Building a chicken coop

[foxtrotters19]

My husband wants to build a chicken coop, and I asked him how many hens he wanted 6 he says!!! . I was only going to do 4 but I am ok with 6. So its 4 sq feet per hen inside the chicken coop but I have also heard that bigger is better and 8 sq feet per hen in the run, right?

What other suggestions do you all have for someone building their own chicken coop?

 

[OhZark Biddies]

....What other suggestions do you all have for someone building their own chicken coop?

I think a good first step is to look through the coop pages and find one (or more) that appeals to you, and then see if it fits your needs and budget. Then maybe ask some questions here about what others think of the one(s) you have in mind.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

Also, plan your coop for predator issues:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/featured-infographic/tips-for-protecting-poultry-from-predators

 

[foxtrotters19]

I think a good first step is to look through the coop pages and find one (or more) that appeals to you, and then see if it fits your needs and budget. Then maybe ask some questions here about what others think of the one(s) you have in mind.

I like this one from the medium coops:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/the-chick-inn.73603/

 

[Ms Biddy]

For 6 hens, a cattle panel coop is a nice design to consider. The link to mine should be viewable on my profile. The design you choose depends on whether or not you want to move it around as well as your climate. Good luck!

 

[weezerfish]

I wanted 4 to start with. Now I have 10 and they're a little crowded. If you can, double the space you think you need and pick a plan that allows you to expand. LOL!

 

[PirateGirl]

Another early step to take would be to contact your local building department. There may be certain requirements that need to be met, things like setbacks from property line, what size does/doesn't require a permit, what sort of foundation is/is not required. For the number of chickens you are getting, you likely won't have that large of a coop, so there may not really be any rules at all, but it's better to find out now, than to find out later and have to rip things down or re-build or relocate the coop later. Also some places have a fence code that specifies what type of fence you are allowed to have.

 

[foxtrotters19]

Ok so when we bought the house this was here....

Anyone here think how maybe we could turn this into a chicken coop?

 

[PirateGirl]

Ok so when we bought the house this was here....

Anyone here think how maybe we could turn this into a chicken coop?

YES! You could either use the underneath space by closing it in or your could lower the whole thing (I wouldn't want to climb a ladder for cleaning or egg collection). And if you can't make one of those things work, you've certainly got some good free lumber!

 

[foxtrotters19]

Another early step to take would be to contact your local building department. There may be certain requirements that need to be met, things like setbacks from property line, what size does/doesn't require a permit, what sort of foundation is/is not required. For the number of chickens you are getting, you likely won't have that large of a coop, so there may not really be any rules at all, but it's better to find out now, than to find out later and have to rip things down or re-build or relocate the coop later. Also some places have a fence code that specifies what type of fence you are allowed to have.

I will ask my husband but we are out of city limits and a neighbor just down from us has chickens....