Chicken Addiction Coop Renovation?

[few50704]

I have two coops attached via a run. Although, when I got the run I knew it would be temporary as I wanted it to be tall enough to add more roosts. I have 8 hens and 1 rooster, but they are completely free ranch and come in on their own at night. We have two HUGE spruce trees behind the coop that they love to have fun in during the day, and sometimes the rooster decided to roost in there at night (although the hens always come in).


I’d like to either buy another of the orange run and stack it like this:

OR build my own frame that is a bit taller (although would be a lot more complicated to do):

Any ideas or suggestions? We can’t afford anything super expensive which is why we have this set up. I started out with four... and then the addiction settled in and I got more and added on another coop.

Thanks!

 

[CluckerFamily]

I personally would make it people height for easy cleaning.

 

[Windrider]

Seems to me that if you flipped the left hand coop around so that the two coops mirrored each other, it would require only simple skills and materials to connect the two built in runs and their roofs with an extension of any length. Depending on how those coops are put together, you could even just pull off the two tall end panels, use them for the sides between the two coops, and you would just have to make a roof for that middle section.

Your run would end up being all the same height as the built in covered runs that came with the prefab coops. The clean out door and run door for the left coop would end up being on the backside, but it looks like you've got plenty of access there. On the plus side, your nest boxes for that coop would then be on the end and easier to access.

Do you chickens actually use both coops or do they cram into one? I've heard that can be a problem with dual coops.

 

[few50704]

Seems to me that if you flipped the left hand coop around so that the two coops mirrored each other, it would require only simple skills and materials to connect the two built in runs and their roofs with an extension of any length. Depending on how those coops are put together, you could even just pull off the two tall end panels, use them for the sides between the two coops, and you would just have to make a roof for that middle section.

Your run would end up being all the same height as the built in covered runs that came with the prefab coops. The clean out door and run door for the left coop would end up being on the backside, but it looks like you've got plenty of access there. On the plus side, your nest boxes for that coop would then be on the end and easier to access.

Do you chickens actually use both coops or do they cram into one? I've heard that can be a problem with dual coops.

Thanks for the suggestion! Mine like to cram into one when it is cold but will go in seperate ones when it isn’t sometimes.

 

[aart]

Mine like to cram into one when it is cold

Good reason for a bigger coop

 

[few50704]

Good reason for a bigger coop

I can’t really afford one right now with everything going on. They fit great in it and all get along, and they are out of it more than they are in it. By “cram” I was referring to the same wording the user had used, not necessarily not they were crowded. They would have more room if they used both every night but they seem to really all love that one as it was the first one, although they really just do whatever they are comfortable with!

 

[CluckerFamily]

Another thought to make a bigger coop and not a lot of expense would be to bring one coop to the other and have them side by side, nesting boxes on the same side, run on the same side. You would be able to remove on coop door and cut a whole in the other coop where the door meets the wall. It would look like a long barn.

 

[aart]

By “cram” I was referring to the same wording the user had used, not necessarily not they were crowded.

8 birds 'crammed' into one of those coops would be crowded.

 

[few50704]

Not necessarily. Most of my birds are small, and they don’t all sleep on that coop at night. Sometimes it’s five, sometimes it’s four, sometimes it’s three. Rarely is it more than half of them. When it’s real cold (which isn’t too often) there may be more.