Any thoughts on my coop?

[Ricky Mac]

It's been "finished" for about 2 months but I just recently brought power out to it and installed the light.

The 3 girls will spend most days in here. Is it enough room? Originally I thought they would be free range during the day.

This feeder was an add. I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier.

No eggs yet. 25 weeks.

 

[chics in the sun]

I might add a little ventilation at the top of the enclosed area. Where are you located, and how big is it?

 

[Ricky Mac]

I discovered I needed more ventilation this summer. The girls have been in there since 6 weeks.
Original I thought the corrugated PVC roof (it extends into the roosting area about 8") would allow enough airflow. But with the coop backed up against the shed it didn't really work. So I cut 3 2" holes with the holesaw in the upper corner opposite the entrance and covered them with screen. You can kind of see that in the last picture in the upper right.

I'm in Seattle on Beacon Hill. I thought that was in my sig but see that it isn't now...

 

[gallusdomesticus]

It looks like a nice coop. You did a good job with your construction. I especially like the gutter on the roof! Two observations: There isn't much space for the birds to scratch around in during the day, and if racoons and possums are in your area, your poultry wire will not provide much of a deterrant. I would recommend welded steel wire for the enclosure or hardware cloth as chicken wire is only good for keeping chickens in, not predators out.

 

[Ricky Mac]

I would definitely use 1/2 hardware cloth now that I've built it once. That would keep the mice out too. We live next to a greenbelt so we have raccoons and coyotes.
In the 3rd picture you can sort of see a hole under the hardware cloth by the feeder. That little critter has moved about 20 lbs of sand. I fill up the hole every other day. I thought he'd get discouraged.
I'll swap out the chicken wire when I get a free weekend.

 

[elmo]

I don't know the dimensions, but the run looks a little small for 3 chickens to be confined all day every day. The usual recommendation you read is to build 4 square feet per chicken in the coop, plus 10 square feet per chicken in the run. You can sometimes get away with a smaller coop if you live in a climate where your chickens will be able to be outdoors on most days, but I really wouldn't try to make do with less space in the run. That's where they're going to be spending all of their active hours. And a small run will be a lot of work for you to keep clean enough for good health.

 

[Ricky Mac]

The footprint is 3'x6'. Like I said, I hadn't intended for them to be locked-up all day. This summer when I was home they had free range of our backyard, and they still do on weekends. I would like them to remain outside during the day but it seem I only get 49% of the vote. If I get enough experts telling me my chickens are going to be unhappy and unhealthy in the small coop then that might change my wife's mind.
Right now they seem like happy birds. And there aren't any real problems getting them to go into the coop when I want them to. But when I come outside in the morning they're knocking at the wire like 3 inmates in a penitentiary.

 

[Naughty]

I like that feeder - I am going to have to try that one!

 

[old geezer]

Quote:
my coop is about 1/2 larger than yours , and my run is twice the size of yours -- mine houses 5 chickens and i think now the run is way too small---i have a add on coop and runs the same size butting up to the old coop that houses 4 chickens---and i think that is too small also---i only intended to have 3 or 4 chickens , well there this chicken math problem that has never found a solution , and i now have 9 and planning more----if i had to do all over , which i may ---i am going to build a 10 x 10 walk in coop with a 16 x 20 run , i have the room you may not---like your coop pretty neat and is the same style as mine---both your run and mine are too small----hope this old out spoken old poop hasn;t offended as i am also a novice , but i should have know better being in farm country now for near 30 yrs

 

[Happy Chooks]

Just for your information, here's what a raccoon did to chicken wire on a small coop I bought. Everything is now hardware cloth. The "victim" was a fully grown splash Orp pullet.

This opening is now screwed shut.