I meant wasted space as in purchasing a new 10X12 utility shed (smallest they make) is an unnecessary expense for a chicken coop. So more so a wasted expense for a nice new shed to house pooping sleeping chickens when they dont necessarily need that much space. If i could find a used one at a reasonable price, absolutely, but i can't make myself buy a brand new one for the price they want to convert it into a roosting coop.
Ahh, okay. I thought you meant literal space
Follow the link in my signature below. I don't believe in those magic numbers for square footage you often read on here, that article may tell you why. For some people those magic numbers are overkill but for some they are not enough. In your southeast Missouri weather your chickens will probably be able to be outside all day practically every day so they probably won't be confined to that coop a lot. I find that the more I crowd them the more behavioral problems I have to deal with, the harder I have to work, and the less flexibility I have to deal with issues. I consider my comfort and time important considerations.
With that many chickens, absolutely. And you need enough room to work in there.
People don't complain about having too big a coop, they complain about it being too small.
Then why are you worried about building it a bit bigger? Why go out of your way to create potential problems? Granted, foundations and roofing cost a lot, as well as siding.
Some of those are more on the lines im looking for. Thanks! Will look into them!When looking for a easy build for my 16 chicks I found this page:
https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/chicken-coop-plans/
it has all types of coops and the links to the page with the building plans. We used some designs as a rough draft and built with scrap wood. Good luck
They have a wide range but with 44 plans there has to be something good in it all! I found a few I really liked but the husband is not a plan follower
Im not worried about building it a bit bigger, i was stating that buying a prefab 10x12 utility shed built locally was unnecessary because i have resources to build my own for much cheaper. We just purchased one for ourselves to use as a shed, and the chickens don't need one that big really. I only say that because i see the space they're comfortable with now. They are let out each morning to free range all day and only go in the coop to roost. They dont even go in to get out of weather. They prefer outside at all times. The roosts are the only space they need or care about to be honest, aside from the nesting boxes. Which the openings to those are flush with the inside walls, so they dont take up any floor space. I have 5 milk crates lined for nesting boxes, with room for 1 or 2 more, so the coop is about 6 or 7 feet by 4 or 5 ft. Thats plenty for them to lay and roost and for us to be in there doing what we need to do. I will make the new coop bigger just because, but i still couldn't justify buying a brand new 10x12 utility shed to use as a chicken coop. And i do have access to most of the building materials for free. Plywood would be about the only expense, which is doable. I do understand having to potentially isolate incase of preditor attacks, and will take that into consideration. I will never confine them to a run permanently, but i do like the idea of an added run for emergencies or such, especially since the coop wont be feasible for housing.
Have you checked out the BYC Coop page? It may give you some ideas. There are a lot of different ones that may give you ideas for your coop. Good luck and have fun...
We don't have a local library, so ive been confined to google, lol. I have started researching plans here and will continue to do so. Thx! We also don't have any Lowe's or such around here. We do have a Home Depot about 30 miles away, but the shed plans there are prefab kits which cost about the same as the local Mennonite utility sheds here, which are already built. Carpenters are also hard to come by here, so my husband and i will have to do and make due with building material options we have on hand to work with, lol.
