Chicken coop in my shed!!??

[Indiana feather]

My boy talked me into getting some chickens from Rural King back on sept 9. While most people would probably prepare an area then get the chickens ...not me..LOL.. i sometimes put the cart before the horse. Any how the chicks spent their fist night in my son's room in a pet carrier. From there they went into a brooding area... They got pretty big in the last month. We figure they were most likely a week old when we got them so guessing they're about 5 weeks now. Anyway I knew I had to either make a coop or buy one. The prefab pens for 3 to four chickens just seemed so small yet kinda pricey so we decided to just make our own. The area pictured is 4' by 7' and will serve as the coop

 

[Indiana feather]

Since we live in a housing addition in the country... needed my chickens to be contained yet to be able to free range so we built this run. I had 2 x 4 and landscape timbers and a big pile of limestone rocks . We put rocks under the shed to prevent predators from accessing the run from under the shed. We also dug a trench and put rocks under the landscape timbers to discourage any digging to get in the run. We went with the green welded wire fence with a 2 x 3 inch hole so we need to cover that with hardware cloth yet. I think I will get a big tarp to put over the run to shelter it from the rain.

 

[chasiekitten12]

Good idea coops get expencive

What about a run?

Will they be able to be outside for 4-12 hours a day?

Will you make a run (fenced in area they stay in during the day)

How will they fing bugs to eat? Will you buy those?

They need to be outside many many hours a day

 

[chasiekitten12]

By the way in a run a chicken need 10 square feet each

 

[Indiana feather]

The run is the whole length of the shed so it is 12' by 8'. It is 4' tall at the shed and tapers down to the ground . I cut an access into the coop for the chickens and made a ramp with treads on it. Its nothing too fancy but it all is coming together

I am really excited to let the chicks check it out. They haven't been outside yet... most of what i've read says 60 days in the brooder but i'm guessing they would be ok outside as long as i got them all to come in at night??? They are Rhode Island reds so they are pretty good sized for their age. I would appreciate any comments or tips you may have for me. How many chickens will thrive in a setup this size ?

 

[chasiekitten12]

Ok sounds good to me

 

[Indiana feather]

Ok sounds good to me

One question I had is about covering the run... Is all the grass gonna die off due to the foraging of the chickens? would it be better to let it get rain or no? The run is on the north side of the shed so most of the day it is in the shade except for the last 2 hrs of the day so there isn't a necessity for shade . Wondering about alternatives to a tarp etc.

 

[aart]

Couple issues I see.
You want your roosts to be higher than your nests or they will roost in the nests and fill them with night poops.
2x4, wide side up, is a great roost for winter areas, keeps thier feets warm.

You need to be able to get into the run yourselves, I don't see a door, in case a chicken gets hurt or stuck in there...or to retrieve the inevitable first egg that is often laid in the run.

Yes, they will quickly decimate any vegetation in the run....and the rain/snow can make it very mucky unless the soil there drains very quickly.
If they get locked in a secure coop every night you might not need to put HC on the run, I didn't....but don't have many stray dogs around either and am home most days.
You could cover part of the run roof to keep rain and snow out so they can go out in bad weather.

It would be good if you could extend the run so they can get some sunlight, they do need that.

I don't see any windows or ventilation in the coop part....more pics of that?

 

[Indiana feather]

Couple issues I see.
You want your roosts to be higher than your nests or they will roost in the nests and fill them with night poops.
2x4, wide side up, is a great roost for winter areas, keeps thier feets warm.

You need to be able to get into the run yourselves, I don't see a door, in case a chicken gets hurt or stuck in there...or to retrieve the inevitable first egg that is often laid in the run.

Yes, they will quickly decimate any vegetation in the run....and the rain/snow can make it very mucky unless the soil there drains very quickly.
If they get locked in a secure coop every night you might not need to put HC on the run, I didn't....but don't have many stray dogs around either and am home most days.
You could cover part of the run roof to keep rain and snow out so they can go out in bad weather.

It would be good if you could extend the run so they can get some sunlight, they do need that.

I don't see any windows or ventilation in the coop part....more pics of that?

thank you aart for your post ... that low roost i have in there is 10" above the floor just for the girls in there chick stage... I plan on putting it higher as they mature. You are right and very observant that there is no door into the run in this pic except for the chicken door... i plan on cutting an access door from inside the shed. there is a good 3hrs of sunlight at the end of the day in that spot also . I also learned from a topic here about muddy runs so got a 12X10 tarp to cover the top with. I may well have to tweek things tho.. I did cut some ventilation holes into the gable ends and another hole that will serve as a window all of which i covered with hardware cloth. I will take a pic showing these soon. Just excited to get started and actually let the chicks get out of the coop.. winters coming and they may be cooped up enough then

. Also i like the actual branch for the roost idea and will put it maybe 3' off ground ... nest boxes are a foot off the floor.

 

[Indiana feather]

When I srtarted with this shed it had little ventilation so i cut a 12" x 8" hole up near the peak on both ends of the shed ... There is also a 12' by 12' cutout for a window that is just above the nest box. It is hard to see the window cutout and with winter approaching and the fact that our chicks are about 7 weeks old I decided to close it till spring. Will this be good enough for ventilation of this shed or do I need more? I did consider getting one of those circular turbine vent that would move more air but really only when the wind blows... The door of the shed is not exactly air tight either . I am mindful of keeping drafts down to a minimum also . Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated... always looking to improve.