Can Buff Orpingtons fit in a Catawba Coop?

[DunCroft]

My Buff Orps are about 10 weeks and are happily living in my sunroom right now. My DH bought all of the wood so he can start building a Catawba ConvertiCoop, but after finding out that BO's are like 19 inches tall, I am worried. Anyone out there have BO's in an ark?
I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks a bunch!

 

[SJchicks]

Hi, if you click on my BYC page, you can see that I have that same coop. I have a Buff Orpington, an Ameracauna, and a Plymouth Barred Rock, and it's perfect. But I have to add that I let mine roam my yard all day when I'm home. My Buff Orp is definitely my biggest girl!

 

[DunCroft]

Nice to see you're doing so well in the ark. I am really excited to get going on it, but the weather here is MISERABLE!

My girls can't free-range because I am in a cul-de-sac with a bunch of free-range dogs, coyotes, and fisher cats. My husband is going to build me a large run to add on to it... like the same frame again, but all wire. Hopefully they will be happy and safe.

Is your grass still THAT GREEN??? ...Wow

 

[Cargo]

I have buffs as well. I would recommend more space than the little A-Frames provide.
Take a look at my page I made a coop with a similar footprint that I like much better.
I do have a few ideas to make it better. Let me know if you decide to build one.
I figure it would cost about 200 in new materials.

 

[Illia]

Most Buff Orpingtons will fit in the same spacing and coop that any other common breed will. The only Buff Orpingtons that are actually huge are show quality ones.

 

[melloladies]

I started out with 4 girls..numbers dwindled, then swelled to 5. My biggest girl is a plymouth rock- and after getting her and her Ameraucana "sister" DH and I realized that our Catawba was too small. The roost space was really not large enough- we had a lot of problems with the girls sleeping in the nest boxes. We ended up building a larger structure, and have been SO much happier. I can tell you that my husband was NOT thrilled with buiding a second coop, but he agrees they are much better off in the larger coop. How many hens are you planning on keeping? That makes a difference...

 

[DunCroft]

I have only 3 girls and was planning having only one nesting box and leaving the rest for roosting space. Would that be better? I was also going to put a window on the other side that would be screened in the summer.

Everyone is so helpful here!

 

[SJchicks]

Quote:
No, that pic was taken last May!!

 

[SJchicks]

Quote:
My ark has a nesting box at each end, but my 3 girls all share one nesting box and have neevr laid an egg at the other end. Go figure!They all lay one after another in one box. One day my husband opened the egg door and all three hens were crowded in there together. My Orp is pretty darn big, but so much of their "bulk" is feathers...