chicken coops

[flowerpower]

I was given, as a surprise, 3 Rhode Island White hen chicks for my birthday. We've been keeping them quite happily in a run in the yard, but they have no coop or laying boxes. Winter will be here, plus they should start laying soon. I've been looking for an inexpensive chicken coop idea. I don't have time to build one. Would a large wooden dog house work? I found one that has a hinged roof and a removeable wood floor. With a few modifications, ie. a roost and some laying boxes, would this work? It would not be elevated more than a couple of inches off the ground, but other than that, I don't see a huge difference in the construction of a dog house and a chicken coop. The idea is that I could connect this "coop" to our existing run.

 

[wren]

Why not?

 

[2mnypets]

I don't think anything is wrong with that idea. That's the nice thing about chickens....they are happy with whatever you provide them as long as they have the basics of food, water and shelter. My RIW are average size so 3 should fit comfortably in the large dog house. You can always expand later when finances allow. Chickens are very forgiving and could care less. It's us people that want them to have the Taj Ma Hall.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Sounds good to me. You may want to insulate it a bit depending on where you live. Put it up on a couple of cinder blocks can keep the rain and snow out of it and the bottom wouldn't be so cold.

 

[Standard Hen]

I have a couple of wooden dog houses that I use and like the above posters said they could care less...lol As long as they have someplace safe and secure to go into at night and it is dry and out of the wind for the winter they are happy. You would not believe how many jump into those dog houses at night and in the winter they are nice and cozy and warm. They go out all day. I added perches inside and had little doors made with screen. In the winter I cover them with heavy plastic to keep out the wind, put lots of shavings, some straw or hay and they are very happy. I would love to have a Taj Mahall chicken coop but this has worked quite well and did not cost me money I did not have.
For laying boxes I added plastic dish pans filled with straw andonce in awhile they lay an egg in them....lol
One question,,, I have never heard of a Rhode Island White, is that another name for a White Rock?

 

[speckledhen]

Nope, a Rhode Island White is, well, a RI White, not a Rock. Not common in backyard flocks, I dont think. They use them in a common sexlink cross with a RI Red rooster.

 

[Standard Hen]

Thanks Cynthia, never heard of one.