Coop opinions?

[Shamo Hybrid]

I think it's fine for 3 chickens. Cute coop btw.

 

[MissChick@dee]

I have something similar. My attached run (if that’s what you’d call it) is square. I raised and attached it to a 12x2 board for more height.
And to secure the base against wind.
Realize you’ll only be able to keep 2 chickens in that.
My husband more than doubled mine since I keep 4 hens.
The roof in mine doesn’t fit flush. There’s a 1/16” inch gap for ventilation.
Keeping the coop itself dry is important if you want it to last more than 2 year. We put up a tin roof over the coop.
My girls use it as a sleeping box. That run space is IMO a joke. Raise the whole thing up if you can.
I have a 20x10 chain link dog run.
It’s good to start with and you can tweak it with your own adaptations. Best wishes

 

[MissChick@dee]

PS .... I attached egg boxes on the outside

 

[UKchooks]

Thanks all. I'll look into those suggestions.

Any opinions on allowing them to free range when I'm not around to supervise?

 

[MissChick@dee]

I spent a lot of time with mine supervising them.
Now I just check frequently.
Provide lots of Hawk hideouts. I would get a chair and treats and introduce each area with a hideout.
When I’m not with them they tend to stay in their run or they’ll hide themselves.
Chickens will panic and get stupid. If they are comfortable knowing where to go they will choose what they know.
And yes if they or I see a hawk I say “hawk” in a certain way and they get moving.
They can be extremely intelligent and learn quickly but that all goes out the window when they are panicking.
Bushes are great but offer little protection. You can make a hideout from just about anything. Just remember to leave it open ended so they can’t get trapped.
A board against a fence. A upside down wheel barrow. I have hideouts about every 6’ along my fence.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thanks all. I'll look into those suggestions.

Any opinions on allowing them to free range when I'm not around to supervise?

That's something you need to decide after weighing pros and cons. Do you have a garden or landscaping that you don't want the chickens getting into? How upset will you or your family members be if there are losses?

Still a good idea to have a run of some sort, in case after a predator attack you want to have the chickens locked up for a few days to try and get the predator to move on.

 

[UKchooks]

I'll definitely be on the lookout for a larger run - it's just a question of whether I absolutely need to have it all set up and in place before getting the chickens.

Plants aren't an issue - I've given up trying to grow any sort of veg or flowers! The garden's not huge, but there's lots of hidey holes the chickens can explore - a plastic wendy house, plastic garden furniture, a trampoline, that sort of thing - plus I can easily add more as @MissChick@dee suggests. I have a couple of tarps I can use to make some wet-weather cover for them. I'm assuming 6' fences will be high enough to contain them, since they'll have their wings clipped?

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'll definitely be on the lookout for a larger run - it's just a question of whether I absolutely need to have it all set up and in place before getting the chickens.

I'm assuming 6' fences will be high enough to contain them, since they'll have their wings clipped?

Since the coop is already put together the run can be delayed a little bit, if you don't have time to work on it before getting chickens, especially if you're starting with chicks.

If wing clipping, make sure to look up videos or other threads on here to see how to do it. Chickens can leap/flap pretty well if the wing feathers aren't clipped properly. Some birds may never try to escape even with a low fence, others may be more determined to fly the fence, but I'd say 6' is probably enough in most cases with wing clipping.

 

[RoosterML]

Add some ventilation and leave the pop door open as previously discussed. Humidity monitors would be a waste of money and totally unnecessary, IMO.

IMO , it's a small coop with pop door open and what looks to be a 12"x12" window as a vent some serious air can be moving through there. So you just say "add some ventilation" with out knowing the conditions?? Totally unnecessary IMO. Just sayin.
Also humidity monitors can be had for well under $10 cheap price to pay to know what the moisture levels are inside.

 

[TomZilla43]

Hiya UK, . Glad you could join our little flock. Your set-up is large enough to get started, although like others have said I have a feeling that after a bit you will probably want to make some modifications. But you will get to figure that on the fly like pretty much all of us do. Best of luck with your new chooks, hope everything goes splendidly for you and your girls!