I am getting chickens for the first time this spring and have been devoting almost all of my mental energy lately in trying to figure out what exactly their coop will be.
I have two options, and I would really like the opinions and perspectives of experienced chicken peeps before I choose one.
First, my desired flock will be between 25 and 30 for the summer, then I'll have the roos butchered (and possible some ladies, too, if for some reason I have too many) in the fall and ideally end up with 12-15 layers for the winter. Space, itself is not an issue- we live on nearly 3 acres and our only rules are "3 animal units" which I think is like 300 chickens. But despite it's size our property was never a farm (that I know of or can tell) so it lacks what would likely be some helpful out buildings. But we do have two and they each have their pros and cons.
First is a 6x9 shed. It's too small for 30 chickens, but I figured that I could build/buy some cheaper supplemental "summer" housing, and with me planning to build a HUGE run and the chickens having inside/outside access 24/7, it would probably be doable. Plus I had a thought that it could be divided vertically- it's a tall shed, so I was thinking I could build a shelf that is about 2/3 the depth of the shed (so 5-6 feet) and about 4 feet high (so I could still get under it if need be) with a little ramp, that would increase the square footage. But I read in other posts of people doing something similar and then the chickens only used the upper level... But it's a good, structurally sound shed with the potential to be easily insulated, making it nice and snug in the winter (important in MN). It's got a wood floor that doesn't show any signs of rodent damage. It would need windows and ventilation (and insulation, eventually), but that's it. Drawback- I would be out of luck if I wanted to expand my laying flock. And there's no electricity.
Second is the attic of an unattached two car garage. The building itself is pretty sound and, interestingly enough, there is a bird coop (my guess is pigeons because the nesting boxes are high and the doors for the birds are like 5 feet off the ground and small-ish) in the attic. I had written it off because, well, it's the second floor, but there was another post (that I can't link to because I'm new) that made me reconsider it. It's totally wasted space otherwise and, other than somehow creating barriers to keep the chickens from going down the really nice, sound steps (plus) and covering one random 4x8 hole in the floor it would only, as with the shed, need some windows and ventilation... and the ramp. Pluses- it's big and it's already wired for electricity. And generally chickens seem to prefer being higher up, plus it seems like it might also deter predators. Drawbacks- the extra work to create the ramp (and the possibility the chickens will resist using the ramp, resulting in me carrying the chickens inside and up the stairs two by two). Also, insulating would be trickier because it's a much larger area and the lower portion of the shed is pretty drafty- it's a dirt floor and there are parts of the walls/doors along the ground that have gaps.
Sorry to be so long- I'm excited to hear what you experienced people have to say!
And yeah for my first post!
I have two options, and I would really like the opinions and perspectives of experienced chicken peeps before I choose one.
First, my desired flock will be between 25 and 30 for the summer, then I'll have the roos butchered (and possible some ladies, too, if for some reason I have too many) in the fall and ideally end up with 12-15 layers for the winter. Space, itself is not an issue- we live on nearly 3 acres and our only rules are "3 animal units" which I think is like 300 chickens. But despite it's size our property was never a farm (that I know of or can tell) so it lacks what would likely be some helpful out buildings. But we do have two and they each have their pros and cons.
First is a 6x9 shed. It's too small for 30 chickens, but I figured that I could build/buy some cheaper supplemental "summer" housing, and with me planning to build a HUGE run and the chickens having inside/outside access 24/7, it would probably be doable. Plus I had a thought that it could be divided vertically- it's a tall shed, so I was thinking I could build a shelf that is about 2/3 the depth of the shed (so 5-6 feet) and about 4 feet high (so I could still get under it if need be) with a little ramp, that would increase the square footage. But I read in other posts of people doing something similar and then the chickens only used the upper level... But it's a good, structurally sound shed with the potential to be easily insulated, making it nice and snug in the winter (important in MN). It's got a wood floor that doesn't show any signs of rodent damage. It would need windows and ventilation (and insulation, eventually), but that's it. Drawback- I would be out of luck if I wanted to expand my laying flock. And there's no electricity.
Second is the attic of an unattached two car garage. The building itself is pretty sound and, interestingly enough, there is a bird coop (my guess is pigeons because the nesting boxes are high and the doors for the birds are like 5 feet off the ground and small-ish) in the attic. I had written it off because, well, it's the second floor, but there was another post (that I can't link to because I'm new) that made me reconsider it. It's totally wasted space otherwise and, other than somehow creating barriers to keep the chickens from going down the really nice, sound steps (plus) and covering one random 4x8 hole in the floor it would only, as with the shed, need some windows and ventilation... and the ramp. Pluses- it's big and it's already wired for electricity. And generally chickens seem to prefer being higher up, plus it seems like it might also deter predators. Drawbacks- the extra work to create the ramp (and the possibility the chickens will resist using the ramp, resulting in me carrying the chickens inside and up the stairs two by two). Also, insulating would be trickier because it's a much larger area and the lower portion of the shed is pretty drafty- it's a dirt floor and there are parts of the walls/doors along the ground that have gaps.
Sorry to be so long- I'm excited to hear what you experienced people have to say!
And yeah for my first post!
