Best pre-made coop / run?

[FritaFrittata]

Hi everyone!

My three babies come home today! I know they won't be ready to go outside for a little while yet (they are about 3 - 4 weeks old), but I'm shopping for a coop now so I'm prepared when the time comes. Ideally, I don't want to spend more than about $250-$300, tops.

I was looking at this item: http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/precision-extreme-cape-cod-chicken-coop-4-chicken-capacity

Does anyone have one, or something similar?

I do have a fully fenced in back yard (six foot fence) and would like them to have the ability to free range sometimes, but not all of the time (because my dogs need to share the yard as well).

I am not AT ALL crafty and know I won't be able to build my own coop.

I would also really prefer something that is big enough to accommodate more than three chickens, eventually... I've read the "chicken math" thread and can already see where this is going, LOL.

Please give me some ideas on how I can best house my new flock

thank you!
Melly

 

[Judy]

That's pretty small for 3 chickens, especially if you live in snow country. If you can find a decent handyman, he can build you an 8x8 shed in a couple of days, maybe for a little more than that, but it will solve your expansion needs. You might also consider prebuilt sheds, which are sim-ple enough to convert to a coop -- just a board or fat branch for a roost, and one or two containers (kitty litter containers, 5 gallon jugs, milk crates, etc., etc.) for nests. Plus some sort of protected hole near the top for ventilation. Your chicks should be ready to go out at 6 weeks if they are large fowl.

If you figure 4 sq ft per chicken in the coop and 10 sq ft in the run, I suspect that coop comes out to a two chicken coop. That 4 sq ft means without feeder, nest, waterer -- i.e., usable floor space. Those figures are hardly ideal but are spposed to be the minimum recommended to prevent pecking, feather picking and cannibalism.

Some good reading for northern coops:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/how-much-room-do-chickens-need

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/...-go-out-there-and-cut-more-holes-in-your-coop

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/winter-coop-temperatures