Bought a Coop for Cats, Now Thinking Chickens

[Gold Eggs]

So I bought this really nice coop with a run, but not for chickens, I bought it to contain my 4 outdoor cats so I can take them with me when moving. I had 5 cats living in my back yard without a care taker when I moved in my last house, their care taker had just died and by fate a couple of cat lovers moved in shortly after. They have become our pets and after one died by getting hit by a car we decided to move and take them with us. We are going from a more urban area with a tiny property to a more rural area in the woods with much more property. However, we have been advised by the people who helped us get them fixed that you cant just move outdoor cats, they will try to find their way back to their turf. We were told we needed to keep them confined for 3-4 weeks to have them forget about their old turf and learn the smells/sounds of the new yard and so they can get adapted.

We had looked for something to keep t hem confined but there werent many good options. There were some enclosures you could buy online but they were kind of crap for a lot of money, and building a pen from fence would have cost a lot of money. We settled on a chicken coop from the local amish place, it wasnt cheap at $1200 but its really nice and we thought maybe it would make a good house for the cats long term, or we could sell it to some chicken people.

We are getting ready to move the cats but we are thinking maybe we should look into getting some chickens and actually using the coop. However, I know nothing about this coop we bought and obviously cats are going to want to kill the chickens (plus local foxes, etc), so I also dont know if this coop's run is large enough for healthy chickens. I assume we would need to keep them in there all the time to avoid the cats getting them. Originally, I thought 2 chickens would be good in this size coop but then I read you should have at least 3.

So here is the coop, if anyone can give any insight into this coop/run and offer any insight on the cats situation, that would be great!

The side panel lifts up with 2 dividers inside, I dont know if that is for feeding or for getting the eggs. I assume since there are 3 slots in there, that its made for 3 chickens? The entire thing is about 7ft long with the run.

Thanks

 

[Dr Evy]

Welcome to BYC. We’re so glad you joined!

 

[janiedoe]

Welcome to BYC.
It's doubtful that you could keep more than 2 chickens in it, and keep them healthy and happy. Chickens need more space than the manufacturers claim.

 

[Gold Eggs]

Welcome to BYC.
It's doubtful that you could keep more than 2 chickens in it, and keep them healthy and happy. Chickens need more space than the manufacturers claim.

Thanks! I would actually prefer 2 because I want to start slow, but I read you should not keep less than 3 for their mental health because they are very social, is 2 ok?

 

[Grammy60]

Hello and welcome to BYC So happy you have joined our flock.

 

[rjohns39]

Hi and welcome to BYC We're so happy you've decided to join us

 

[MACCanadianCoop]

Have you actually tried putting the cats in there yet? I cannot see how 4 cats will cope in that tiny thing for 3-4 weeks.

Once/if you start using it for chickens, yes you are going to want to keep them contained 24/7 to prevent attacks for the cats and any other predators in the area.

 

[DobieLover]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

That coop is awfully small for the 4 cats and the "run" is way too small for even 2 chickens.
Most cats ignore full size chickens. I know my cat got out once with the flock was free ranging. She started to stalk them. Once they saw her, the all started walking towards her with purpose and she quickly realized the error of her ways and turned around and ran!
If you extended the coop you might be able to fit a third chicken in there then build a proper run for them.

 

[Gold Eggs]

Have you actually tried putting the cats in there yet? I cannot see how 4 cats will cope in that tiny thing for 3-4 weeks.

Once/if you start using it for chickens, yes you are going to want to keep them contained 24/7 to prevent attacks for the cats and any other predators in the area.

No, but it's the only thing I have got. I am really stressed out about it tbh, I am hoping we can bring them out and put them in our 2 car garage or shed so they can exercise but we have no idea how they are going to react to being put in there. Currently I could pick up 3 of the 4 and move them as I wish but I dont know if they will claw at me and run into the woods. They are cats so I cant just fence in an area.

I am hoping we wont need to keep them confined that long but I really dont know how long it will take and I wont know until I release them if they are going to run off into the woods and never be seen again. I have apple airtag trackers on all 4 of them, but that only works if someone is nearby with an iphone, if they get deep into the woods I wont be able to trap them.

 

[Gold Eggs]

Hello and welcome to BYC! Glad you joined.

That coop is awfully small for the 4 cats and the "run" is way too small for even 2 chickens.
Most cats ignore full size chickens. I know my cat got out once with the flock was free ranging. She started to stalk them. Once they saw her, the all started walking towards her with purpose and she quickly realized the error of her ways and turned around and ran!
If you extended the coop you might be able to fit a third chicken in there then build a proper run for them.

I agree about the cats but it's all I've got. Most of the other options were just as small. Looking back I probably should have bought a big kennel but it would have cost a lot of cash and would have to then just rip it all down after a few weeks, seemed crazy. At least with the coop we can repurpose it or even sell it.

I could probably easily cut the end and extend the run or even put an L shape on it. However, if the cats will ignore full size chickens I could just keep them confined 24/7 until they get full size and then let them out in the yard during the day.