Coop Questions

[chickenmadness7]

I am new to chickens! Actually I have week old Guinea Keets. I have some coop qyestions.
1. I read somewhere that you should keep your coop away from your house and I was wondering WHY?
2. I'm looking at commercial coops about 20 square feet. Are there any you could recommend? We are not handy people at all.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some people do have coops and runs real close to the house, sometimes even sharing a wall. Some normal reasons this might not be a good idea are:

1) The birds can be noisy.
2) If the coop or run gets wet, it can smell.
3) Birds make a lot of dust, shedding dander or just by scratching.
4) Rodents may be attracted by spilled food.
5) Snakes may be attracted to the rodents.

Personally I would not recommend any commercial coops. This thread will tell you why. You can find suggestions of what to do in that thread if you are not handy.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/852529/money-poorly-spent

 

[chickenmadness7]

Could I convert a shed like this into a coop? How easy would it be?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Arrow-Metal...188?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f35a9678c

 

[jimmurph2000]

Here is an old wooden shed about 12'x12' that I made into a coop. Materials cost me about $400 but I over build everything. I put a new raised floor over the old existing floor and finished the inside walls with rough cut 1"x8" lumber from a local saw mill. I put the interior walls up to reduce drafts. Currently I am finishing my chicken run outside. My chicks are 5 weeks old so they don't go out unless I'm there with them. I'll post some pics shortly

 

[chickenmadness7]

After much deliberation, I finally ordered a coop. I did a lot of reading and research and this particular one gets rave reviews both here and on other sites. At the very least, it will be easy to clean. lol http://www.amazon.com/Snap-Lock-Chi...F8&qid=1402087368&sr=8-1&keywords=formex+coop

 

[Tracyree]

Jealous! Been eyeballing those for long long time. Enjoy!!