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation, preferably located over the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.
4 hens
  • 16 square feet in the coop. 4'x4' is the only really practical build for this given the common dimensions of lumber.
  • 4 feet of roost
  • 40 square feet in the run. 4'x10' or 5'x8'. 6'x6' is a bit too small, 6'x8' is more generous and easier to build than 5'x8'.
  • 4 square feet of ventilation. A 2'x2' window is theoretically enough, but in practice doesn't create any air FLOW so better to spread the venting around (and even better to exceed the minimums, especially in warm climates).
  • 2 nest boxes, to give the hens a choice
This is a coop designed specifically to meet the needs of 4 hens: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-little-monitor-coop.76275/

I suggest that you plan plenty of run space because, due to their crests impeding their eyesight, they don't forage well and are not predator-alert.



Do you or any friends/family members have any handyman skills at all? The coop I linked, with it's Monitor Roof, would be complex for a beginner, but a simple shed style coop is a good first project.

Alternately, converting an appropriate-sized shed is almost always a better use of money than buying a pre-fab, which will also need a lot of work because you'll have to open up a LOT of ventilation, replace the worthless door latches with something predator-proof, reinforce the structure over time, and generally keep fussing at it as parts fail.

The easiest build for a complete amateur -- and an option well-suited for our climate, is a hoop coop.

This is a particularly good one, though 1/2" hardware cloth is a better option than the chicken wire because dogs and raccoons go right through chicken wire. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-biddie-bordello-a-hoop-coop-run-combo.72189/

This is another good one: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/permanent-hoop-coop-guide.47818/

Some hoop coops skip the wooden frame at the bottom and just use 4 U-posts to secure the cattle/hog panel. https://www.backyardchickens.com/posts/23607034/
Click to expand...
9A2F9F14-7A87-4BB5-B5DB-7073D71F9313.png

I found this local to me, would this be a good option? I really don’t want to attempt to build one because knowing me and my sister we would mess it up bad and waste money! And im in SC!
 
Carlyb22 said:
View attachment 2976576
I found this local to me, would this be a good option? I really don’t want to attempt to build one because knowing me and my sister we would mess it up bad and waste money! And im in SC!
Click to expand...

They are probably much better-built than a pre-fab, but the numbers of chickens they hold are wildly exaggerated.

For example, the 4x8's measurements undoubtedly refer to the RUN and not the coop. It would have to be all coop to hold 8 chickens as a coop only. The coop portion appears to be ~3 x 4 -- enough for only 3 chickens. The 4x8 run is 32 square feet -- again, for only 3 chickens.

If it were me and I HAD to buy rather than build, I'd get the 4x10, with no coop portion at all, just an open, 3-sided shelter at the end near the door (place that end to provide shelter from your prevailing winds).

Even then you will probably end up wanting to put up awnings because there's no roof overhang to keep blowing rain out.
 
Carlyb22 said:
View attachment 2976576
I found this local to me, would this be a good option? I really don’t want to attempt to build one because knowing me and my sister we would mess it up bad and waste money! And im in SC!
Click to expand...
If you have the space and can afford it go for the 4x10x 6 tall with large run. 4 chickens will easily lead to 6 (chicken math) More space is better than not. I would cut out gable end at the top, add HWC for more ventilation.
 
Yeah. Those MinnieAcres coops look good to me. I went with a prefab hen house because the previous homeowner had a fenced run already in place. It was about $200 cheaper than the cheapest option they show on MinnieAcres. Buuuut, it was such a pain to put together and weather proof and reinforce. Also, it is short and annoying to get into to clean all hunched over. And one of the doors broke the 2nd day, and the roosts fall off all the time. I am going to upgrade to something better this summer.

I'm excited you're getting Polish! I love them! My Polish are pretty small. The standard size Polish are bigger than regular bantam chickens but smaller than standard other breeds of chickens. They are also very gentle and quiet and don't mind the confinement so much as my other hens. I think 4 hens will be easier to accommodate in a small space than you think. For a grow out indoor cage, you might want to think XL dog crate instead of rabbit cage. You can zip tie some chicken wire around the base to keep them from trying to squeeze out through the wires if you want.

But chicken math is FOR REALS, y'all! I started with 2. Two became 4, 4 became 7+1 rooster. Now I want 2-3 more hens since we keep running out of eggs, but it may not stop there, because my family, friends and coworkers are all begging me to supply them eggs. Beware the chicken math... 🤣
 

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