Coop and run built! Questions to get it ready

[cheldi]

We have 12 little girls that are 3 weeks old. (Wellsummers, Dorkings, Faverolles, and Ameraucauna) First timers! Husband just finished making a gate for our run today. The coop is ready! The girls have started going outside for playtime when it's nice out, which they love.

What we're not sure about now is feeder/waterer styles, where to place them, and how we'll store the extras.
The coop does have an automatic run chicken door so they will have outdoor access not dependant on us letting them out. I have seen that that's usually a factor on deciding if food is kept in or out. What's better? There's a lot more space in the run than the coop. We wanted a cozy coop size because we have cold winters and will not be running heat. I can't imagine cramming water, food, oyster shell & grit containers in there. I was looking at the metal mounted feeders (pic attached) but saw it says it should be used in a covered area so that doesn't seem great if we are putting feed in the run.
We also don't know what to expect as far as how much of these things they'll go thru. Can anyone give any tips on how much/how often to expect to be buying food, oyster & grit? We thought about getting the food grade barrels with the locking lids to store everything in the nearby shed. They're expensive so we don't want to get too many or realize they're not the best choice. Advice welcome!

 

[nuthatched]

Its nice looking but unfortunately, that coop is too small for 12 birds, but you could make do if it has enough roosts and goof ventilation. How much ventilation does it have?

 

[cheldi]

Its nice looking but unfortunately, that coop is too small for 12 birds, but you could make do if it has enough roosts and goof ventilation. How much ventilation does it have?

It has 24 feet of roosts and vents across each long side where the roof is attached (covered with hardware cloth)

 

[Ted Brown]

I agree with the comment above regarding size vs number of chickens however, will try to answer some of your questions. I have been through overcrowding in a coop - you and your chickens will not be happy!!

"deciding if food is kept in or out. What's better?"

• Everything you put inside the coop takes up floor space which will not be available for the chickens.
• Water can be outside in a uncovered run but you will need electricity to heat it during the winter.
• Food is more difficult as it is unusable if it gets wet.
• Water keep inside during the winter will contribute to humidity which can cause frost bite particularly on comb and wattles. Good ventilation prevents this.

"I was looking at the metal mounted feeders...should be used in a covered area"

• Whether the feeder is metal or plastic does not matter, if the food gets wet it will not be usable.
• Food left in the run will attract smaller critters and birds.
• If feeders sit on the floor they will quickly be filled with wood chips, dirt, poop. I elevate using a short tree trunk or hung.

"how much/how often to expect to be buying food, oyster & grit"

• chickens eat 4-6 ozs per day, feed comes in 50lb bags. 12 chickens will go through about 4lbs per day.
• I provide oyster shell in a separate container, have 30+ chickens and add every 1-2 weeks. Again it comes in 50lb bags, will last you months.
• I do not provide grit, believe that they get what they need from the run

"We thought about getting the food grade barrels..."

• The best containers for food are metal garbage cans. Small critters can chew through plastic.
• Given storage in a shed you will not need locking lids.

Best of luck, enjoy!

 

[21hens-incharge]

What is your climate like?
Snow? Driving rains? Hot? Humid?

I also agree the coop is to small for 12 adult birds regardless of breed or size.
If it is 4x6 that means you have the roosts 12" apart. That is still within pecking reach at roost time. You only need 12 linear feet of roosts so perhaps removing the 2 center ones can help.

I would be eying that shed as a possible coop......or planning to double the size of the current one.

 

[killmak]

I agree with the others, you will probably have issues with the size of that coop for 12 chickens. It will probably be fine until winter as long as the door opens at dawn and closes at dusk. As soon as they are forced to be close together during daylight hours they will start fighting. My current coop is smaller than it should be for my 11 birds. It is 6*5. However they free range all day and during the winter I snow blow paths to covered areas for them. On days when it is -30c and I don't let them out they get a little annoyed with each other. I am building them a new larger coop and will turn that one into a coop for meat chickens.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

To calculate how big your coop needs to be, figure about 4 sq ft needed for every adult bird. Twelve birds x 4 sq ft means your coop needs to be 48 sq ft in area, or 6 x 8 feet, or 12 x 4 for example. You only need one nest for every three or four birds, as they will not all lay at the same time, and some nests may never get used while one or two will be everybody's favorite. We were all newbies once and had to learn through trial and error. I made the mistake of thinking "big window = lots of ventilation," and allowing it to be built at roost level, which meant that wind was blowing up my poor chickens' backsides until I got it fixed. Ventilation should be well over their heads, I have since learned, and covered with hardware cloth to foil snakes, other predators and wild birds.

 

[Ted Brown]

Pennsylvania's winter runs from November to April, snow falls vary from "18 to 150 inches of snowfall" depending on location. Temperatures are typically below freezing sometimes reaching -5F or lower.