Coop

[TexasWineGuy]

Thank you.. guess I go big or go home .. lol

Exactly.

Learn from the experience on this site. I'm building a "phase II" coop and run as we speak, with the input from the members here.

Looking forward to the experience.....

TWG

 

[Folly's place]

A garden shed is a good structure that can be modified to use as a very nice coop, with little building experience. Sometimes things turn up on craigslist, or you can find a nearby carpenter who can build something for you. Money better spent than getting a horrible farm store thingy!
Mary

 

[New Hen Mama]

I found this one.. it’s a little bigger.. will this be ok or do I go bigger? Lol

https://www.chickencoopcompany.com/...roducts/leghorn-cottage-chicken-coop-4-6-hens

 

[DallasLoneStar]

The larger model looks OK for a prefab. Would probably want to take one of the low roosts and move it up high along with the other high roost, and get rid of the other two (very low and anyone roosting there will get pooped on). And you only need one side of nesting boxes so the other side could be extra room, room for food/water during bad weather, etc. While not ideal, it does have some ventilation. Most prefabs have hardly any. The Rhode Island model looks decent. You could get the hen house only, and build a run to suit your space that is nice and big. I have a hen house on the small side but a large run. My girls only lay eggs and sleep in the house.

 

[New Hen Mama]

The larger model looks OK for a prefab. Would probably want to take one of the low roosts and move it up high along with the other high roost, and get rid of the other two (very low and anyone roosting there will get pooped on). And you only need one side of nesting boxes so the other side could be extra room, room for food/water during bad weather, etc. While not ideal, it does have some ventilation. Most prefabs have hardly any. The Rhode Island model looks decent. You could get the hen house only, and build a run to suit your space that is nice and big. I have a hen house on the small side but a large run. My girls only lay eggs and sleep in the house.

Lucy and her friends will only be sleeping in coop at night or bad weather..Lucy has the run of my yard( which is fenced in) durning the day.. I love watching her pecking and looking for bugs or whatever she is eating lol.. Thank you for your input.

 

[aart]

Thank you.. guess I go big or go home .. lol

Well, it's more like go big or get ready to build something bigger almost immediately.
Keeping birds, and especially adding birds, takes more space than is generally assumed. 'Only to sleep and lay in' is another common misconception.

Much may depend on your climate.

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @New Hen Mama
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!

 

[New Hen Mama]

Well, it's more like go big or get ready to build something bigger almost immediately.
Keeping birds, and especially adding birds, takes more space than is generally assumed. 'Only to sleep and lay in' is another common misconception.

Much may depend on your climate.

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @New Hen Mama
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, (laptop version shown), then it's always there!
View attachment 1845604

Thank you.. I took your advise and added to my profile.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I would highly recommend against purchasing a prefab coop. A garden shed converted into a coop is a better and more cost effective option. Letting your hens free range in your yard sounds great until the local predators get a whiff of the aroma from your girls. Then you might want to build a safe and secure run. Good luck with your little flock.

 

[Folly's place]

I'm not impressed with that coop either, and didn't get further than noticing it's lack of adequate ventilation. You have hot weather, and maybe ice and some snow occasionally?
The coop needs to be large enough, possibly including a covered safe run portion, during really bad weather, during a predator invasion, while you are out of town, or whatever.
Too small and too hot just won't do!
Mary

 

[Kikiriki]

If I were starting from scratch again, I would go with a vinyl shed. I had one that I used for a shed, and it held up to multiple hurricanes with no problem. I liked that it was very good with both heat and cold, and they do have ventilation, but you could always add a window and a chicken door.
You would need to build a run, but you might want a bigger run than those little coops provide. That space is rather small for even a couple of chickens. My three birds used about 1/8 of an acre, my entire back yard, and still wanted more area. I did have a run attached to the coop for when I was mowing or doing other work in the yard, to keep the chickens safely contained.
You can get a smaller shed for a bit more money than one of those coops. The reviews I’ve seen on the prefab coops usually have a LOT of complaints about poor quality of materials and needing to be beefed up and repaired.

Conversely, my coop in Florida was a ten ft wide 6 ft tall board on board fence panel on one side and all the rest was hardware cloth. I had a vinyl panel roof. I used a tarp for extra shade in summer, and dropped it down for a wind break in winter. (Yes, we got into the twenties in FL).
The wide open sides were great for the heat of the summer.