Building my coop

[Newfarmer36]

I THINK I figured out what kind of coop I'm gonna build. Now, I have to figure out where to build it. I can put it in front of my house close to the edge or put it on the side. My entire property is nothing but hills and slopes. So which place do y'all prefer? The first pic is in the front and the second is on the side.

I was also wondering how big the coop needed for 12 chickens and 4 ducks. 8×8?

 

[kwhites634]

I THINK I figured out what kind of coop I'm gonna build. Now, I have to figure out where to build it. I can put it in front of my house close to the edge or put it on the side. My entire property is nothing but hills and slopes. So which place do y'all prefer? The first pic is in the front and the second is on the side.

I was also wondering how big the coop needed for 11 chickens and 4 ducks. 8×8?

I think the recommendation is 2sf per bird, but you'd better check that

 

[Newfarmer36]

I think the recommendation is 2sf per bird, but you'd better check that

I just looked it up and it is 2 sf. I'm not good with measurements

 

[K813ZRA]

I normally see people use the formula of 4sqf per large fowl in the coop and 10sqf per bird in the run. That is normally said to be the very minimum and I agree with that based on my experience with birds. Bantams can go smaller but some larger birds, like my Orpingtons get a little fussy when penned up in such a small space. It also depends on how often they are going to be stuck in in confinement.

Now, I keep ducks as well and keeping them with chickens is doable but not something I would suggest. Ducks are pigs....they get everything muddy and nasty. They defecate a lot, and I mean a lot so that requires more frequent cleaning. They get half their feed in the water too. Also, they will eat the chickens out of house and home. They also require more space than chickens to be happy.

That said, you could get by with an 8x8 coop but maybe that is leaning toward the smaller side of things.

 

[Newfarmer36]

I normally see people use the formula of 4sqf per large fowl in the coop and 10sqf per bird in the run. That is normally said to be the very minimum and I agree with that based on my experience with birds. Bantams can go smaller but some larger birds, like my Orpingtons get a little fussy when penned up in such a small space. It also depends on how often they are going to be stuck in in confinement.

Now, I keep ducks as well and keeping them with chickens is doable but not something I would suggest. Ducks are pigs....they get everything muddy and nasty. The dedicate a lot, and I mean a lot so that requires more frequent cleaning. They get half their feed in the water too. Also, they will eat the chickens out of house and home. They also require more space than chickens to be happy.

That said, you could get by with an 8x8 coop but maybe that is leaning toward the smaller side of things.

I have 4 ducks to go along with my chickens. Maybe later on, I can build them a house too.
Will a 10×10 coop be ok then if the 8×8 is too small?

 

[K813ZRA]

I have 4 ducks to go along with my chickens. Maybe later on, I can build them a house too.
Will a 10×10 coop be ok then if the 8×8 is too small?

For me, I think 10x10 is a better number but I will say that everyone seems to have different experiences with their birds and sometimes I feel it depends on the breeds. But you may get away with 8x8. I am sure some others will have helpful opinions too! My RIR's are perfectly happy roosting in a small corner and not worrying about space. My BO's like to roam around their coop and sometimes peck each other because they feel there is not enough space, there is plenty though!

Honestly, go with your gut but bigger is always better, imo. Chicken math hits hard. I started with 18 chickens and now have 50 and 25 more on the way...I have 18 ducks and a few turkey as well and am planning on quail too...see, chicken math.

Oh and I forgot, I like the area closest to the house for your coop. My first coop was way out in the backyard and I hated that! Even when I let my birds out to free range (always) they stay up in the woods for the most part. It seems they only like to go so far from the coop. So I moved it closer to the house! Ducks on the other hand seem to go miles away if you let them!!

 

[Newfarmer36]

For me, I think 10x10 is a better number but I will say that everyone seems to have different experiences with their birds and sometimes I feel it depends on the breeds. But you may get away with 8x8. I am sure some others will have helpful opinions too! My RIR's are perfectly happy roosting in a small corner and not worrying about space. My BO's like to roam around their coop and sometimes peck each other because they feel there is not enough space, there is plenty though!

Honestly, go with your gut but bigger is always better, imo. Chicken math hits hard. I started with 18 chickens and now have 50 and 25 more on the way...I have 18 ducks and a few turkey as well and am planning on quail too...see, chicken math.

Oh and I forgot, I like the area closest to the house for your coop. My first coop was way out in the backyard and I hated that! Even when I let my birds out to free range (always) they stay up in the woods for the most part. It seems they only like to go so far from the coop. So I moved it closer to the house! Ducks on the other hand seem to go miles away if you let them!!

I have ducks and they stay in the yard with the chickens. I don't want to free range them only bc they roam all over the property next to me. So i have to build a run to keep them in.
I have 2 Bantam Wyandotte chickens(hen and rooster), 5 Easter egger hen and 1 Easter egger rooster and 4 standard brown hens.