Chicken coop

[Wolf89]

I have a big fenced in area that I was planning to keep my chickens in. Problem is, I want 20+chickens and I just don't have the money to buy or build a whole coop that size. But, since the chickens will basically only be sleeping in there, does it really have to be that big?

 

[cmom]

My birds only use the coops to roost in at night. Their feeders are in their coops so they go in to eat but they don't all go in and eat at the same time. All of my coops have fairly large pens where the birds spend most of their time. I have a shed I converted to a coop. Try looking on Craigslist and maybe you can find something fairly inexpensive. I had a lady contact me and brought over 2 coops some years ago for free. One I rehabbed and the other I took apart as it needed much more work and used the lumber from it to make rain/shade tables for some of the pens. You never know... Good luck and have fun...

 

[Fishkeeper]

Yes, it has to be that big. There's a reason that every decent care resource for chickens has a minimum coop size listed. If you can't build a coop that size, don't get that many chickens.

Craigslist is always a good bet, though, you can get stuff cheap if you get lucky.

 

[TwistedSteel]

Depending on where you live you might not need much of a coop. Here in Florida my second coop is nothing but a 10 x 30 chain link dog pen with a roof, roost, nest box and a couple removable sides.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

Not only Craigslist, but now Facebook Marketplace seems to have a good selection.

 

[TwistedSteel]

My original coop is pictured on my profile page, it`s kind of small but my chickens only sleep and lay in there. They free range on my 3 acres every day and get locked down at night. Funny thing is most of my girls like to pile in the smaller coop at night and get along just fine.

 

[aart]

Yes, it has to be that big. There's a reason that every decent care resource for chickens has a minimum coop size listed. If you can't build a coop that size, don't get that many chickens.

Have to agree with that wholeheartedly!

@Wolf89 Welcome to BYC!
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[Acre4Me]

If you are in a warm climate, then the coop is really just for sleeping, or hanging out. Some people in warm climates don’t even create 4 solid walls, but place the walls they do have in such a way as to shield from prevailing winds, rain and to provide shade. Of course, in this scenario, the birds have 24/7 access to the run area, and enough roosts in a protected area.

However, if you are in an area where climate is very cold or wet, you need to plan for an enclosed/protected/draft-free coop that the birds can stay in if the weather is bad. Generally 4sqft min per bird of coop space should be provided. 20 birds= 80 sqft min. Or an 8’x10’ shed minimum size.

Good luck.

 

[WindingRoad]

I have a big fenced in area that I was planning to keep my chickens in. Problem is, I want 20+chickens and I just don't have the money to buy or build a whole coop that size. But, since the chickens will basically only be sleeping in there, does it really have to be that big?

Pallet coop. Google is your friend. Lots of big box places give them away for free. Where are you located. You will need to predator proof your fenced area. Over head and underneath. What about weather? Rain etc. Better to be safe than sorry. And finding eggs might be a problem too. Coops have nest boxes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Isn't it interesting how many people can give definitive answers when they don't even know your situation? Where are you so we have an idea of climate? That's important information. How big is that fenced in area and how predator proof is it? What does the fence look like? What will the flock look like and why do you want them? Will you be breeding, raising young chicks, have one or more roosters" Are they for eggs, pets, or something else? What size coop were you planning on?

Tell us something about what you have to work with and what you hope to accomplish with them. There may be a way to make it work, there may not. I don't know enough about your unique situation to be able to say one way or another.