Coop for 4 hens

[4cherries]

Hi all - new here and just got 4 chicks on Sunday. Trying to plan ahead and we've decided to buy a coop vs building since we have a few other projects we are working on. My question is (we will also let them out in the yard as well but can't 24/7 being in colorado and not sure how our dog and cats would act. Is this a good size coop for 4? It popped up on my search today and look wise I like it - I supposed we could always had to the run part, right?

Thanks in advance!

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=96562636&prodFindSrc=cart

• Capacity: 6 Chickens
• Material: Firwood
• Product Type: Red Barn Chicken Coop
• Houses up to 6 chickens.
• Comes with side nesting box and multi pull access doors, hardware packet, shingles, chicken wire and manual.
• Assembled dimensions: 78"L x 43.5"W x 51.5"H.

 

[OliviaBirds]

That is a really cute coop!! Each chicken needs about 3 square feet of space inside and around 10 square feet of space outside the coop. As long as you let your chickens free range every day, than that is okay. Maybe instead you could just add on to the run?

 

[OliviaBirds]

Can you send a pic of your chicks? I just got five last week. What are their names and breeds?

 

[authHeirlooms]

Hi! We're also in Colorado and looked at the same coop (among others) when we had to move suddenly with our adult hens after the 2013 flood. Basically, I would avoid it. We got to see it firsthand before buying and it was really flimsy wood and not even close to suitable for 6 hens. Better to build your own (I know what it's like to have too many projects!) or have a sturdy coop built. If you go this route it won't last long and will still need a lot of reinforcing (and added cost) to keep predators out. We ended up having a coop built, which was more expensive but worth the investment in the long term since we weren't throwing a few hundred dollars into a temporary solution. We are building a house for our ducks now out of pallets and it is certainly a project that can come together quickly with good help - you could probably spend half the cost of the coop you have here on materials & spend not much longer to assemble. We were glad that we got to see it before buying because it was a lot flimsier than the description led us to believe, but a raccoon or fox could make quick work out of it.

 

[authHeirlooms]

P.S. - Congrats on the chicks! so exciting!

 

[4cherries]

Hi! We're also in Colorado and looked at the same coop (among others) when we had to move suddenly with our adult hens after the 2013 flood. Basically, I would avoid it. We got to see it firsthand before buying and it was really flimsy wood and not even close to suitable for 6 hens. Better to build your own (I know what it's like to have too many projects!) or have a sturdy coop built. If you go this route it won't last long and will still need a lot of reinforcing (and added cost) to keep predators out. We ended up having a coop built, which was more expensive but worth the investment in the long term since we weren't throwing a few hundred dollars into a temporary solution. We are building a house for our ducks now out of pallets and it is certainly a project that can come together quickly with good help - you could probably spend half the cost of the coop you have here on materials & spend not much longer to assemble. We were glad that we got to see it before buying because it was a lot flimsier than the description led us to believe, but a raccoon or fox could make quick work out of it.

Thanks for the input! We shall see what I can convince my husband of lol

 

[4cherries]

Can you send a pic of your chicks?  I just got five last week.  What are their names and breeds?

The only one I know for sure if a buff orpington.. the others not so sure and fingers crossed are all females! I'd love to see pics of yours too!

 

[4cherries]

The buff is Henrietta (I chose her) skittles is the brown one (5 year old picked and named her) gray and yellow is ms. Featherbottom (husband picked and named her) black is Garuga (13 yr old picked and named her after something in his game he plays

‍)

 

[4cherries]

Hi! We're also in Colorado and looked at the same coop (among others) when we had to move suddenly with our adult hens after the 2013 flood. Basically, I would avoid it. We got to see it firsthand before buying and it was really flimsy wood and not even close to suitable for 6 hens. Better to build your own (I know what it's like to have too many projects!) or have a sturdy coop built. If you go this route it won't last long and will still need a lot of reinforcing (and added cost) to keep predators out. We ended up having a coop built, which was more expensive but worth the investment in the long term since we weren't throwing a few hundred dollars into a temporary solution. We are building a house for our ducks now out of pallets and it is certainly a project that can come together quickly with good help - you could probably spend half the cost of the coop you have here on materials & spend not much longer to assemble. We were glad that we got to see it before buying because it was a lot flimsier than the description led us to believe, but a raccoon or fox could make quick work out of it.

This is the other pre built I saw and liked.. and actually has good reviews.

 

[OliviaBirds]

Such cute chicks! I think that the brown one might be an Easter Egger.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/7764502/width/200/height/400[/I
MG]

Larger black chick is Unis(cuckoo Maran). Two smaller black and gray chicks are Maybelle and Poppy (one is a silver laced Wyandotte.) The two whiteish yellow chicks are white Easter eggers, and their names are Lili and Izzy.

[IMG]https://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/7764512/width/200/height/400