Can I get your input?

[Ol Grey Mare]

If you like the aesthetics of that structure for your coop, I say go for it. Adding more run length (either to one side, both sides, or the back) seems fairly straight forward and customizable. If space is a concern, why not start with just half of your flock in there and see how it goes, then expand your flock accordingly.

Plus, your son and husband building it from scratch, what an awesome bonding experience for them. At the end of the day they can stand back and admire what they built from the ground up. That's priceless in my opinion.

X2 - while the plan *as is* may not be large enough run wise, that is an easy fix/adjustment as it looks like this setup would lend itself VERY easily to expansion. Heck the shape of the structure would even lend itself easily to adding a "hoop coop" style run off the back of the back of the building for a quick easy "add-on"

 

[flyladyrocks]

Personally, I don't like the wood floor in the bottom of the coop design. We used to have a wood floor, and it ended up rotting, so in our new coop, we put a concrete floor in. It's fairly expensive, but it will make your coop last a lot longer (our old coop lasted about 5 years, and that was a stretch). Our old coop was like a raised shed, but our new one matches our house (it even has a bay window and siding), it really depends on what you want, but the way I see it, the nicer the coop, the longer it will last... Just a thought.

 

[flyladyrocks]

If you like the aesthetics of that structure for your coop, I say go for it. Adding more run length (either to one side, both sides, or the back) seems fairly straight forward and customizable. If space is a concern, why not start with just half of your flock in there and see how it goes, then expand your flock accordingly.

Plus, your son and husband building it from scratch, what an awesome bonding experience for them. At the end of the day they can stand back and admire what they built from the ground up. That's priceless in my opinion.

 

[flyladyrocks]

I'm glad I saw you! The Indiana thread really is great! You are more than welcome to come up and take a look at my setup. It is still a work in progress (I have only had chickens for a year). You can probably find a great deal on a shed on Craigslist, or finance on through Lowes or Home Depot with interest free financing. The shed really wasn't hard to modify it. I added some windows (which was the hardest part). The rest was pretty easy. I added an auto door to my run since it is not a secure run (not made out of hardware cloth). I wish I would have just gone with a secure run - I am getting ready to add another run on the back and it will be secure this time.

I have around 30 chickens in the shed. It was already on my property so I lucked out there, but re-purposing it meant I lost a lot of storage. My shed is 17 feet long and 12 feet wide. I have it divided into quarters and am using three of the four quarters for my chickens with the last part used for storage. I have one area with 10 chickens that is 4 x 10, and two areas that are 6 x 6 (will have 7 or 8 chickens each) It is a great setup. I can go inside the shed to feed and water when the weather is bad and it is comfortable to hang out in. I will say that when I started to price material it is amazing how over budget you go. Things you don't consider like the various hinges and latches you need REALLY add up in the end. Keeping it as simple as possible is my recommendation, and that is a shed.

Like I said you are more than welcome to come up and take a look! I'm about 17 minutes north of 465, right off Michigan Rd.

 

[ChickCrazed]

You can raise your coop off the ground so it isn't sucking in moisture from the dirt, and you can put cheap vinyl flooring down in the coop if you want to protect it from urine. My shavings stay clean enough that I did not do the vinyl. Worst case I could just replace the floor boards but I don't see it being an issue for quite some time.

 

[ChickCrazed]

Mine are accessible from outside the chicken areas, but inside the coop (2 of the 3 are, I couldn't figure out how to do that on the 3rd so I have to go in that pen to collect eggs). Just let me know when you want to come up! It will give you some ideas at least and you can look at all the hardware and things you probably aren't figuring into the price now! Right now I have a couple chicks too Although in a few weeks they will be in a weird awkward stage lol.

 

[flyladyrocks]

You can raise your coop off the ground so it isn't sucking in moisture from the dirt, and you can put cheap vinyl flooring down in the coop if you want to protect it from urine. My shavings stay clean enough that I did not do the vinyl. Worst case I could just replace the floor boards but I don't see it being an issue for quite some time.

 

[ChickCrazed]

No bees yet, they were really hard to get this year (many hives did not make it through the winter as bad as it was). I'm going to try to capture a live hive this summer, and if that doesn't work I will try to order them next year. Bummer but probably for the best! Spring has been full of projects thus far! I have four horses and she will NEVER want to leave!!!