Build big or renovate later?

[mommissan]

Build big. What if you never get time to expand later, like me? I have 9 birds stuffed in a 23 sq. ft. coop.

 

[ci_cyfarth]

Nine in 23 square feet?! That's a bit tight, though I guess it's just above the 2 foot minimum I've seen in some places. What size birds?

Re: the planning, I just went out in the yard with a tape measure.

Columbia city ordinance requires me to be at least 10' from the property line, and at least 25' away from a neighbor's house. The corner I want to work in -- a square space adjacent to the patio and the back of the house -- measures 10'x14'. A good sign!

With a maximum of 6 hens, I'm looking at an ideal of about 60 square feet of open space and 24 square feet of floor space in the coop. If I do a 7'x9' run, I can tuck a 4'x6' coop in the corner and still leave about a yard of access between the run/coop and the house. The house will shelter the whole thing from the North, and if I do a slanted covered run, I can do the tall side on the North and use silvered Suntuf to cover the run and protect my feathered friends from the hot Missouri summer sun (the other concern). Worst case, I could just do a 6'x7' run initially and tack the other few feet on later. Guess it's time to haul out the graph paper and figure out the rest of the set-up!

Also, great call about never adding single birds if I can avoid it. Guess it's 2-3 to start, then pairs every couple of years or so.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
You might even consider a shed kit from Home Depot or Lowe's if you are looking for a lot of space inside the coop.

 

[mommissan]

Quote:
They are standard sized birds. You bet it's tight. They do have a 336 sq. ft. run during the day. I have aggression issues starting since it's winter and no one wants to go out in the snow. I just added a 27 sq. ft "greenhouse" for them to roost and scratch around in during the day. It's by no means predator proof, but takes the pressure off the main coop. I agree with ChickensAreSweet that a shed kit would get you big coop fast. I'd buy one but DH builds homes for a living, so I always get "I can build you a better coop than that cheap shed!" So..... when is that?!?!?

Maybe a raised coop so that you recoup the area lost under the coop? I kick designs around all day in my head. I'll just have to build one of each.

 

[Me & Jack]

I'm planning to move slowly and keep a fairly small flock

Like someone else said: chicken math gets to us all! Chickens are like the peanuts you get with your beer -- you can't just have a couple! (Beer or peanuts, that is.)

(Laws of your city be darn!!)​

 

[Me & Jack]

(Laws of your city be darn!!)

That's funny. I originally wrote "be d@mned" but it changed it to darn!​

 

[spacecowgirl]

We built way bigger than we planned (my dad built it and he's one of those "go big or go home" kinda guys), and guess what???

......Now I wish it were even bigger! Especially the run; we're going to be expanding that soon.

I wish we had done so to begin with, would have been less work over-all.

 

[mommissan]

Yup. I went to the farm to get 6 birds and came back with 15? Whatever size you plan on, DOUBLE IT. Then DOUBLE IT again. It's bad when I catch myself scanning real estate ads for more space.

 

[rancher hicks]

I'm going to post my set up so you can get an idea of what is possible. The hoop coop I have set up is off the ground since my area gets wet. You could however put one on the ground if it's dry enough. I covered my runs for the winter so they can get away from each other and get some fresh air. Hay bales to climb on. Run is 6 in front 5 in back and 8 wide. one is 24 feet long and one is 16. You could use the same design but use solid walls. Hoop coop is made with Cattle panels 50 in x 16 ft. bent would yield a 50 in x 8,9 ft coop , big enough for 6 birds. The coop in the picture is two panels wide and has 12 birds. Add the run in panels to how ever long you'd like. Mine is covered with chickens wire and now plastic for the winter. You want windows facing to catch the rising and setting sun light.