Chicken coop question

[showjumper_girl2002]

Good morning,
I'm looking to replace my coop with a bigger, better one as the one I originally got was smaller than I thought it would be. I currently have 2 cream legbar hens and plan on getting 2 more. I've been having trouble finding a coop that isn't too small or cheaply made and it hasn't been easy! I would like your opinions on this coop my dad found. Would this be ok for 4 hens? If not, would modifying it to enlarge it work? Thanks in advance for your input.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Deluxe-Lar...534769?hash=item4d5a7ba671:g:oF4AAOSww9xZIi1J

 

[chickencheeper]

Yes that would be fine for 4+ girls. Just remember you should always plan for that pesky chicken math!

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

Yes that would be fine for 4+ girls. Just remember you should always plan for that pesky chicken math!

Thank you. They free range during most of the day too so they would only be in there at night/when they want to be.

 

[Ridgerunner]

You are in Florida, that is important information, thanks for including it. That means that you are not worried about cold at all. The coop is a bit smaller than I’d like but with your climate you never have to lock them in there. If you build a predator proof run you can leave the pop door open at all times. That means your space is a lot bigger. Still, four hens would be the maximum for me with that.

They do not show a good photo of the inside. It looks like they might have two roosts but they are really low. Chickens tend to want to sleep on the highest thing available, that’s why you want your roosts noticeably higher than the nests. You should be able to raise the roosts if you need to.

That sets pretty low to the ground. If you build a run to include the area under the coop (which I would for the shade) you may have to retrieve eggs or a chicken from under there. I’d like it to be a bit higher so that would be easier. Maybe raise it a bit with a foundation, if you raise it enough you could feed under there to keep the feed dry and keep it out of the coop. That coop doesn’t have any extra space so I’d feed and water in the run.

I can’t see how much actual ventilation that has. That does not look like a ridge vent. With that overhang it could have a lot of ventilation around the top but I’m not convinced. In Florida the heat will be your problem so you need good ventilation. You may wind up cutting some holes up high. If you leave that pop door open 24/7 it won’t take much up high to get good air movement. With those two windows across from each other and the top halves open hardware cloth it won’t be horrible. But it says one ventilation window, not two, so I’m confused.

That’s more nests than you need but that’s not a real problem for you. When you position it I’d point the nest side north or where they will be in the shade so they don’t become an oven in the sun.

The doors are raised a bit to keep the bedding in, which is good. As small as it is that should not be that hard to clean out, you can reach everywhere without too much trouble. Whether you raise the roosts or not they are going to be in the way but you should be able to work around them. The lip on the nests look pretty low though. You may need to raise the lip to keep the hens form scratching the bedding and eggs out of the nests and to keep them from scratching trash (poop) from the coop floor into the nests.

A raccoon would not have that much of a problem with that bolt lock on the human door. It might work forever but I’d consider some type of hasp to secure it better.

Fir is a good rot resistant wood though fir heartwood would be even better. Still, if you raise that up off the ground on some type of rot resistant foundation it should last a long time.

$300 for that doesn’t sound like a lot. I’m not sure what the actual quality would be. You may need to make some modifications like raising the lip on the nests, more ventilation up high, or raising the roosts some but that is all doable. I would build a predator proof run so I could leave the pop door open at all times, that’s the enlarging I’d do. I’m not a huge fan of the premade coops, that one is not that well designed for chickens, but it will probably suit you. Good luck!

 

[RonP]

Actually 47"x38"=1786 / 144 = 12.4 square feet.

Consensus on this list seems to be 4 square feet per bird... especially true if birds need to be confined for reasons such as weather conditions.

 

[Ridgerunner]

If the poster had been up north where winter weather is a problem my response would have been a lot different. I'd want more than 4 square feet if they are likely to be stuck in there a lot. But in Florida if you leave the pop door open and have a predator proof run the "coop" is the coop section and the run. In a thunderstorm they may want to hang out in the coop section, they may want to hang out under the coop since that will be pretty well protected, or they may be out looking for worms the rain brings to the surface. The area under the coop essentially doubles the area to over six square feet per hen. As long as a predator proof run is built that should be plenty of space for four Legbar hens.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

There are no decent pre fab coops, including the one you linked to. Go big, size matters. I would consider finding a shed at home depot or lowes and adding windows and roost, or find a shed on craigslist for sale.
Another idea would be a big covered run, open on three sides with a nest box and roost placed to avoid drafts.

Good luck

Gary

 

[showjumper_girl2002]

Thanks for the great ideas. I knew the roosts were too low so I plan on raising them if I get it. I also have locks that I will be adding to the doors to deter those pesky raccoons. I know I need to add another couple of windows for ventilation too. I had to do that for the one I have now. I already have a decent sized run that we've predator proofed, though most of the time I leave it open so they can roam the rest of the yard at their leisure. IdyllwildAcres, my problem is I can't afford to go out and buy a shed as they run in the $1000's and I don't have the skill/knowledge to build one lol I've been looking all over craig's list and ebay for a used coop that someone has built and can't find anything in my area.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

Thanks for the great ideas. I knew the roosts were too low so I plan on raising them if I get it. I also have locks that I will be adding to the doors to deter those pesky raccoons. I know I need to add another couple of windows for ventilation too. I had to do that for the one I have now. I already have a decent sized run that we've predator proofed, though most of the time I leave it open so they can roam the rest of the yard at their leisure. IdyllwildAcres, my problem is I can't afford to go out and buy a shed as they run in the $1000's and I don't have the skill/knowledge to build one lol I've been looking all over craig's list and ebay for a used coop that someone has built and can't find anything in my area.

How about a hoop coop made with cattle panels? Your $300 budget would get you there and they look super easy to put together, I am going to make a shelter/greenhouse for my silly apple tree that thinks now is the time to bloom and the 16' panels are $26 each at tractor supply.

Here is a pretty good thread to look at:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/cattle-panel.1140564/#post-17718482

Good luck

Gary