Chicken Coop Procrastination

[farmerpalermo]

I have been sitting here for a little over a month debating on what type, size, and what material to make my coop out of.

Today I was mowing and I starting looking at two dog houses that I have sitting next to my house and a lightbulb went off in my head.

The dog houses are about 3x4 and 3' high with a simple gable roof. My plan is to take apart one and use it as a stand. The leftover parts will be used to build 3 nest boxes extending out of the coop for egg retrieval.

Will this be enough room for 4 hens? I am going to make some type of roost for them and add plenty of ventilation. I don't think I am going to have enough room for food and water in the coop. Is this necessary?

I would like to temporarily keep the chickens by the house and slowly move them towards the back of my property as I get more. I would like to make my run somewhat portable. I keep hearing that welded wire is the way to go. We do have hawks, cats, racoons and possums in my neighborhood. My dog does a pretty good job of keeping them out of his backyard but he stays inside most nights. How far should I dig down? How big should the run be?

Hopefully I will have this project well underway by the end of the week. I will keep everyone updated with photos!

 

[elmo]

Honestly in terms of size, I really wouldn't go any below 4 square foot per chicken indoors (coop) plus 10 square feet per chicken outdoors (run). More is certainly better, a lot better, not only for the chickens but for the chicken keeper. The higher the stocking density, the more work.

The problem with a coop that's only 3 feet high is that you're likely to find the inside pretty cramped, vertically. A standard size chicken is pretty tall when full grown, 16 -18 inches tall, even. Put in a roost at only a foot high and you've taken up your inside vertical space with no or not much room to put in a vent above chicken level. I have a small raised coop that's 4 1/2 feet tall, and I have tiny bantams that are less than a foot tall, and there's only barely enough vertical space in that setup. It's something for you to think about, anyway.

No, you don't need to keep food and water in the coop, but it's very handy if you build enough room for it. If you don't leave it in the coop, then you either have to leave it in the run overnight (where it attracts critters) or bring the feeder in to your house at night and out again in the morning. When there's feed and water inside the coop at all times, it's nice to know if you're running a bit late letting the chickens out in the morning that they can still eat and drink before you get there.

I would recommend you build bigger, if at all possible. You won't regret it.

 

[farmerpalermo]

Good advice, I have more lumber available. I will work make it taller for sure and maybe only start with a couple hens for now until I can get a bigger one built.