Arizona Chickens

[EmmaDonovan]

I don't think this is going to be fast. Polar Aurora seems to have gone out of business which is a shame because their builds were great and used 1.26" thick pipe. This was our second choice.

Are you getting married soon? Congratulations! Depending on the time of year could you put together something temporary with t-posts and metal fencing? That's what we did after the tornado. It wouldn't stand up to monsoons (or tornados) but it's done pretty well in the interim.

 

[BenisonsChickns]

I don't think this is going to be fast. Polar Aurora seems to have gone out of business which is a shame because their builds were great and used 1.26" thick pipe. This was our second choice.

View attachment 4072786

Are you getting married soon? Congratulations! Depending on the time of year could you put together something temporary with t-posts and metal fencing? That's what we did after the tornado. It wouldn't stand up to monsoons (or tornados) but it's done pretty well in the interim.

Looks like a great setup nice a big, we’re hoping to get married in April haven’t made hard plans yet, it’s going to be small probably just our parents. The t post idea sounds good to me low stress and easy until I can do something big like what you just got!!! Enjoy setting it up can’t wait to hear your opinions on it.

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Two people can build an enclosure with t-posts and metal fencing in a day. We used the same fencing to create an arched roof and covered that with a tarp, and filled in the gaps with hardware cloth. Then we added a reed fence around the perimeter to give the chickens some concealment. Lots of zip ties. It's not fancy but it does the job and the chickens seem very happy in it.

We're modifying the new enclosure a bit. We'll reinforce each section with four metal conduit pipes, cover it on all six sides with hardware cloth, drop ten cement anchors, and replace the door. That's a big project for us (roommate is helping, thank goodness). But it'll provide 18.75 sq. ft. per bird. If all goes well I'll get 4-7 chicks in the fall and we'll add on to the enclosure at that time.

Good luck with your wedding planning! Small weddings are the best weddings (in my opinion).

 

[BenisonsChickns]

Ok we’re looking for some input, here is our coop and run, we currently have 9 laying hens, I’ve been itching the last few days to get 3-4 chicks this spring just in case I loose any ladies during the summer or to just have more birds my fiancée is indifferent…. My thought is to extend the coop off the left side of it by another 5 ft and then add another couple feet to the coop. We are hoping to move either next fall or the following spring…. Should we get more chicks ??? What is your personal opinion on coop space per bird vs what the common answer is?

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Ok we’re looking for some input, here is our coop and run, we currently have 9 laying hens, I’ve been itching the last few days to get 3-4 chicks this spring just in case I loose any ladies during the summer or to just have more birds my fiancée is indifferent…. My thought is to extend the coop off the left side of it by another 5 ft and then add another couple feet to the coop. We are hoping to move either next fall or the following spring…. Should we get more chicks ??? What is your personal opinion on coop space per bird vs what the common answer is?
View attachment 4073220

I love the cross, our coop has a cross on it, too!

What are the current dimensions?

 

[BenisonsChickns]

I love the cross, our coop has a cross on it, too!

What are the current dimensions?

Coop is currently 6x5x4 and the run is 8x6x6 with a 4x6x2 space under the coop

 

[EmmaDonovan]

(8'x6') + (4'x6') = 72 ft²

72 ft² ÷ 9 chickens = 8 ft² per chicken

I am not any kind of expert. This is just my opinion. A minimum of ten square feet per chicken in the run is the general rule of thumb. I think the numbers are less important than some other factors:

Good ventilation. Adequate protection from sun and rain. Line of sight breaks where chickens can be out of sight of the other chickens. Multiple food and water stations so no one can resource guard or bully others away from the food and water. Plenty of large places to dust bathe, spread out and not all in one area. Coop "clutter:" structures to go over, go under, go around, walk up, walk down, walk across, roost high, roost low. Appropriate number of nest boxes. Room to use their wings and fly for at least short distances if they want to (chickens are ground birds but they're still birds). Plenty of nooks and crannies to explore and dig around, etc.

The personality of your flock also matters. Some flocks do perfectly well with 8 ft² per chicken. Our current run provides 15 ft² per chicken but we have some with aggressive personalities and I think they'll do better with more space.

Every flock is different. For example, our chickens don't like to roost when they sleep and instead sleep in a big pile together in the wood shavings. They grew up together and have always slept that way. Our coop is small by regular standards but it's twice the size it needs to be because of the way our flock sleeps. It's really up to you to know your flock and their personalities and preferences.

Having said all that, err on the side of more space rather than less. If you plan to add chicks to an existing flock more space is definitely better since you don't know what their personalities are going to be like. It's pretty hard to have a coop and run that are too big.

If you want to have 13 chickens with let's say 12 ft² per chicken you will need a run with 156 ft².

156 ft² - 72 ft² (your existing setup) = you'd need to add 84 ft².

Keeping with the 6' width of your current setup, you would need to add 14' of length, so an addition would be 6'x14'.

Also, during a monsoon storm does that roof shed water sufficiently and does the water go where you want it to go?

Those are just my thoughts, I'm sure others will have more to say.

 

[BenisonsChickns]

(8'x6') + (4'x6') = 72 ft²

72 ft² ÷ 9 chickens = 8 ft² per chicken

I am not any kind of expert. This is just my opinion. A minimum of ten square feet per chicken in the run is the general rule of thumb. I think the numbers are less important than some other factors:

Good ventilation. Adequate protection from sun and rain. Line of sight breaks where chickens can be out of sight of the other chickens. Multiple food and water stations so no one can resource guard or bully others away from the food and water. Plenty of large places to dust bathe, spread out and not all in one area. Coop "clutter:" structures to go over, go under, go around, walk up, walk down, walk across, roost high, roost low. Appropriate number of nest boxes. Room to use their wings and fly for at least short distances if they want to (chickens are ground birds but they're still birds). Plenty of nooks and crannies to explore and dig around, etc.

The personality of your flock also matters. Some flocks do perfectly well with 8 ft² per chicken. Our current run provides 15 ft² per chicken but we have some with aggressive personalities and I think they'll do better with more space.

Every flock is different. For example, our chickens don't like to roost when they sleep and instead sleep in a big pile together in the wood shavings. They grew up together and have always slept that way. Our coop is small by regular standards but it's twice the size it needs to be because of the way our flock sleeps. It's really up to you to know your flock and their personalities and preferences.

Having said all that, err on the side of more space rather than less. If you plan to add chicks to an existing flock more space is definitely better since you don't know what their personalities are going to be like. It's pretty hard to have a coop and run that are too big.

If you want to have 13 chickens with let's say 12 ft² per chicken you will need a run with 156 ft².

156 ft² - 72 ft² (your existing setup) = you'd need to add 84 ft².

Keeping with the 6' width of your current setup, you would need to add 14' of length, so an addition would be 6'x14'.

Also, during a monsoon storm does that roof shed water sufficiently and does the water go where you want it to go?

Those are just my thoughts, I'm sure others will have more to say.

Well that’s the in depth info I needed to clear the excitement of adding more chickens, looks like we will be waiting until we find our new property later this year hopefully! I hope home prices adjust somehow as homes in this area with land are grossly overpriced in my honest opinion….

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Well that’s the in depth info I needed to clear the excitement of adding more chickens, looks like we will be waiting until we find our new property later this year hopefully! I hope home prices adjust somehow as homes in this area with land are grossly overpriced in my honest opinion….

Oh no! I didn't mean to discourage you, just wanted to provide you with a few ideas.

 

[igorsMistress]

Ok we’re looking for some input, here is our coop and run, we currently have 9 laying hens, I’ve been itching the last few days to get 3-4 chicks this spring just in case I loose any ladies during the summer or to just have more birds my fiancée is indifferent…. My thought is to extend the coop off the left side of it by another 5 ft and then add another couple feet to the coop. We are hoping to move either next fall or the following spring…. Should we get more chicks ??? What is your personal opinion on coop space per bird vs what the common answer is?
View attachment 4073220

My first question is whether or not you let your flock free range. You would definitely need much more space than you have now if you don’t. Is it worth spending the money now and then have to move the whole thing within a year? Or will you leave it behind? If it was me I would sketch out what I want when I get to a new location, then add to the flock when everyone has settled in.