Confused about coop/run combo sizing and need guidance ASAP....

[black_cat]

and they said 10-12! Crazy. Now I have to figure out a super quick solution bc I already have the chicks (because I believed them...sigh)

Anyone that sells coops markets them with a gross overestimate of their capacity.
Hoop coops are generally quick and easy to build.

 

[Susan-B]

I feel your pain. I did the same thing with my first coop. It was listed for 8-10 standard birds, and when it arrived, it was so small, I wouldn't have put 2-3 in there. Anyways, I ended up buying an 8x8 plastic shed from Home depot. It wasn't too expensive, and it was easy to put together. They have multiple sizes, so you don't have to get one that large. It just had to be fitted with roosting bars, nest boxes and some extra vents. I'm not sure how handy you are, but if you can build a run to go with it, your set.
The other option would be to check Craigslist. There's all sorts of coops, new and used, in my area. If you can find one the right size, that might be ideal, if you're not comfortable building.

I'm not at all handy but I may see if I can figure out how to tweak a shed. I've scoured craigslist for weeks and not having luck there (see a couple coops but smaller than what I wanted, and no used sheds)

 

[black_cat]

A prefab shed kit could be an idea.

 

[3KillerBs]

The general guidelines per adult, full-sized chicken are:

4 square feet in the coop,
10 square feet in the run,
1 linear foot of roost,
and 1 square foot of permanent, 24/7/365 ventilation -- the pop door which is closed at night and any windows that are closed in the winter don't count.

These are *guidelines*, not hard-and-fast rules, but keeping chickens in tighter confines than these tends to require intensive management and tends to create behavior problems.

Additionally, while height is for the owner's convenience and doesn't count for the chickens -- they can be thought of as a 15" cube for purposes of visualizing how much space they occupy but they don't stack for storage -- some prefab coops are so very short that an adult chicken can't even stand up.

4' is, IMO, the minimum height for a non-walk-in coop because any shorter than that and you can't get a deep enough base for a decent thickness of bedding, the nests above the level of the bedding, the roosts above the nests, and the ventilation above the birds' heads when they're sitting on the roost.

A hoop coop is definitely easiest for a person with limited building skills.

If you do a shed conversion the big thing is ventilation, ventilation, ventilation. If that happens, start a thread about it and you'll get plenty of good advice.

 

[aart]

A hoop coop is definitely easiest for a person with limited building skills.

Eh.......it takes some skill, and is often not appropriate for a full time coop/run in harsh climates.

 

[Acre4Me]

@Susan-B the coop you have in mind can potentially work fine.

points to consider:

1. Would not recommend a rooster, keep it girls only. I know a rooster can help moderate hen behavior, but this is too small for a Randy rooster with some hens-might overmate them.


2. Keep an eye out for flock behavior, bc if you have a bully, you will need to address the issue. Many flocks are peaceful (overall), and get along ok. But, in a more confined area, you have to be ready to immediately address issues, so have a large dog crate handy to separate out The problem girl.

3. Put the setup in a shady area so they can always use all the space. The windward side, add clear panels so no blowing rain enter, or Excessive wind doesn’t keep them inside the coop.

4. Stick to regular sized or trim (like Mediterranean types) or bantam birds.

5. Plan for an extended run that is secure so the outside area for them is larger


my reasons:

1. you don’t live in a harsh climate. SE PA isn’t exactly bad winter weather or overly stormy. Just take care of blowing snow and rainy weather (using clear panels), along with all day shade for the heat of the summer.

2. I have “less than ideal” coop space. But I do have a large fenced run, and I do have visual interruptions and roosts (for day time) in the run. And my coop has A LOT of roost space bc we use ladder roosts. It works for us.

3. I went to a farm for a meeting, which was held in their barn. They had pigs in pens. They also had 6 white chickens (Leghorns? Rocks? Not sure) In a small TSC coop inside the barn. It is the most common TSC sold coop that pics get posted of -it is smaller than yours. The chickens were fine. Happy, healthy, no injuries, no blood spatter anywhere. The coop was on concrete with lots of shavings, near a human door so they got fresh sir snd some sun, but were protected from bad weather. Is this “ideal”? No, not according to some, but it seemed to work well for those people.

overall, you need to pay attention to flock dynamics. We have sold problematic birds when needed since our coop space is not overly large.

 

[Susan-B]

@Susan-B the coop you have in mind can potentially work fine.

points to consider:

1. Would not recommend a rooster, keep it girls only. I know a rooster can help moderate hen behavior, but this is too small for a Randy rooster with some hens-might overmate them.


2. Keep an eye out for flock behavior, bc if you have a bully, you will need to address the issue. Many flocks are peaceful (overall), and get along ok. But, in a more confined area, you have to be ready to immediately address issues, so have a large dog crate handy to separate out The problem girl.

3. Put the setup in a shady area so they can always use all the space. The windward side, add clear panels so no blowing rain enter, or Excessive wind doesn’t keep them inside the coop.

4. Stick to regular sized or trim (like Mediterranean types) or bantam birds.

5. Plan for an extended run that is secure so the outside area for them is larger


my reasons:

1. you don’t live in a harsh climate. SE PA isn’t exactly bad winter weather or overly stormy. Just take care of blowing snow and rainy weather (using clear panels), along with all day shade for the heat of the summer.

2. I have “less than ideal” coop space. But I do have a large fenced run, and I do have visual interruptions and roosts (for day time) in the run. And my coop has A LOT of roost space bc we use ladder roosts. It works for us.

3. I went to a farm for a meeting, which was held in their barn. They had pigs in pens. They also had 6 white chickens (Leghorns? Rocks? Not sure) In a small TSC coop inside the barn. It is the most common TSC sold coop that pics get posted of -it is smaller than yours. The chickens were fine. Happy, healthy, no injuries, no blood spatter anywhere. The coop was on concrete with lots of shavings, near a human door so they got fresh sir snd some sun, but were protected from bad weather. Is this “ideal”? No, not according to some, but it seemed to work well for those people.

overall, you need to pay attention to flock dynamics. We have sold problematic birds when needed since our coop space is not overly large.

-No roosters here, we aren't allowed to have them in my town.

-Flock consists of Easter Egger, black australorp, Welsummer and I'm supposed to pick up my Speckled Sussex and Barnevelder tomorrow.

-so you're saying to add an additional run onto the 6x10 coop/run combo?

-I'll look into seeing how to add clear panels. We do get cold and snow/rain here in the winters.
thanks!

 

[West Bend]

How old are the chicks you have? And the ones you are getting? Wondering how soon you need the coop ready. Have you considered a pallet coop? Might be a faster & cheaper? option with ready made walls & then add the outside siding of your choice. Definitely make it as predator proof as possible from the start, as you know from the neighbors experience.

 

[linguini]

5. Plan for an extended run that is secure so the outside area for them is larger

Everything Acr4Me suggested is right on! The coop you are planning to purchase seems quite nice, and should be large enough for young chicks. So you'll have time to build an extended run.

A covered extended run is not too difficult nor expensive to do - metal stud-T posts with bird net (nylon ones) on top and deer net around will allow them to go out during the day and you won't need to supervise them.

I guess it also depends on predators in your environment. Our main problems are the ever- present red-tailed hawks.

We have no building skills, but with a pounder, the stud-T posts are easy to put up!!

 

[Susan-B]

How old are the chicks you have? And the ones you are getting? Wondering how soon you need the coop ready. Have you considered a pallet coop? Might be a faster & cheaper? option with ready made walls & then add the outside siding of your choice. Definitely make it as predator proof as possible from the start, as you know from the neighbors experience.

young still.....I picked them up on Monday...getting the last 2 tomorrow....

I don't know if I can find someone to build a pallet coop but I'm open to suggestions