Coop to small to get more chicks??

[Keri78]

Very Well Said!!!

 

[MareeZoCool]

LOVE what you've created! I'm searching for plans, want to build a raised coop for my two birds, then get more birds this spring.

 

[CamsChickens]

I love this webpage, there is such a wealth of good info from all of you!

From what Ive gathered, I think that my 6 hens are fine in the coop right now, they really are only in there at night and have ample space to run around during the day. They always put themselves up in the coop/run at night, and sometimes I dont even lock them up. My dogs do a great job at keeping the coyotes and bears away, so we dont really have a predator problem.

I guess my next question would be if two smaller coops are ok during the building of a larger coop? I know that I will have to get some help with a large coop and I love the idea of turning a playhouse into a coop! I was thinking that I could keep an eye out for a playhouse, turn it into another coop and then in a few months get started on something bigger???

 

[PunkinPeep]

Quote:
If you know of a place or anyone who works at a place that receives equipment or whatever in wooden crates, you can build a small raised coop for very little money. My husband got this crate from work that is almost as big as the o.p.'s coop. He cut out windows and a door, put it on stilts, and it was pretty much free. He also gets free 2x6s and 2x4s that are cut-offs from other things they build. I just got to paint it yesterday, and that paint was free from a county recycling center. So it really was mostly free.

The only downside is that since it is pretty big, but you can't actually walk into it, it is difficult to clean. But i think i've solved that too. I'm designing (in my head still) some linoleum-covered inserts, so that i can pull out the inserts and REALLY clean them. I use this for quarantining, outdoor brooder (i live in Texas), and i use it to confine freezer camp appointees before their "trip." It is absolutely indispensable, and if i ever had just two hens, it would be wonderful for them.

Here's a pic of what it is so far.

 

[astatula]

You do have another choice other than building and building and building. You can be happy with the six chickens you have and enjoy their eggs and their company.

I could use hundreds of cliches, the grass is greener, careful what you wish for, or never enough.... but I would rather say Count your blessings or The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time.....

You have six chickens and they will provide you with plenty of responsibilities and plenty of entertainment for the next 3-5 years. If you make it too much WORK, you will be disappointed, and things can get complicated with a flock of more than 20-30 birds. You need more time per bird to catch illnesses quickly or they spread quickly. You need more time to clean and to feed and to maintain your coop(s) and clean waterers.

Once you have a year or more with your current flock, then you can decide if you want to get fancy or bigger.

You said it from the start, this was a lot of work, Now enjoy for awhile, maybe for the summer and fall. In the Fall you can build another coop if you really want to, and you have six months to look on craigslist for someone that gave up and wants to get rid of their hard-work-coops, and most likely their birds, cheap.

Good luck.